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When ‘Powering Through’ Is No Longer An Option (Free CLE for Section Members)

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UPDATE: Due to a schedule conflict, Rebecca J. Bandy is unable to serve as a presenter.

Free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar for Solo & Small Firm Section members* by Don Blackwell, Lake Mary, and moderated by Judge Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin. Course number 7911 is approved for 1 CLE and 1 Mental Health & Wellness credit.

*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.

Smiling man

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

 

 

 

 

How to Minimize the Impact of a Bankruptcy on Your State Court Judgment (Free CLE for Section Members)

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Free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar for Solo & Small Firm Section members* by Megan Murray, Underwood Murray, P.A., Tampa, and moderated by Judge Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin. Course number and CLE credit pending approval. *Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed. REGISTER

This seminar will provide an introduction to bankruptcy nondischargeability and why it matters in state court. Megan Murray will discuss the framework surrounding nondischargeability and relevant bankruptcy laws, how to identify nondischargeable debts early in a case, how to manage the risks of a judgment debtor filing bankruptcy, and eliminating a judgment through the bankruptcy process. Judgment creditors who do not consider dischargeability in state court risk losing their judgment in bankruptcy if the debt is of a kind that may be subject to nondischargeability. Careful advance consideration is key.

Smiling woman wearing glassesMegan Murray, a founding shareholder of Underwood Murray, has over twenty years of reorganization and workout experience advising individuals, business owners, debtors, trustees, creditors’ committees, secured and unsecured creditors, and asset purchasers and sellers.  She has experience both on the legal side and on the business side in a global financial institution.  She counsels individuals and businesses and owners in a wide variety of disputes and industries including but not limited to real estate, hospitality, pharmaceutical, medical services, construction, insurance, transportation, logistics, aviation, and financial services.

In addition to her broad range of representations in core bankruptcy matters, Ms. Murray counsels her clients in making critical business decisions, while prosecuting and defending complex business disputes.  She has been involved in director and officer liability litigation, bondholder disputes, shareholder and partnership disputes, court-appointed receiverships, assignment proceedings, recovery of large and small business assets, and lien priority disputes related to a variety of collateral including real property, equipment, aircraft and logistics-related assets.

Annual Ethics & Professionalism Update: Scary Tales of Unprofessional & Unethical Conduct

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Live InReach webinar. Course number 7844 is approved for 5 CLE, 2 of which may be applied toward Ethics; 2 Professionalism, and 1 Technology. Solo & Small Firm Section members register for only $250. View the presenter bios here. REGISTER

Annual Ethics & Professionalism Update:  Scary Tales of Unprofessional & Unethical Conduct
October 27, 2023
8:00 AM–12:35 PM

8:00 AM–8:10 AM
Welcome
Michelle Garcia Gilbert and Bill Curphey, Co-Program Chairs

Smiling woman8:10 AM–9:00 AM
Tricked or Treated: White Collar Ethics Issues for the Unwary Lawyer
Professor Ellen Podgor, St. Petersburg
Man in business attire, blue tie9:00 AM–9:50 AM
Villainy or Virtue: Unmask Your Client’s Story to Avoid Unethical Surprises
Andrew J. Oppenheim, Tampa
9:50 AM–10:05 AM
Break
Smiling man in business attire10:05 AM–10:55 AM
Toil or Trouble: Ensure that Technology Works Ethically for You – Not Against You
Marck Joseph, Miami
Smiling woman at desk, business attire10:55 AM–11:45 AM
Hocus or Pocus: How to Prevent and Defend Professionalism and Ethics Complaints
Gwen Daniel, Tampa
Smiling man in business attire11:45 AM–12:35 PM
Friend or Fiend: Building & Maintaining your Reputation Ethically & with Professionalism
Ret. Judge Greg Holder, Tampa
Smiling man in business attireRet. Judge Emmett (Lamar) Battles, Tampa

Ethics News for Florida Lawyers

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12–1 PM InReach Zoom by Tim Chinaris, Belmont Law, Nashville, and moderated by Michelle Adams Gumula, Hoyt & Bryan, Oviedo. Course number 7674 is approved for 1 CLE, all of which may be applied toward Ethics. Solo & Small Firm Section members register for only $50. REGISTER

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.

 

Smiling man in business suit

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.

2024 Solo and Small Firm Conference, Tech Up: Transform Your Law Practice—and Your Life

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Tech Up:  Transform Your Law Practice—and Your Life, the annual Solo and Small Firm Conference, is tailored to the technology needs of solos and small firm practitioners with an emphasis on incorporating A.I. and software into your practice. Our diverse roster of presenters will cover topics that allow you to work smarter, more productively, and more effectively so that you can live a healthier, happier life.

Special thanks to Co-chairs/Moderators: Camara Williams, Orlando, and Stephanie Cagnet Myron, Wellington. Course number 8219 is approved for 5 CLE, 3 of which may be applied toward Ethics; 1 Mental Health & Wellness; and 4 Technology. Solo & Small Firm Section members register for only $250. All registrants have 90-day, on-demand access. REGISTER


Agenda and Presenters

8:00 AM – 8:10 AM:  WELCOME
Camara Williams and Stephanie Cagnet Myron, Program Chairs

8:10 AM – 9:00 AM:  UNPLUG BEFORE YOU PLUG IN: 10 STRATEGIES TO HELP YOU LIVE A HAPPIER, HEALTHIER, MORE RESILIENT LIFE
Nora Riva Bergman, Real Life Practice, Tarpon Springs. Technology and the advent of AI have given lawyers the tools to live the lives we choose and work when and where we want to. But to make the most of what technology and AI can offer, we’ve got to first take care of ourselves. In this interactive presentation, author, attorney, and business coach Nora Riva Bergman will share 10 strategies from her book 50 Lessons for Happy Lawyers: Boost Wellness. Build Resilience. Yes, you can! If you’re feeling burned out, stressed out, or just want to be happier and healthier, this presentation will give you tools to make positive changes in your life. You’ll not only learn these strategies, but you’ll also get tips on how to start living them right now. Get ready to shift your thinking and begin experimenting with research-based strategies to increase your personal and professional happiness.

9:00 AM – 9:50 AM:  HOW AI WILL MAKE YOU A BETTER ATTORNEY
Mark Doble, Toronto, CEO of Alexi. AI can take the most stressful, tedious elements of being a lawyer, and provide you with a head start in everything you do. From the moment you open a file to the moment you settle or receive a verdict, AI can remove stress, automate frustrating and tedious tasks, and increase your bandwidth to provide better service to your clients. Mark Doble, CEO of Alexi (an AI company for litigators) will walk you through some tips and tricks on how to properly think about, and leverage AI.

9:50 AM – 10:40 AM:  AI  IN THE PRACTICE OF LAW
Tom Martin, Vancouver, Founder & CEO of LawDroid, a Generative AI Legal Technology company. AI is taking the world by storm, but how can it best be applied to the practice of law? In this session, Tom Martin will explain how generative AI works, discuss the ethical issues it raises, demonstrate a real use case, and explore the practical ways you can use AI today to get more done with less to grow a more profitable law practice.

10:40 AM – 10:55 AM:  Break

10:55 AM – 11:45 AM:  GENERATIVE AI FOR LAWYERS: WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO USE IT IN YOUR PRACTICE
Carolyn Elefant, Washington, D.C. Generative AI has infiltrated the legal profession faster than any legal tech change in recent memory. And while generative AI carries enormous promise, the speed of adoption has overwhelmed many lawyers. After providing the basics of generative AI technology, practice management specialist, Carolyn Elefant, will provide real-world examples of how generative AI can power substantive research, client relations and marketing and best practices for choosing the appropriate generative AI tools and incorporating them ethically and responsibly into your law practice.

11:45 AM – 12:35 P.M.:  THE FLORIDA BAR AND NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
E. Duffy Myrtetus, Richmond, VA and Gordon Glover, Ocala, Co-Chairs of Florida Board of Governors Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence Tools & Resources. The Co-chairs of the Florida Board of Governors Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence Tools & Resources, Gordon Glover and E. Duffy Myrtetus will recap the Committee’s work while providing an update on The Florida Bar and Committee efforts in the areas of Lawyer Regulation, ethics and the Courts as impacted by AI.  Additionally, they will share information on notable trends in AI affecting lawyers, ethics and on general developments in courts around the country involving the use of Artificial Intelligence.

Avoiding Ethical Pitfalls & Disciplinary Actions

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**New Time:  10:30-11:30 AM** Live InReach webinar by Sia Baker-Barnes, Searcy Denney, West Palm Beach, and moderated by Rebekah S. Taylor, The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Liaison to the Solo & Small Firm Section, Snedaker Law, Lake Mary. Course number is approved for 1 CLE, all of which may be applied toward Ethics. Solo & Small Firm Section members register for only $50, with 90-day, on-demand access. REGISTER

Join Florida Bar Board of Governors member and Florida Bar Board-Certified Civil Trial Lawyer Sia Baker-Barnes as she shares examples of ethical pitfalls that have trapped the unwary. Also highlighted will be ways for lawyers to avoid the disciplinary system.

Smiling womanRosalyn “Sia” Baker-Barnes is a Shareholder at Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A., and the Chairperson of the firm’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. Ms. Baker-Barnes is Board-Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Florida Bar, and is recognized by US News & World Report as one of the “Best Lawyers in America,” by Lawdragon as one of America’s “500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers,” by Florida Super Lawyers magazine as a top lawyer in the state, by Florida Trend magazine as a “Legal Elite,” and by the Daily Business Review as one of South Florida’s Inaugural “Top 20 Women in Law.”

In her over 20-year career, she has successfully pursued justice for victims in personal injury, medical negligence and product liability cases and frequently lectures throughout the United States on catastrophic injury cases. She has achieved numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements, including a landmark $20 million compensatory and punitive damages verdict against tobacco giant RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company that was affirmed by the Florida Supreme Court and reached the United States Supreme Court. Read her bio here.

How to How to Avoid a Fee Dispute—And Happily Get Paid!

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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

Mari J. Frank, JD is a professional corporate leadership trainer, negotiations coach, privacy consultant and radio/podcast host in private practice in Florida and California. Mari is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Court and Family Court Mediator. She serves as a Mediation Fee Disputes mediator for the Orange County California Bar Association.

Smiling womanMari is a California-licensed attorney/mediator since 1985. She’s also a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit and Family Court Mediator. She’s the author of five books and dozens of published articles. She is a professional corporate leadership trainer, negotiations coach, privacy consultant and radio host in private practice in Florida and California.

  • Orange County, California: Superior Court Civil Court Mediator
  • Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Court and Family Court Mediator
Education:
  • BA from University of Wisconsin
  • Masters from Hofstra University
  • Law Degree from Western State University College of Law.
  • Post Law Negotiation and Mediation Certification from Mc George School of Law, Harvard Law School, and Pepperdine Law School.

Florida’s New Tort Reform: The Impact on Attorneys and Potential Litigants

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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.

 

Image of a smiling woman (Michal Meiler)

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.