Free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar for Solo & Small Firm Section members* by Bill Curphey, Curphey & Badger, P.A., Palm Harbor, and moderated by Judge Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin, Third Judicial Circuit. Course number 7396 is approved for 1 CLE and 1 Civil Trial certification credit. Members may self-report CLE credit through The Florida Bar member portal.

In this webinar, you will learn from a successful civil trial lawyer, Bill Curphey, tools and strategies to employ during jury selection and how to most effectively create and deliver your opening statement.

*Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed.

Bill Curphey has been practicing for over 45 years, beginning as a trial attorney for the US Dept of Labor prosecuting companies for violations of Federal labor and employment laws and then associate counsel for a Fortune 200 company where he coordinated litigation nationwide.  He has been with Big Law firms before starting his own practice 20 years ago mainly as a commercial litigator representing businesses large and small nationwide mostly in federal court.  He has built a national practice while maintaining a small town lifestyle in Bradenton, Florida.  He will share his insights on building a successful practice and keeping clients.

Live GoToWebinar by Michal Meiler, Ver Ploeg & Marino, Miami, and moderated by Joshua Hertz, Miami Lakes. Solo & Small Firm Section members register for only $50. All registrants have 90-day, on-demand access. Course number 7397 is approved for 1 CLE; 1 Civil Trial certification credit. Solo & Small Firm Section members register for only $50 and have 90-day, on-demand access. REGISTER

Course Description:  Michal Meiler focuses on insurance coverage and bad-faith litigation. She will detail the impact of this new act, having recently testified in hearings before the Florida legislature on the proposed tort reform. HB 837/SB 236, which became law upon signing on March 24, 2023, contains significant tort litigation changes favoring insurers and business owners.  The new law includes new challenges in bringing premises liability actions, caps on medical damages, a reduction in the statute of limitations for negligence claims, elimination of one-way attorneys’ fees recovery, and makes it more difficult to sue for insurance bad faith. Join us for this most informative webinar.

Michal Meiler is a Partner with Ver Ploeg & Marino, P.A. Ms. Meiler focuses her trial practice in insurance coverage and bad faith litigation, representing policyholders and injured victims. Prior to joining VPM, she served as an Assistant Public Defender in Miami-Dade County.  She is admitted to practice before The Florida Bar; the U.S. District Court for the Southern, Middle, and Northern Districts of Florida; and the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Meiler is an active member of the American Association for Justice (serving as Chair of the Insurance Law Section), the Florida Justice Association (serving as a member of the Board of Directors and Chair-Elect of the Women’s Caucus), the Miami-Dade Trial Lawyers Association, the Miami-Dade Bar, and the Florida Association for Women Lawyers. She has been named as One to Watch in 2023 by Best Lawyers in America, a 2020 Top Up and Comer Under 40 by the South Florida Legal Guide, a 2020 On the Rise Honoree by the Daily Business Review, Rising Star by SuperLawyers and one of the 2018 40 Under 40 Outstanding Lawyers in South Florida by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Ms. Meiler received her B.A. degree, cum laude, from George Washington University and earned her J.D. degree, cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Zoom Webinar by Stephanie Cagnet Myron, Cagnet Myron Law, P.A., Wellington, and moderated by Amanda Barton. Course number 7221 is approved for 1 CLE, all of which may be applied toward Ethics, and 1 Technology CLE. Solo & Small Firm Section members register for only $50. REGISTER

This CLE will discuss ethical concerns when representing crime victims. We will address emerging issues involving technology, private sexual images, cyberstalking and extortion. We will also provide information regarding available resources for victims.

Stephanie Cagnet Myron is the founder of Cagnet Myron Law. Her firm has handled more stalking and cyberstalking cases than any other private firm in the nation and has empowered hundreds of victims.

She is a premiere victims’ rights attorney with experience fighting for the justice that stalking and sexual assault victims deserve. Cagnet Myron Law has a solid foundation based upon active involvement with the Florida Bar and the local community in Palm Beach County.

Attorney Stephanie Cagnet Myron has served as the Director of the Palm Beach County Anti-Stalking Collaborative, where she led a team of police officers, investigators, therapists, victim advocates, attorneys and members of the general public. As Director, she created and conducted trainings on the issues of Stalking, Cyberstalking, Cyberbullying, and Sexual Cyberharassment (Revenge Porn). She also served as a member of the Domestic Violence Council of Palm Beach County and the Palm Beach County Sexual Assault Response Team (SART). These efforts help create a system for providing a coordinated comprehensive approach to victims of Stalking, Domestic Violence, and Sexual Assault.

Free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom CLE for Solo & Small Firm Section members* by Zach Bloxham, Sandberg, Stettler, & Bloxham, Kaysville, Utah, and WealthCounsel. Moderator:  Judge Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin, Third Judicial Circuit. Course number 7399 is approved for 1 CLE; 1 Elder Law certification credit. REGISTER

*Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed.

In order to better understand a practice area like elder law, it can be helpful to walk through what a case file looks like from beginning to close. During this webinar, we will illustrate the life of both Medicaid crisis and proactive planning cases from the initial consultation to funding considerations for an EC Medicaid Asset Protection Trust®. Join WealthCounsel’s Zach Bloxham, J.D., as he takes you on this exciting legal journey.

Zach Bloxham is WealthCounsel’s Elder Law Faculty, where he assists attorneys and other stakeholders from around the country in navigating the world of public benefits planning, consultation, and strategy. Zach works to provide comprehensive and cutting-edge legal education, supplying attorneys with practicable solutions and positive outcomes for the clients that they represent.  Before following his passion for education and joining WealthCounsel, Zach spent nearly a decade as a partner in an elder law firm which specialized in planning for Medicaid, VA Pension with Aid and Attendance, Special Needs, and Estate Recovery. Zach is licensed to practice law in Utah where he lives with his wife and their four children. In his free time, Zach enjoys writing, history, sports, and serving on his local City Council.

12–1 PM Live GoToWebinar by Mari J. Frank, JD, JD. This program will provide an analysis of Florida’s attorney ethical rules as they relate to billing and collecting fees. Course number 7231 is approved for 1 CLE; all of which may be applied toward Ethics. This is a joint program by the ADR and Solo & Small Firm Sections; members register for only $50. Registrants have 90-day, on-demand access. REGISTER

Details, schedule and registration are available on the Annual Convention web page. The Solo & Small Firm Section will hold its Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony during the convention. Details coming soon.

Live (in person) at The Boca Raton (register through Annual Florida Bar Convention) and live video webcast with 90-day, on-demand access. Don’t miss it! This course will cover the latest updates for the following key practice areas:  Family Law, Employment Law, Real Estate, Elder Law, Estate Planning, Business Law, Government Law, and Traffic.

• Live (in person) registration through the Annual Florida Bar Convention (Register for the All Access Pass to attend Florida Law Update 2023 at The Boca Raton; $275 until 5/31; $350 after 5/31):  REGISTER
• Live video webcast with 90-day, on-demand access (Solo & Small Firm Section members $295; non-members $340):  REGISTER

SCHEDULE & PRESENTERS

7:55 AM – 8:00 AM
Opening Remarks
Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin, Program Chair

8:00 AM – 8:50 AM
Family Law Update
Magistrate Diane Kirigin, 15th Judicial Circuit, Delray Beach

8:50 AM – 9:40 AM
Employment Law Update
Nick Andrews, FordHarrison, Tampa

9:40 AM – 10:30 AM
Real Estate
Patrick Neale, Patrick Neale & Associates, Naples

10:30 AM – 10:45 AM
Break

10:45 AM – 11:35 AM
Elder Law
Collett Small, Slater & Small PLLC, Pembroke Pines

11:35 AM – 12:20 PM
Estate Planning
Amy Fanzlaw, Osborne & Osborne, P.A., Boca Raton

12:20 PM – 01:45 PM
Lunch

01:45 PM – 02:35 PM
Business Law
Clay Roesch, ShuffieldLowman, Orlando

02:35 PM – 03:25 PM
Government Law
Chris Hand, Hand Law, Jacksonville

03:25 PM – 03:35 PM
Break

03:35 PM – 04:25 PM
Traffic
Rick Silverman, Rick Silverman, P.A. Tampa

12–1 PM InReach Zoom by Tim Chinaris, Belmont Law, Nashville, and moderated by Michelle Adams Gumula, Hoyt & Bryan, Oviedo. Course number and Ethics CLE credit pending approval. Registration opens soon.

Keeping abreast of Florida legal ethics requires monitoring rule changes, ethics opinions, case law, and disciplinary actions. In this webinar, Timothy P. Chinaris, law professor, legal ethics lawyer, and former Florida Bar Ethics Director, will help busy lawyers by highlighting ethical developments that may be important to them.  Learn what’s new in conflicts of interest, confidentiality, attorney’s fees, disciplinary sanctions, and more.  This session will also take a peek into the future, especially nonlawyer practice and artificial intelligence.

Tim Chinaris is a Professor of Law at Belmont University College of Law in Nashville, Tennessee, where he teaches courses in legal ethics, torts, insurance law, and other subjects.  Professor Chinaris was Ethics Director of the Florida Bar from 1989-1997, where he ran the popular “ethics hotline” service that answers more than 25,000 calls annually from bar members.

Professor Chinaris holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida State University and received his J.D. With Honors from the University of Texas School of Law.  He is admitted to practice law in Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, and Texas.  Professor Chinaris has served on state bar ethics and UPL committees in four states, including chairing both the Florida Bar Professional Ethics Committee and the Committee on Professionalism.  He currently chairs the Tennessee Bar Association Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee.

Professor Chinaris consults with and represents lawyers and others on professional responsibility issues, including lawyer advertising and bar admission matters.  His legal ethics website is “sunEthics.com.”  He co-authored the authoritative treatise Florida Legal Malpractice and Attorney Ethics (ALM 2017) (with Warren Trazenfeld and Robert Jarvis). He has served as an expert witness in various legal ethics matters, including in the first case decided under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Free Wednesday Wisdom CLE for Solo & Small Firm Section members* by Mark Doble, CEO and founder of Alexsei, a software company that uses AI to produce legal research memos on demand. Moderator:  Judge Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin. Course number and Technology CLE credit pending approval. REGISTER

It is commonly noted that “AI is not here to replace lawyers, but lawyers who use AI will replace lawyers who don’t”. AI is being used by solo lawyers and small firms across the USA to help them compete with larger firms, without the need for significant overhead or an army of associates. It can increase their output, while minimizing their non-billable time spent on repetitive tasks like legal research. Mark Doble, will outline some of the benefits of leveraging AI in your practice.

*Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed.

Mark Doble is the CEO and founder of Alexsei, a software company that uses AI to produce legal research memos on demand. Mark received his J.D. from Queen’s University in Canada, where he split his time between building software and completing the requisite law school readings. During his brief stint in a law firm, Mark became convinced that software would positively impact the legal profession in ways not yet seen due to the rapidly evolving nature of AI, so he quit his job to start Alexsei.

Free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar for Solo & Small Firm Section members* by Don Blackwell, Lake Mary, and Rebecca J. Bandy, Tallahassee, and moderated by Judge Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin. Course number and Mental Illness Awareness CLE credit pending approval. *Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed. REGISTER

A candid and intimate look at some of the mental health challenges confronting our profession, including reflections on a ground-breaking panel discussion highlighting the lived experiences of several highly-accomplished legal professionals, aimed at inspiring attendees of the webinar to be more attentive and responsive to the mental health and wellness of their colleagues and loved ones.

Rebecca J. Bandy serves as the Director of The Florida Bar’s Henry Latimer Center for Professionalism. Read her full bio here.

Don Blackwell is a trial lawyer at Bowman and Brooke, LLP, in Lake Mary. Read his full bio here.