Don’t miss “Becoming a Client Magnet:  How to Attract and Retain New Clients” by Peggy Hoyt, Law Office of Hoyt & Bryan, Oviedo. Moderator: Alicia Perez. Live InReach Zoom webinar. Course Number 8411 is approved for 1 CLE. Solo & Small Firm Section members register for only $55, with 90-day, on-demand access. REGISTER

Description: Do you have magnetic qualities?  Join us for a peek into promoting your practice using relationship strategies to attract and retain an endless stream of clients.  We will discuss the benefits of “educate to motivate,” “creating niche practice areas,” “the law of abundance,” and tools you can use now to grow your influence and your practice.  It’s all about top-of-mind awareness!

Peggy Hoyt is a lifelong animal advocate, pet mom, author, and attorney. She is a founding partner of The Law Offices of Hoyt & Bryan, a Central Florida estate planning and elder law firm. She and her law partner hold the distinction of being the only Florida law firm with two members who are dual certified by the Florida Bar in Wills, Trusts, and Estates and in Elder Law.

Peggy is the founder of Animal Care Trust USA, Inc., a national nonprofit, whose mission is to keep loved pets in loving homes using Pet Trusts and Pet Trustee services. You can learn more about her charitable work at Act4Pets.org. She is the host of the weekly Pawcast All My Children Wear Fur Coats and author of the book of the same name. The podcast is available on Buzzsprout and wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Her books are available on Amazon.com.

In addition to practicing law, Peggy has written numerous books that include niche estate planning topics and gratitude marketing. Her newest book, 101 Ways to F$$k Up Your Estate is an Amazon bestseller in seven categories.

Peggy enjoys spending time with her husband, Joe, six dogs, two cats, and four horses.

Live InReach Zoom webinar by Gwen Daniel, of Smith, Tozian, Daniel & Davis, PA., Tampa. Moderator:  Michelle Adams Gumula. Course number 8436 is approved for 1 CLE, 1 Ethics. Solo & Small Firm Section members register for only $55, with 90-day, on-demand access. REGISTER

In this webinar, private ethics counsel Gwen Daniel will consider the spectrum from the outrageous attorney and/or the unreasonable client to common ethical problems lawyers should consider but frequently overlook. Safeguard your fees and reputation with practical tips like examining fee contracts, billing, collection, referral services, marketing, attorney liens, and paying your staff.

Gwen Daniel (formerly  Gwen Hinkle) served as an assistant state attorney in Hillsborough County. She joined Smith & Tozian, P.A. in 1998 and became a partner in 2005. In addition to Florida Bar regulatory defense and representation before the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, Gwen works as private ethics counsel helping lawyers evaluate law firm practice questions and assisting Bar applicants proactively mitigate potential character and fitness issues.

Live Zoom webinar by Luca L. Hickman, Dinsmore, Tampa, and moderated by Amanda Barton, Fort Lauderdale. Course number 8270 is approved for 1 CLE, all of which may be applied toward Ethics, and 1 Intellectual Property Law certification credit. Solo & Small Firm Section members register for only $50. All registrants have 90-day, on-demand access. REGISTER

Description:  Clients may seek your advice about a side hustle or concept they are entertaining without fully understanding the life cycle of the proposed endeavor.  Board Certified IP lawyer and registered patent agent, Luca L. Hickman, will provide the framework for new firms or companies starting out or seeking to expand their practice or business.  He also will discuss potential ethical issues that may impact who you can represent.

Luca L. Hickman is a registered patent attorney with experience in litigation. Clients often call upon him to prepare patent, trademark, copyright, and trade secret cease and desist letters and to handle all phases of IP litigation. Luca has also expanded his practice into the emerging digital IP world, working with clients to successfully recover misappropriated domain names, social media accounts, and other digital assets. Luca also works with clients to assert and defend UDRP proceedings and various e-commerce infringement matters on Amazon, eBay, and other online retail platforms. He also works with clients to protect software-related inventions and to prepare end-user
license agreements, software as a service agreements, and other related materials.After earning honors degrees in electrical engineering from institutions in both the U.S. and Germany, Luca graduated valedictorian from his law school and began his career in intellectual property law. He has experience in a wide variety of intellectual property law matters, ranging from prosecuting patent and trademark applications and conducting patent and trademark clearance searches to negotiating licensing agreements and managing global trademark portfolios for multinational companies. Luca also has extensive copyright experience, including assisting in clearance searches, preparing and filing copyright applications, drafting work-for-hire and assignment documents, and overseeing copyright compliance and production agreements for film and television projects.Luca is board-certified in intellectual property law by The Florida Bar and is certified by the Florida Supreme Court as a Circuit Court Mediator. He is also an active lecturer in the field of intellectual property law, having presented through the Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Section of the Florida Bar, the Solo & Small Firm Section of the Florida Bar, the National Coffee Association, Florida Gulf Coast University, various local bar associations, and other organizations.

Services:
• Intellectual Property
• Intellectual Property Litigation
• Privacy, Data Protection & Internet Technologies

The Section’s 2024 destination CLE trip is a 10-day tour of Southern Spain; details are available on the destination CLE trip web page.

The CLE, “Enhance Your Practice With Mobile Technology,” will be held on May 27 from 9 AM–1 PM at the Hyatt Centric Gran Via Madrid (patio). The course number will be provided when participants register. 4 CLE; 4 Technology credits.

Segment One: 9–11:30 AM

• Title: Using Technology to Efficiently Run Your Practice from Anywhere
• Speaker:  Liz McCausland, Liz McCausland P.A., Orlando and Legal Tech Consultant, Law Tech Partners.
• Description: Today’s legal technology has given lawyers the ability to work from anywhere. Firms are now able to gain a competitive edge and improve legal services to their clients without being in the room. Technology and remote work also have opened the doors to hiring and training staff that is not “in our backyard.”  In this presentation, Liz McCausland, attorney and legal tech consultant, will explore opportunities for today’s lawyers to deliver service and value to their practice, clients, and cases while working remotely.

Coffee & Tapas Break: 11:30 AM–12:10 PM

Segment Two:  12:10–1 PM

• Title: Cybersecurity: Best Practices When Hiring a Technology Company.
• Speaker:  Jason Alderman, of The Alderman Law Firm, Miami Shores.
• Description: Jason Alderman, of The Alderman Law Firm, will provide an in-depth review of cybersecurity best practices and considerations when evaluating and hiring technology consultants and companies for your law firm.  He will discuss technology security controls and steps to protect your practice and clients from intrusion.

Liz McCausland has been practicing law for over 20 years after graduating from the University of Florida with both her Bachelor of Arts and JD degrees. She practiced civil litigation representing both individuals and national corporations before starting her own firm. Ms. McCausland now concentrates in bankruptcy and mediation. She is a Supreme Court Certified Circuit Civil Mediator. She served on committees to establish both the Orlando Bankruptcy Division’s Mortgage Modification Mediation Program, as well as the Orange County Mortgage Modification Program. She has conducted over 4,000 Mortgage Modification Mediations in every district in Florida, as well as in Indiana, California, Nevada, and Arizona. She travels throughout the US to teach other attorneys and mediators how to successfully obtain and mediate mortgage modifications in bankruptcy.

Liz has served in leadership positions in many voluntary bar associations and has won awards for her devoted service including being recognized with the Lawrence G. Matthews Professionalism Award. She is a past president of the Orange County Bar Association, and serves on the executive board of the Florida Bar’s Solo and Small Firm Section. She has also previously served on the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Section, The Florida Bar’s Leadership Academy Committee and on the executive board of the Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers. Liz is a self-proclaimed gadget geek and has never met an app she didn’t try. Unfortunately, the nuances of Microsoft Excel still confound her.

Jason R. Alderman of The Alderman Law Firm focuses his practice on national and international litigation with a particular emphasis on complex banking, real property, contract, corporate, creditors’ rights, fiduciary, and valuation litigation.  He received the 2018 Daily Business Review Award for Most Effective Lawyer in Employment. Mr. Alderman is a member of The Florida Bar and is admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Southern, Middle and Northern Districts of Florida; the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Florida, and the United States Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit. He graduated from Florida State University (B.S., 1999) and the University of Miami School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude, 1999) where he was a member of the University of Miami Inter-American Law Review.

Live Zoom InReach Webinar by Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin, Suwannee County Judge. Solo & Small Firm Section members register for only $50 and have 90-day, on-demand access. Course number 8339 is approved for 1 CLE, 1 Technology. REGISTER

DESCRIPTION:  Learn pro tips that let you skip constant Google searches or trial-and-error tutorials to know how to fully integrate Microsoft Word into your law practice. Judge Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin will teach you exactly what you need to make your practice more efficient as she walks you through, step-by-step, how to set up and use Word effectively. Practice with your PC or laptop while you listen.  Learn Word features that can make formatting and other nightmares go away—while mastering shortcuts that will take your efficiency in Word to new levels.

Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin serves as the Suwannee County Judge. Prior to taking the bench as a judge, Jennifer presided over more than 20,000 hearings and trials as the Child Support Hearing Officer and General Magistrate.

Jennifer obtained her J.D. from the University of Florida, where she graduated Cum Laude. Jennifer received her B.S. from the University of South Florida, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Jennifer’s extensive service within The Florida Bar includes: Past Chair of the Solo and Small Firm Section; Executive Council member of the Solo and Small Firm Section (past secretary, treasurer); Chair of the Solo and Small Firm Technology Conference 2015, 2016, 2017; Family Law Section of The Florida Bar – Magistrate and Hearing Officer Committee Chair 2014-15, 2015-16; Third Judicial Circuit Young Lawyer’s Division Board of Governor’s Representative 2009-2015; Vision 2016; Statewide Advertising Grievance Committee; and The Florida Bar Ad Hoc Committee to Study SCOPE Program.

Jennifer served her local bar as the President of the Third Judicial Bar Association, as the Vice Chair of the Third Circuit Grievance Committee and as the President and founder of the Young Lawyer’s Section.

Jennifer holds the maximum rating, AV Preeminent® by the Martindale-Hubbell® Law Directory. Jennifer’s pride and joy is her six-year-old daughter, Kendall.

Live Zoom webinar presented by Mindi Wells, Wells Law, Columbus, OH, and moderated by Bill Curphey. Course number 8340 is approved for 1 CLE. Solo & Small Firm Section members register for only $50 and all registrants have 90-day, on-demand access. REGISTER

DESCRIPTION: Many law firms, especially solo and smaller firms, do not have a succession plan in place for continued operation or wind-down of their law firms. Lack of planning for what happens next—whether the change is from the loss of the solo attorney, loss of a partner, sale by founding attorneys, retirement or other unanticipated events—can throw a firm, its clients, employees, and business colleagues into a nosedive.  Join us for this workshop on the fundamentals of succession planning for law firms of all sizes.

In this session, you will learn:

• Why you need to start planning for your exit now—even if it is years away.
• What to consider in your succession plan.
• How to get started now.
• Who you need to get involved.
• Whether you need an Inventory Attorney.

Mindi Wells is Founder and Managing Attorney of Wells Law, a boutique firm offering legal counsel, investigations and training to businesses.  An attorney for over two decades, Mindi comes from a family of small business owners and spent much of her career on the business side of organizations. Her commitment to assisting growing businesses in proactively addressing workplace legal issues led her to develop a unique concierge legal service package that includes “house calls” to the C-suite.  Mindi’s clients appreciate her practical approach in simplifying legal complexities developed from years as a business professional herself.  Her no-nonsense style and humorous stories come from over 20 years’ experience in human resources, financial and organizational leadership, operations management and higher education. Mindi splits her time between Columbus, Ohio and Sarasota, Florida and serves clients throughout both states.