Free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar for Solo & Small Firm Section members* by Brandon Sapp, Brandon Sapp Law PLLC, Orlando, (Plaintiff’s Perspective); Charise Morgan, Zurich North America, Miami, (Defense Perspective); and Jamie Billotte Moses, Holland & Knight LLP, Orlando, (Appellate Perspective). Moderator: Rebekah Taylor, RT Mediation and Consulting, LLC, Lake Mary. Host: Judge Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin, 3rd Judicial Circuit. View the presenter and moderator bios here. Course number 8342 is approved for 1 CLE. REGISTER

*Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed.

DESCRIPTION: This program is a panel discussion that will be educational and practical. The panelists will discuss the new law changes and how attorneys have adapted. The panelists will share real-life insights and examples of how attorneys have worked cases differently based on tort reform changes. The panelists will address statute of limitations, bad faith, boarding medical bills, and fault, among other topics. Jamie Moses will discuss appellate challenges that are forming and their implications that are developing in the legal community.

Brandon Sapp, Brandon Sapp Law PLLC, Orlando, (Plaintiff’s Perspective); Charise Morgan, Zurich North America, Miami, (Defense Perspective); and Jamie Billotte Moses, Holland & Knight LLP, Orlando, (Appellate Perspective). Moderator: Rebekah Taylor, RT Mediation and Consulting, LLC, Lake Mary.

Live Zoom webinar by Elizabeth Clark Tarbert, The Florida Bar Division Director for Lawyer Regulation. Moderated by Alicia Perez. Course number 8341 is approved for 1 CLE, all of which may be applied toward Ethics. REGISTER

This program will provide an in-depth review of ethics and Florida lawyer advertising rules, including general rules for all advertisements, specific rules for particular media, and The Florida Bar’s filing requirement.  The program will cover social media and texting and offers examples of noncompliance.

Elizabeth Clark Tarbert is Director of the Lawyer Regulation Division for The Florida Bar, the division responsible for the investigation and prosecution of disciplinary complaints against Florida Bar members.  She also serves as counsel to The Florida Bar Board of Governors Disciplinary Review, Disciplinary Procedure, and Rules Committees.  She was Ethics Counsel for The Florida Bar from 1997-2021, providing oral and written ethics opinions to members of The Florida Bar and advising the Professional Ethics Committee, Standing Committee on Advertising, and Board Review Committee on Professional Ethics.  She has also served as counsel to numerous special bar committees and task forces. She currently serves on the ABA Standing Committee on Professional Regulation and is a former member ofthe ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility.  She has been an Assistant Public Defender in both Dallas, Texas and the Eighth Judicial Circuit in Gainesville, Florida.  While at the Defense Contract Management District Mid-Atlantic, Defense Logistics Agency in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ms. Tarbert worked in a special fraud remedies unit, assisting in the investigation and prosecution of government contractors.  Ms. Tarbert graduated from the University of Florida College of Law with honors and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Florida.  She frequently speaks on legal ethics and professional responsibility

The Destination CLE Trip includes:
– Accommodation at beautiful downtown hotels
– Breakfasts at the hotels
– Train transportation between cities
– Free Wi-Fi

Optional Items (Inquire for costs)
– Local transfers (arrival and departures)
– Private tours
– Extra nights (Madrid and Granada)
– Higher room categories

RESERVATIONS:  Starting From $5,751 EU Double Occupancy / $5,551 EU Single Occupancy. For more information, please contact travel agent Lionel Moolchan, Lorraine Travel, 305-446-4433 ext. 3100, 10 AM to 5:30 PM EST, lionel@lorrainetravel.com.

Special thanks to David C. Prather, Esq. of Smith, Ball, Báez & Prather, expert in catastrophic injuries and wrongful death involving auto accidents, commercial truck accidents, and negligent security, for his sponsorship of the Section’s Destination Events, including the 2024 Destination trip to Southern Spain.

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.

Free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom CLE for Solo & Small Firm Section members* by Masimba Mutamba, West Palm Beach, and Ashley Sybesma, Key West. Moderator: Judge Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin, 3rd Judicial Circuit. Course number 8343 is approved for 1 CLE; and 1 Immigration and Nationality Law certification credit.

*Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed. REGISTER

Masimba M. Mutamba is a seasoned civil rights and immigration attorney with over a decade’s worth of experience handling complex issues for individuals and businesses alike.

Prior to being a Founding Partner with the firm, Masimba was the Human Rights Defense Center (“HRDC”)’s inaugural William A. Trine Fellow. In that role, he litigated civil rights cases all over the country, including filing petitions with the U.S. Supreme Court. Masimba advanced the civil rights of media organizations, individuals, and classes of individuals imprisoned in the nation’s jails, prisons, and federal immigration detention centers. He filed First Amendment lawsuits around the country challenging censorship policies that greatly curtailed the rights of book and newspaper publishers and family members to contact people in custody. He also brought federal and state consumer class action claims, and appealed lower court decisions, to fight against the predatory schemes of some private companies targeting prisoners or the families who sought to maintain contact with them. Furthermore, Masimba litigated Eighth Amendment lawsuits against corrections and medical staff who subjected prisoners to cruel and unusual punishment that resulted in their catastrophic injury or death. Masimba now employs his extensive expertise on these issues as a civil rights consultant around the country.

Masimba has also represented clients across the country and beyond U.S. borders in obtaining a wide array of non-immigrant and immigrant visas, including but not limited to: student (F) visas; cultural exchange (J) visas; religious worker (R) visas; crewmember (D) visas; exceptional talent (O) visas; performing athlete, artist, entertainer (P) visas; specialty occupation (H-1B) visas; intracompany transferee (L) visas; and treaty trader/treaty investor (E) visas.

In addition to assisting clients with visa applications, Mr. Mutamba has also filed administrative appeals with the Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) and, when necessary, filed federal district court lawsuits and Circuit Courts of Appeals Petitions for Review against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and its subordinate agencies, including the USCIS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He is also experienced in advancing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and lawsuits in furtherance of his client’s immigration cases.

Mr. Mutamba is currently a representative of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit on the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division’s Board of Governors, and is member of the Florida Bar’s standing Committee on Media & Communications Law. In his local community, Masimba is actively involved in the F. Malcolm Cunningham, Sr. Bar Association, the Palm Beach County Bar Association’s standing Committee for Diversity and Inclusion, and that Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section.

Save the Date! Make plans to join us in person at the Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek or via live webcast for the annual Florida Law Update on eight key areas of law. This program takes place during the Annual Florida Bar Convention. Moderator: Judge Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin, Live Oak. Course number and 8.0 CLE credits pending approval.

Live InReach Zoom webinar by Gwen Daniel, of Smith, Tozian, Daniel & Davis, PA., Tampa. Moderator:  Michelle Adams Gumula. Course number and 1 CLE, 1 Ethics credit pending approval. Solo & Small Firm Section members register for only $55, with 90-day, on-demand access. Registration opens soon.

In this webinar, private ethics counsel Gwyn 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.

Free Wednesday Wisdom live Zoom webinar for Solo & Small Firm Section members* by Kate Bell, Clio Affinity Partnerships Manager. Moderator: Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin, Suwanee County Judge. Course number and CLE credit pending approval. REGISTER

*Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed.

Law firm automation frees up lawyers to focus on utilization efficiencies, improving the success of their firm and client experience. In this session, we’ll walk through the importance and rise of automation in the legal profession, discuss key considerations to keep in mind, and learn the formula for automating the most tedious tasks at your firm with the power of AI.

Kate currently serves as a Clio Affinity Partnerships Manager, where she leverages her background in law firm management and consulting to forge strategic alliances and collaborations. Her expertise lies in fostering partnerships that drive innovation and elevate the legal profession.

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. 1 CLE (requested). Solo & Small Firm Section members register for only $55, with 90-day, on-demand access. Registration opens soon.

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.

Free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar open to ALL Florida Bar members by G.C. Murray II, Esq., DPL, CEO & Managing Attorney, Association GC, Washington, D.C. Moderator: Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin, Suwanee County Judge. Course Number 8377 is approved for 1 CLE, 1 Ethics. REGISTER

This program will provide an in-depth exploration of time law, the new standards of ethical conduct specifically covering a solo/small firm practitioner’s responsibility to employ effective client-relation skills to increase service to the client and foster a newfound understanding of fee structures due to new efficiencies from time law and practice management.

G.C. Murray II, Esq., DPL is a nationally recognized lawyer, leader, and lobbyist who has received numerous awards for his legal acumen and his philanthropy. He focuses on all aspects of nonprofit management including Federal and State compliance, organizational leadership, and high-level fundraising. He is also the Presidentof Global Cyber Management, a division of Association GC. In this capacity he focuses on helping businesses with compliance with cybersecurity, privacy, and consumer laws.