Course1

Secured Transactions Practice: Security Agreements to Foreclosures, Part 2

$79.00

Secured transactions are the most common form of commercial transaction and help finance businesses of every size.  They are governed by the complex provisions of UCC Article 9. Getting every detail in financing statements, security agreements, and perfection of credits is essential. Agreements can be costly and time consuming to draft, and full of risk. Failure to comply with UCC Article 9 in drafting security agreements, perfecting a creditor’s interest, or foreclosing a lien can easily cause the value of the underlying transaction to be lost.  This program will provide you with a real-world guide UCC Article 9 practice.   Day 1: Lifecycle of UCC Article 9 secured transactions Drafting cost-effective and enforceable security agreements What to do when something about the debtor changes – e.g., name, location, ownership Accounts receivable, inventory, equipment, intellectual property Anti-assignment provisions regarding collateral Enhancing enforceability of security agreements and reduce risks in foreclosure   Day 2: Framework for the foreclosure of personal property under UCC Article 9 Foreclosing on equipment, inventory, intellectual property, and accounts receivable Duties of junior creditors to senior creditors on foreclosure Rights to proceeds of foreclosure sales and reducing foreclosure costs Rights of guarantors Debtor remedies in the event of a secured party default Cost-efficient alternatives to foreclosures and circumstances when these alternatives are available   Speaker: Steven O. Weise is a partner in the Los Angeles office Proskauer Rose, LLP, where his practice encompasses all areas of commercial law. He has extensive experience in financings, particularly those secured by personal property.  He also handles matters involving real property anti-deficiency laws, workouts, guarantees, sales of goods, letters of credit, commercial paper and checks, and investment securities.  Mr. Weise formerly served as chair of the ABA Business Law Section. He has also served as a member of the Permanent Editorial Board of the UCC and as an Advisor to the UCC Code Article 9 Drafting Committee.  Mr. Weise received his B.A. from Yale University and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 11/24/2020
    Presented
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Course1

LIVE REPLAY: Defending Estate and Gift Tax Audits

$79.00

The IRS reviews every estate and gift tax return and audits them returns at a far higher rates than income tax returns.  When a client return is chosen for examination and audit, an estate is subject to a very time-consuming and costly process.  Understanding the steps in the process, the personnel involved, and the limits of what you can reasonably expect as part of a settlement are all essential to successfully concluding an audit. It’s also very important to understand how returns are selected for exam.  This program will provide you with a practical guide preparing for and defending and audit and tips for reducing the risk of triggering an audit. Timeline, process, personnel and deadlines – understanding how an audit unfolds Common audit triggers and how returns are selected for examination Review of common issues on audit – FLP/FLLCs, defined value clauses, insurance policies and lifetime gifts Drafting responses and working with IRS personnel Determining the range of reasonable settlement proposals Important attorney-client privilege, statute of limitation, and evidentiary considerations   Speaker: Brian R. Harris is a partner in the Tampa, Florida office of Akerman, LLP, where he represents clients in federal, state, and local tax controversy and litigation throughout the United States. He also represents clients before the IRS, state departments of revenue, and municipalities.  Earlier in his career, he was a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division, and lead attorney for the United States and IRS in federal courts across the country. Mr. Harris received his B.S. and M.S. from the University of Florida and his J.D. from the University of Florida College of Law.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 11/25/2020
    Presented
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Course1

LIVE REPLAY: Due Diligence in Commercial Real Estate Transactions

$79.00

This program will provide you with a practical guide to due diligence in real estate transactions – what information you need, where to get it, and the timeframes involved.  The program will also cover the relationship between the duration and depth of due diligence depending on the state of themarket– i.e., how “hot” markets involve more risk because sellers or othersare reluctant to give lengthy diligence periods. The program will also discuss using information obtained in diligence to draft specific reps and warranties. This program will provide you with a practical guide to planning due diligence in real estate transaction and how that information is used. Planning diligence – what information you need, where to get it, and timeframes Relationship between diligence and market conditions – willingness of sellers to cooperate or not Using diligence – tying information obtained to specific reps and warranties Review of leases, rent rolls, and financial statements Service contracts, condominium HOAs, and other contracts Title work – liens and other encumbrances   Speaker: John S. Hollyfield is of counsel and a former partner in the Houston office Norton Rose Fulbright, LLP.He has more than 40 years’ experience in real estate law practice.He formerly served as chair of the ABA Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, president of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, and chair of the Anglo-American Real Property Institute.He has been named a "Texas Super Lawyer" in Real Estate Law by Texas Monthly magazine and is listed in Who’s Who in American Law.He is co-editor of Modern Banking and Lending Forms (4th Edition), published by Warren, Gorham & Lamont.He received his B.B.A. from the University of Texas and his LL.B. from the University of Texas School of Law.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 11/27/2020
    Presented
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Course1

LIVE REPLAY: Ethics for Business Lawyers

$79.00

Lawyers advising businesses on transactions or negotiating on their behalf often confront a range of important ethical questions.  The biggest is, who is your client?  Often a company’s owners or managers will not understand the distinction between representing them and representing the company? There are also issues of identifying and clearing conflicts among clients when they are negotiating transaction.  And what can a lawyer say or do when negotiating for a client? Also, lawyers are sometimes confronted with issues about what to do when clients are dishonest.  This program will provide you with a real world guide to ethical issues when representing clients in business transactions.  Ethical issues in business and corporate practice Identifying your client in a variety of transactional contexts – the company v. its managers? Conflicts of interest in representing both sides of a transaction Ethical issues in transactional negotiations and communications with represented parties Representing clients you know to be dishonest and reporting wrong-doing “up and out”   Speakers: Thomas E. Spahn is a partner in the McLean, Virginia office of McGuireWoods, LLP, where he has a substantial practice advising clients on properly creating and preserving the attorney-client privilege and work product protections.  For more than 30 years he has lectured extensively on legal ethics and professionalism and has written “The Attorney-Client Privilege and the Work Product Doctrine: A Practitioner’s Guide,” a 750 page treatise published by the Virginia Law Foundation.  Mr. Spahn has served as a member of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility and as a member of the Virginia State Bar's Legal Ethics Committee.  He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Yale University and his J.D. from Yale Law School. William Freivogel is the principal of Freivogel Ethics Consulting and is an independent consultant to law firms on ethics and risk management.  He was a trial lawyer for 22 years and has practiced in the areas of legal ethics and lawyer malpractice for more than 25 years.  He is chair of the Editorial Board of the ABA/BNA Lawyers’ Manual on Professional Conduct. He maintains the Web site “Freivogel on Conflicts” at www.freivogelonconflicts.com<http://www.freivogelonconflicts.com/> .Mr. Freivogel is a graduate of the University of Illinois (Champaign), where he received his B.S. and LL.B.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 11/30/2020
    Presented
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Course1

Business Divorce, Part 1

$79.00

  Business divorce can be as complicated, costly and dramatic as traditional divorce. When owners of a closely-held company decide they cannot or will not work together anymore, there are several alternatives for achieving the separation – a division of assets among the owners, a buyout of one owner or several owners by a third party or by the company itself, or a complete or partial sale of the company.  But these and other transactional forms come with risk – the risk that dividing the assets of an operating business will cause substantial destruction of value to the company or that strife will take its toll on operations and employees.  This program will provide you with a practical guide to the alternatives for achieving a business divorce, planning the process, containing the risk and preserving value. Day 1: Overview of techniques to accomplish a divorce – buy-sell arrangements, redemptions, compensation, employment separation and retirement plan techniques Special considerations when the divorce involves LLCs, S Corps or partnerships Valuation methods and disputes in a business divorce Techniques for financing a buyout as part of a business divorce Minimizing adverse tax consequences in a business divorce   Day 2: Compensation and retirement plan-based techniques for accomplishing a business divorce Special issues when a business divorce involves a distressed business Role of confidentiality, non-competition, and non-solicitation agreements as part of the divorce Important intellectual property issues, including customer lists, goodwill and trade secrets Preservation of valuable tax attributes   Speakers:    

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/1/2020
    Presented
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Course1

Business Divorce, Part 2

$79.00

Business divorce can be as complicated, costly and dramatic as traditional divorce. When owners of a closely-held company decide they cannot or will not work together anymore, there are several alternatives for achieving the separation – a division of assets among the owners, a buyout of one owner or several owners by a third party or by the company itself, or a complete or partial sale of the company.  But these and other transactional forms come with risk – the risk that dividing the assets of an operating business will cause substantial destruction of value to the company or that strife will take its toll on operations and employees.  This program will provide you with a practical guide to the alternatives for achieving a business divorce, planning the process, containing the risk and preserving value. Day 1: Overview of techniques to accomplish a divorce – buy-sell arrangements, redemptions, compensation, employment separation and retirement plan techniques Special considerations when the divorce involves LLCs, S Corps or partnerships Valuation methods and disputes in a business divorce Techniques for financing a buyout as part of a business divorce Minimizing adverse tax consequences in a business divorce   Day 2: Compensation and retirement plan-based techniques for accomplishing a business divorce Special issues when a business divorce involves a distressed business Role of confidentiality, non-competition, and non-solicitation agreements as part of the divorce Important intellectual property issues, including customer lists, goodwill and trade secrets Preservation of valuable tax attributes   Speakers:

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/2/2020
    Presented
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Course1

LIVE REPLAY: Trust and Estate Planning for Family Businesses, Part 1

$79.00

  Most successful businesses are owned by one or more families.  Because they are family owned, these companies create many special planning challenges.  Ownership and control do not shift among non-owner managers or anonymous shareholders. Rather, succession in ownership and management is a momentous and often highly emotional process for members of the family.  Frequently, these transitions are caused by the retirement or death of members of a family member.  And these transitions, if not carefully planned and delicately handled, can be ruinous, damaging the family and their company.  This program will provide you a practical framework of trust and estate planning and succession planning for family businesses.  Day 1: Framework of trust and estate planning tools and techniques for family businesses Valuation issues for financial and tax purposes Buy-sell planning with family members or key employees Selling to third parties where intra-family succession is not possible Planning for the incapacity of the founding generation Role of outside managers to overcome family drama related to control   Day 2: Counseling clients on how to avoid family drama on succession Life insurance trust planning – or as a compensating asset to certain heirs Structuring private annuities to transfer a business and provide income to founders Self-cancelling installments notes and intentionally defective irrevocable trusts Use of GRATS and “redemptive freezes”   Speaker: Daniel L. Daniels is a partner in the Greenwich, Connecticut office of Wiggin and Dana, LLP, where his practice focuses on representing business owners, corporate executives and other wealthy individuals and their families.  A Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, he is listed in “The Best Lawyers in America,” and has been named by “Worth” magazine as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in the United States representing affluent individuals. Mr. Daniels is co-author of a monthly column in “Trusts and Estates” magazine.  Mr. Daniels received his A.B., summa cum laude, from Dartmouth College and received his J.D., with honors, from Harvard Law School.  

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/3/2020
    Presented
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Course1

LIVE REPLAY: Trust and Estate Planning for Family Businesses, Part 2

$79.00

Most successful businesses are owned by one or more families.  Because they are family owned, these companies create many special planning challenges.  Ownership and control do not shift among non-owner managers or anonymous shareholders. Rather, succession in ownership and management is a momentous and often highly emotional process for members of the family.  Frequently, these transitions are caused by the retirement or death of members of a family member.  And these transitions, if not carefully planned and delicately handled, can be ruinous, damaging the family and their company.  This program will provide you a practical framework of trust and estate planning and succession planning for family businesses.  Day 1: Framework of trust and estate planning tools and techniques for family businesses Valuation issues for financial and tax purposes Buy-sell planning with family members or key employees Selling to third parties where intra-family succession is not possible Planning for the incapacity of the founding generation Role of outside managers to overcome family drama related to control   Day 2: Counseling clients on how to avoid family drama on succession Life insurance trust planning – or as a compensating asset to certain heirs Structuring private annuities to transfer a business and provide income to founders Self-cancelling installments notes and intentionally defective irrevocable trusts Use of GRATS and “redemptive freezes”   Speakers:

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/4/2020
    Presented
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Course1

LIVE REPLAY: Text Messages & Litigation: Discovery and Evidentiary Issues

$79.00

Text messaging is main stream. Clients generate virtual reams of data when they message with business partners, vendors, employees, and even public. This is a rich vein of electronically stored information that is potentially discoverable in formal litigation or pre-litigation.  Because texting is so convenient, casual and almost reflexive, the caution clients exercise in other forms of communication are often disregarded when texting, including when they text with their lawyers. This program will provide you with a practical guide to obtaining text messages, the risks of discovery in litigation, and related issues. Obtaining text messages – working with mobile carriers Timing – how long are texts kept and in what form? Discovery issues – obtaining texts from parties or other sources Issues related to encrypted messaging services How strategies differ for plaintiffs and defendants   Speaker: Stanley E. Woodward Jr. is a partner in the law firm Brand Woodward Law, where he has a broad civil litigation and white-collar criminal defense practice.  He also conducts internal corporate investigations.  He serves as an adjunct professor of law at Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, where he teaches pre-trial litigation and employment law. Before entering private practice, he served as a judicial clerk to Judge Vanessa Ruiz of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, and Judges Joan Zeldon and Judge Rufus King III of the Superior Court of the District of Columbia.  Mr. Woodward earned his B.A., cum laude, and his M.S., magna cum laude, from American University, and his J.D., cum laude, from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/7/2020
    Presented
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Course1

Percentage Rent Leases in Commercial Real Estate

$79.00

Percentage rent is used in retail leases where the landlord has bargaining power to demand a share of the tenant’s economic gains.  Demand for retail space may be high or a landlord’s specific location may be particularly attractive such that the tenant is willing to pay not only a fixed amount of rent but a share of its gross revenue.  These types of leases require a sophisticated understanding of the underlying economics of tenant’s business. These leases also require very careful drafting. How is gross revenue defined?  Is there a minimum amount or a maximum amount?  How are these numbers verified?  And what are all the related protections for the landlord or the tenant?  This program will provide you with a practical guide to negotiating and drafting percentage leases. Circumstances where percentage rent is commonly seen Economics of percentage rent – landlord and tenant perspectives Defining key terms – “gross sales,” exclusions, percent of rent Determining thresholds – minimum rent, sliding scales Financial reporting and audit rights Important related provisions – non-competition, continuous use, payment terms   Speakers: John S. Hollyfield is of counsel and a former partner in the Houston office Norton Rose Fulbright, LLP.  He has more than 40 years’ experience in real estate law practice.  He formerly served as chair of the ABA Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, president of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, and chair of the Anglo-American Real Property Institute.  He has been named a "Texas Super Lawyer" in Real Estate Law by Texas Monthly magazine and is listed in Who’s Who in American Law.  He is co-editor of Modern Banking and Lending Forms (4th Edition), published by Warren, Gorham & Lamont.  He received his B.B.A. from the University of Texas and his LL.B. from the University of Texas School of Law. Richard R. Goldberg is a retired partner, resident in the Philadelphia office of Ballard Spahr, LLP, where he established an extensive real estate practice, including development, financing, leasing, and acquisition.  Earlier in his career, he served as vice president and associate general counsel of The Rouse Company for 23 years.  He is past president of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, past chair of the Anglo-American Real Property Institute, and past chair of the International Council of Shopping Centers Law Conference.  Mr. Goldberg is currently a Fellow of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys and is a member of the American Law Institute.  Mr. Goldberg received his B.A. from Pennsylvania State University and his LL.B. from the University of Maryland School of Law.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/8/2020
    Presented
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Course1

2020 Ethics and Social Media Update

$79.00

Lawyers use social media technology to collect and share information, and communicate with others, not only personally but also when acting as lawyers. Important and probative information about a case – information about jurors, witnesses or others in litigation or about a transaction – can be more easily found on social than elsewhere.  Social media is also easily used to communicate with existing or potential clients, colleagues or opposing lawyers, and the public.  Client development – online advertising, blogging and emailed newsletters – is also commonplace among lawyers.  All these and other uses of technology raise substantial ethical issues for lawyers – competence, confidentiality, preservation of the attorney-client privilege, and honesty.  This program will provide you with a practical guide to substantial ethical issues when lawyers use social media and other technology in practice. Ethics, social media, and technology – competence, confidentiality, and honesty Communicating with parties, opposing attorneys, and witnesses via social media Researching jurors, parties, witnesses and judges via social media Ethical issues when blogging, issuing e-newsletters/law updates to clients, or posting commentary or video online “Friending” or otherwise connecting with judges, witnesses and others on social media platforms Trends in texting, confidentiality, and discoverability Ethics of using web sites, online advertising and social media for client development purposes   Speaker: Thomas E. Spahn is a partner in the McLean, Virginia office of McGuireWoods, LLP, where he has a broad complex commercial, business and securities litigation practice. He also has a substantial practice advising businesses on properly creating and preserving the attorney-client privilege and work product protections.  For more than 20 years he has lectured extensively on legal ethics and professionalism and has written “The Attorney-Client Privilege and the Work Product Doctrine: A Practitioner’s Guide,” a 750 page treatise published by the Virginia Law Foundation.  Mr. Spahn has served as member of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility and as a member of the Virginia State Bar's Legal Ethics Committee.  He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Yale University and his J.D. from Yale Law School.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/9/2020
    Presented
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Guarantees in Real Estate Transactions

$79.00

Guarantees undergird most real estate transactions.  Lenders, investors and others are often unwilling or unable to finance or otherwise support a real estate transaction without certain substantial guarantees.  These guarantees may concern repayment of loan proceeds or performance of other services – construction, maintenance and waste prevention, environmental indemnity, etc.  The scope of guarantees is highly negotiated, particularly whether the guarantee is recourse or non-recourse and the scope of carve-outs from the guarantees. This program will provide you with a practical guide to negotiating and drafting guarantees in real estate transactions.  Types of guarantees – payment, performance, collection, completion Essential elements of a guarantee – consideration, scope, carve-outs, waivers Guarantees for property maintenance/no waste, environmental indemnity and other non-financial concerns Carve-outs – full v. partial, fraud, misappropriation, misapplication, failure to maintain, insurance, and more Guarantees of construction loans   Speaker: John S. Hollyfield is of counsel and a former partner in the Houston office Norton Rose Fulbright, LLP.He has more than 40 years’ experience in real estate law practice.He formerly served as chair of the ABA Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, president of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, and chair of the Anglo-American Real Property Institute.He has been named a "Texas Super Lawyer" in Real Estate Law by Texas Monthly magazine and is listed in Who’s Who in American Law.He is co-editor of Modern Banking and Lending Forms (4th Edition), published by Warren, Gorham & Lamont.He received his B.B.A. from the University of Texas and his LL.B. from the University of Texas School of Law.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/10/2020
    Presented
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Course1

Employee v. Independent Contractor: Tax and Employment Law Considerations

$79.00

Characterizing a worker as an employee or independent contractor carries with it a multitude of substantial legal consequences, particularly in employment and tax law.  If a worker is an employee, the tax and compliance “cost” of a worker is substantially more than if the worker is an independent contractor. The Affordable Care Act also requires employers of a certain size provide full-time (in distinction to part-time) employees with health insurance. In employment law, if a worker is characterized as an employee, the employer acquires EEO liability for the employee’s actions. This program will provide attorneys advising businesses with a practical guide to classifying workers as employees or independent contractors, the substantive legal consequences under tax and employment law, and best practices to avoid liability. Employment law factors for characterizing a worker as an employee or contractor Employer liability for EEO and discrimination violations committed by contractors Tax factors to determine whether a worker is a contractor v. an employee Tax liability and withholding obligations of employers depending on the classification Affordable Care Act implications of characterizing an employee as full-time or part-time   Speaker: C. Ben Huber is a partner in the Denver office of Greenburg Traurig, LLP, where he has a broad transactional practice encompassing mergers and acquisitions, restructurings and reorganizations, corporate finance, capital markets, venture funds, commercial transactions and general corporate law.  He also has substantial experience as counsel to high tech, biotech and software companies in the development, protection and licensing of intellectual property.  His clients include start-up companies, family- and other closely-held businesses, middle market business, Fortune 500 companies, venture funds and institutional investors.  Mr. Huber earned his B.A. from the University of Colorado and his J.D. at the University of Colorado Law School.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/11/2020
    Presented
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Course1

LIVE REPLAY: Professionalism for the Ethical Lawyer

$79.00

Ethics rules, the principles of professionalism, and sanctionable conduct are interrelated.  Lawyers have a duty to zealously represent their clients, but they do not have a duty to engage in offensive conduct that may be desired by clients. Lawyers have duties of confidentiality and honesty, but those duties do not always require pressing every advantage, such as when the lawyer knows that opposing counsel has made a material drafting error in a transactional document. In these and many other scenarios, ethics rules, professionalism, and potentially sanctionable conduct subtly interact.  This program will provide you with a practical guide to professionalism for the ethical lawyer.   Interrelationship of ethics rules, professionalism, and sanctions Zealous representation v. needlessly embarrassing an adversary or third-party Reacting to an adversary’s drafting errors in transactional documents Ethics, professionalism and inadvertent transmission of communications Duty to supervise and train subordinate lawyers and staff, including to ensure courtesy to clients, opposing counsel, and courts Offering candid advice to clients and withdrawal when they demand offensive conduct Avoiding discrimination and bigotry Speaker: Thomas E. Spahn is a partner in the Tysons Corners, Virginia office of McGuireWoods, where he advises firm clients on professional responsibility issues and properly creating and preserving the attorney-client privilege and work product protections.He has served on the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility,and is a Member of the American Law Institute and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.He has written extensively on attorney-client privilege, ethics and other topics, and has spoken at over 1,800 CLE programs throughout the U.S. and in several foreign countries.Through links on his website biography, he has made available to the public  his summaries of over 1,600 Virginia and ABA legal ethics opinions, organized by topic; a 300 page summary of his two-volume 1,500 page book on the attorney-client privilege and work product doctrine; over 900 weekly email alerts about privilege and work product cases; and materials for 40 ethics programs on numerous topics, totaling over 9,000 pages of analysis.Mr. Spahn graduated magna cum laude from Yale University and received his J.D. from Yale Law School.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/14/2020
    Presented
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Course1

Ethics and Virtual Law Offices

$79.00

Technology allows lawyers far more flexibility to practice law virtually – from home or in shared settings – than ever before.  No longer must they maintain freestanding offices, support staff, and libraries. Lawyers can set-up offices in their homes, communicate with clients, adversaries and the courts electronically, outsource overflow work to co-counsel or vendors, and establish web sites that can reach potential clients. These “virtual” practices are increasingly commonplace, but the relative ease with which they are established obscures many significant ethical issues.This program will provide you with a practical guide to significant issues when lawyers and law firms establish “virtual” law practices. Disclosure to clients of the virtual character of a law practice Electronic communications, confidentiality, and ethical risks in virtual practices Ethical issues when lawyers share office space or other resources but practice separately How Web sites and a “virtual” presence implicate multijurisdictional practice issues Outsourcing work to vendors or co-counsel, and ensuring its competently performed Requirements and risks when offering legal advice across state lines Duty to understand law office technology as a duty of competence   Speakers: H. Michael Drumm is the founder and member of Drumm Law, LLC in Denver, Colorado, where he has an extensive franchise, trademark and business transactional practice.  He works with franchisors across industries nationwide helping them draft, file and renew their franchise Disclosure Documents and franchise agreements.  He has a specialty representing craft breweries to help them trademark their brands and protect their intellectual property. He has been repeatedly honored by Franchise Times magazine as a “Legal Eagle” and has been designated by the International Franchise Association as a “Certified Franchise Executive.”  Mr. Drumm received his BSBA from the University of Missouri-Columbia and his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law. Thomas E. Spahn is a partner in the McLean, Virginia office of McGuireWoods, LLP, where he has a substantial practice advising clients on properly creating and preserving the attorney-client privilege and work product protections.  For more than 30 years he has lectured extensively on legal ethics and professionalism and has written “The Attorney-Client Privilege and the Work Product Doctrine: A Practitioner’s Guide,” a 750 page treatise published by the Virginia Law Foundation.  Mr. Spahn has served as a member of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility and as a member of the Virginia State Bar's Legal Ethics Committee.  He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Yale University and his J.D. from Yale Law School.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/15/2020
    Presented
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Course1

Trust and Estate Planning for Pets

$79.00

Providing for the care of pets is, for some clients, their most urgent estate and trust priority.  These clients want to ensure that, after their own deaths, their pets are looked after in a safe and secure environment.  But the law is unclear in this area – there are few familiar planning patterns to follow in this area.The challenge for the planner is to create new structures to achieve these goals, including choosing standards for caregivers and trustees, drafting distribution provisions, and providing for the disposition of the remains of pets.This program will provide you with a practical guide to the estate and trust planning for pets and other animals, including drafting trusts, fiduciary standards, and distribution provisions. Legal and practical framework for estate and trust planning for pets and other animals Traditional trusts v. statutory trusts – advantages and disadvantages of each Drafting standards for caregivers and trustees, and understanding the relationship between the two Distributions to caregivers for the pet and for themselves Designation of remainder beneficiary or trust, terminating the trust, and final disposition of pets or other animals   Speakers: Missia H. Vaselaney is a partner in the Cleveland office of Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, LLP, where her practice focuses on estate planning for individuals and businesses.  She also represents clients before federal and state taxing authorities.  Ms. Vaselaney is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and has been a member of the Steering Committee for AICPA’s National Advanced Estate Planning Conference since 2001.  Ms. Vaselaney received her B.A. from the University of Dayton and her J.D. from the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. Michael Sneeringer an attorney in the Naples, Florida office of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP, where his practice focuses on trust and estate planning, probate administration, asset protection planning, and tax law. He has served as vice chair of the asset protection planning committee of the ABA’s Real Property, Trust and Estate Section and is an official reporter of the Heckerling Institute.Mr. Sneeringer received his B.A. from Washington & Jefferson College, his J.D., cum laude, St. Thomas University School of Law, and his LL.M. from the University of Miami School of Law.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/16/2020
    Presented
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Course1

Planning with S Corps, Part 1

$79.00

Despite the prevalence of LLCs, S Corps remain a preferred choice of entity for many family-controlled and other closely-held businesses.  They retain certain tax advantages over other pass-through entities and their corporate structure makes them familiar to investors, their legal counselors, and lenders. Still, S Corps are “fragile” entities in the sense that the tradeoff for their tax and other benefits is that they must adhere to a several capital structure restrictions, which limit their flexibility.  Drafting S Corp stockholders’ agreements is a careful balance of maximizing tax benefits, preventing the loss of the preferred tax status through inadvertently disqualifying corporate actions, and maximizing organizational flexibility in other areas. This program will provide you with a real world guide to business planning with S Corps and drafting their underlying stockholder agreements. Day 1: Business planning with S Corps and drafting S stockholders’ agreements Counseling clients on choice of entity considerations of S Corps v. LLCs/partnerships Capital structure issues – restrictions on types of debt and equity Who qualifies as an eligible  S Corp stockholder Transferability of interests and restrictions to preserve S Corp status   Day 2: Understanding tax benefits (and traps) of S Corps Distribution planning in S Corps – tax advantages/disadvantages of withdrawing money as salary or distributions Incentive compensation issues, including fringe benefits and restrictions on deductibility Planning for the merger or sale of an S Corp into another S Corp, LLC or C Corp   Speakers: Frank Ciatto is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Venable, LLP, where he has 20 years’ experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, limited liability companies, tax and accounting issues, and corporate finance transactions.  He is a leader of his firm’s private equity and hedge fund groups and a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions Subcommittee of the ABA Business Law Section.  He is a Certified Public Accountant and earlier in his career worked at what is now PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York.  Mr. Ciatto earned his B.A., cum laude, at Georgetown University and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. James DePaoli is an attorney in the Washington, D.C. office of Venable, LLP, where his practice focuses on corporate and commercial matters. He represents clients in the acquisition and disposition of assets and securities, mergers, and other business combinations and reorganizations. Mr. Paoli earned his B.S/B.A., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University and his J.D. from Duke University School of Law.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/17/2020
    Presented
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Course1

Planning with S Corps, Part 2

$79.00

Despite the prevalence of LLCs, S Corps remain a preferred choice of entity for many family-controlled and other closely-held businesses.  They retain certain tax advantages over other pass-through entities and their corporate structure makes them familiar to investors, their legal counselors, and lenders. Still, S Corps are “fragile” entities in the sense that the tradeoff for their tax and other benefits is that they must adhere to a several capital structure restrictions, which limit their flexibility.  Drafting S Corp stockholders’ agreements is a careful balance of maximizing tax benefits, preventing the loss of the preferred tax status through inadvertently disqualifying corporate actions, and maximizing organizational flexibility in other areas. This program will provide you with a real world guide to business planning with S Corps and drafting their underlying stockholder agreements. Day 1: Business planning with S Corps and drafting S stockholders’ agreements Counseling clients on choice of entity considerations of S Corps v. LLCs/partnerships Capital structure issues – restrictions on types of debt and equity Who qualifies as an eligible  S Corp stockholder Transferability of interests and restrictions to preserve S Corp status   Day 2: Understanding tax benefits (and traps) of S Corps Distribution planning in S Corps – tax advantages/disadvantages of withdrawing money as salary or distributions Incentive compensation issues, including fringe benefits and restrictions on deductibility Planning for the merger or sale of an S Corp into another S Corp, LLC or C Corp   Speakers: Frank Ciatto is a partner in the Washington, D.C. office of Venable, LLP, where he has 20 years’ experience advising clients on mergers and acquisitions, limited liability companies, tax and accounting issues, and corporate finance transactions.  He is a leader of his firm’s private equity and hedge fund groups and a member of the Mergers & Acquisitions Subcommittee of the ABA Business Law Section.  He is a Certified Public Accountant and earlier in his career worked at what is now PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York.  Mr. Ciatto earned his B.A., cum laude, at Georgetown University and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. James DePaoli is an attorney in the Washington, D.C. office of Venable, LLP, where his practice focuses on corporate and commercial matters. He represents clients in the acquisition and disposition of assets and securities, mergers, and other business combinations and reorganizations. Mr. Paoli earned his B.S/B.A., magna cum laude, from Georgetown University and his J.D. from Duke University School of Law.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/18/2020
    Presented
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LIVE REPLAY: Responding to Demand Letters: Tone and Substance

$79.00

Responding to a demand letter is as tricky as issuing a demanding letter.  There are issues of getting the substance right and getting the tone right.  How time do you spend researching the law and laying out your case?  How much do you disclose about your favorable facts? Is your goal settlement and, if so, how does that impact the tone of your letter?  Do you know enough about the letter writer and his or her client to gauge their likely reaction to your response?  And when do you respond – right away, by any deadline given, or do you wait?  These and many other questions will be addressed in this practical discussion of the tradeoffs of responding to demand letters.  Goals – do you want settlement or to make it go away – or are you preparing for litigation?  Law – how much do you research and push back? Tone – are you assertive, making counter-demands, or conciliatory? Facts – How much of what you know do you lay out? Timing – responding right away, by a deadline in the demand, or later?   Speaker: William J. Kelly, III is a founding member of Kelly & Walker LLCand has more than 25 years’ experience in the areas of employment and commercial litigation.  In the area of employment law, he litigates trade secret, non-compete, infringement and discrimination claims in federal and state courts nationwide and has advised Fortune 50 companies on workplace policies and practices.  In the area of commercial litigation, his experience includes class action litigation, breach of contract and indemnity, mass-claim complex insurance litigation, construction litigation and trade secrets.  Earlier in career, he founded 15 Minutes Music, an independent music production company.  Mr. Kelly earned his B.A. from Tulane University and his J.D. from St. Louis University School of Law.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/21/2020
    Presented
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Ethics, Satisfied Clients & Successful Representations

$79.00

Ethics rules are more than mere strictures attorneys must observe.  They also provide principles for successful and positive relationship with clients.  Even if the client’s goal isn’t fully satisfied – prevailing in litigation, closing a transaction, or something else – the relationship can still be positive.  What the rules require and what clients want are often the same:  Open and regular communication the status of work; a clear setting of expectations about billing; honesty about the challenges of particular matter; and a clear division of decision-making authority.Counseling about matters they may not fully understand is essential to a successful relationship. This program will discuss how ethics rules provide principles and a foundation for successful and positive attorney-client relationships. Defining the scope of an engagement and setting reasonable expectations Counseling clients about an attorney’s role and decision-making authority Setting a standard for ongoing communication with clients Candor about fees and expenses, and helping clients make good decisions Dispute resolution when things go wrong   Speakers: Thomas E. Spahn is a partner in the McLean, Virginia office of McGuireWoods, LLP, where he has a substantial practice advising clients on properly creating and preserving the attorney-client privilege and work product protections.  For more than 30 years he has lectured extensively on legal ethics and professionalism and has written “The Attorney-Client Privilege and the Work Product Doctrine: A Practitioner’s Guide,” a 750 page treatise published by the Virginia Law Foundation.  Mr. Spahn has served as a member of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility and as a member of the Virginia State Bar's Legal Ethics Committee.  He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Yale University and his J.D. from Yale Law School. Elizabeth Treubert Simon is an ethics attorney in the Washington, D.C. office of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where she advises on a wide range of ethics and compliance-related matters to support Akin Gump’s offices worldwide.  Previously, her practice focused on business and commercial litigation and providing counsel to clients regarding professional ethics and attorney disciplinary procedures.  She is a member of the New York State Bar Association Committee on Professional Discipline and the District of Columbia Rules of Professional Conduct Rules Review Committee.  She is the immediate past chair of the District of Columbia Legal Ethics Committee.  She writes and speaks extensively on attorney ethics issues.   She received her B.A. and M.S. from the University of Pennsylvania and her J.D. from Albany Law School.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/22/2020
    Presented
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Drafting Client Engagement Letters in Trust and Estate Planning

$79.00

Client engagement letters are the foundation of a successful representation in trust and estate planning, administration or fiduciary litigation.  It’s where expectations are set – about fees, timelines, and who you are representing. Difficult issues involving conflicts of interests and decision-making can also be framed and addressed. These letters clarify goals and substantially reduce the risk of later dispute.  This program will provide you a practical guide to using client engagement letters to provide the foundation of a successful relationship in trust and estate planning, administration and litigation. Most important elements of successful client engagement letter Spousal representations – joint representation or separate, and practical difficulties of each Representing multiple generations of a family – who is in charge?   Lawyer as fiduciary – what must you do if you’re the trustee How to handle extant or developing client incapacity Ongoing communication and billing issues Providing for withdrawal from an engagement – when and how   Speaker: Daniel L. Daniels is a partner in the Greenwich, Connecticut office of Wiggin and Dana, LLP, where his practice focuses on representing business owners, corporate executives and other wealthy individuals and their families.  A Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, he is listed in “The Best Lawyers in America,” and has been named by “Worth” magazine as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in the United States representing affluent individuals. Mr. Daniels is co-author of a monthly column in “Trusts and Estates” magazine.  Mr. Daniels received his A.B., summa cum laude, from Dartmouth College and received his J.D., with honors, from Harvard Law School.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/23/2020
    Presented
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LIVE REPLAY: 2020 Ethics Update Part 1

$79.00

This annual ethics program will provide you with a round-table discussion of practical ethical issues important to your practice. The program will provide you with an engaging discussion of ethics developments involving technology and law practice, conflicts of interest, and attorney-client communications in a digital world where no one is truly unplugged. The panel will also discuss the ethics of withdrawing from a matter and firing a client and the ethics of developing new business.  This program will provide you with a wide-ranging discussion of practical ethics developments important to your practice.  Day 1: Ethics portable devices, the cloud, and always being plugged in Ethics and competence: What is competence in a specialized world? Emerging issues in conflicts of interest, part 1   Day 2: Ethics of firing a client Ethics and client development Emerging issues in conflicts of interest, part 2   Speakers: Lucian T. Pera is a partner in the Memphis office of Adams & Reese, LLP.  His practice includes professional malpractice litigation as well as counseling lawyers and law firms in the area of ethics and professional responsibility.  He was a member of the ABA’s Ethics 2000 Commission and is co-author of "Ethics and Lawyering Today," a national e-mail newsletter on lawyer ethics, which is accessible at: www.ethicsandlawyering.com.  Before entering private practice, he served as a judicial clerk to Judge Harry W. Wellford of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.  Mr. Pera received his A.B. with honors from Princeton University and his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law. William Freivogel is the principal of Freivogel Ethics Consulting and is an independent consultant to law firms on ethics and risk management.  He was a trial lawyer for 22 years and has practiced in the areas of legal ethics and lawyer malpractice for 20 years.  He is chair of the Editorial Board of the ABA/BNA Lawyers’ Manual on Professional Conduct. and past chair of the ABA Business Law Section Committee on Professional Responsibility.  He maintains the Web site “Freivogel on Conflicts” at www.freivogelonconflicts.com.  Mr. Freivogel is a graduate of the University of Illinois (Champaign), where he received his B.S. and LL.B. Thomas E. Spahn is a partner in the McLean, Virginia office of McGuireWoods, LLP, where he has a broad complex commercial, business and securities litigation practice. He also has a substantial practice advising businesses on properly creating and preserving the attorney-client privilege and work product protections.  For more than 20 years he has lectured extensively on legal ethics and professionalism and has written “The Attorney-Client Privilege and the Work Product Doctrine: A Practitioner’s Guide,” a 750 page treatise published by the Virginia Law Foundation.  Mr. Spahn has served as member of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility and as a member of the Virginia State Bar's Legal Ethics Committee.  He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Yale University and his J.D. from Yale Law School.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/28/2020
    Presented
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LIVE REPLAY: 2020 Ethics Update Part 2

$79.00

This annual ethics program will provide you with a round-table discussion of practical ethical issues important to your practice. The program will provide you with an engaging discussion of ethics developments involving technology and law practice, conflicts of interest, and attorney-client communications in a digital world where no one is truly unplugged. The panel will also discuss the ethics of withdrawing from a matter and firing a client and the ethics of developing new business.  This program will provide you with a wide-ranging discussion of practical ethics developments important to your practice. Day 1: Ethics portable devices, the cloud, and always being plugged in Ethics and competence: What is competence in a specialized world? Emerging issues in conflicts of interest, part 1   Day 2:  Ethics of firing a client Ethics and client development Emerging issues in conflicts of interest, part 2   Speakers: Lucian T. Pera is a partner in the Memphis office of Adams & Reese, LLP.  His practice includes professional malpractice litigation as well as counseling lawyers and law firms in the area of ethics and professional responsibility.  He was a member of the ABA’s Ethics 2000 Commission and is co-author of "Ethics and Lawyering Today," a national e-mail newsletter on lawyer ethics, which is accessible at: www.ethicsandlawyering.com.  Before entering private practice, he served as a judicial clerk to Judge Harry W. Wellford of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.  Mr. Pera received his A.B. with honors from Princeton University and his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law. William Freivogel is the principal of Freivogel Ethics Consulting and is an independent consultant to law firms on ethics and risk management.  He was a trial lawyer for 22 years and has practiced in the areas of legal ethics and lawyer malpractice for 20 years.  He is chair of the Editorial Board of the ABA/BNA Lawyers’ Manual on Professional Conduct. and past chair of the ABA Business Law Section Committee on Professional Responsibility.  He maintains the Web site “Freivogel on Conflicts” at www.freivogelonconflicts.com.  Mr. Freivogel is a graduate of the University of Illinois (Champaign), where he received his B.S. and LL.B. Thomas E. Spahn is a partner in the McLean, Virginia office of McGuireWoods, LLP, where he has a broad complex commercial, business and securities litigation practice. He also has a substantial practice advising businesses on properly creating and preserving the attorney-client privilege and work product protections.  For more than 20 years he has lectured extensively on legal ethics and professionalism and has written “The Attorney-Client Privilege and the Work Product Doctrine: A Practitioner’s Guide,” a 750 page treatise published by the Virginia Law Foundation.  Mr. Spahn has served as member of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility and as a member of the Virginia State Bar's Legal Ethics Committee.  He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Yale University and his J.D. from Yale Law School.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/29/2020
    Presented
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LIVE REPLAY: Lawyer Ethics and Email

$79.00

  Law practice without email is difficult to imagine.  Clients and courts not only use it but expect lawyers to use it for communications. But email comes with a host of substantial ethical issues.  Is email secure?  Can it be used to – even inadvertently – create an attorney-client relationship? How does email impact the attorney-client privilege?  What about email conversations with a represented adversary?  How can confidentiality and other ethical duties be satisfied when law firms almost always work with outside vendors to provide email?  These and other substantial ethical questions will be discussed in this practical guide to the ethical issues when lawyers use email in their practices. Beginning an attorney relationship via email – intentionally and inadvertently Effect on attorney-client privilege when using a vendor for email Discarding/deleting email and working with outside vendors Ex parte communications with represented adversaries Corporate counsel issues – in-house creation of documents, legal v. business advice Inadvertently sent email and metadata embedded in email   Speaker: Thomas E. Spahn is a partner in the McLean, Virginia office of McGuireWoods, LLP, where he has a substantial practice advising clients on properly creating and preserving the attorney-client privilege and work product protections.For more than 30 years he has lectured extensively on legal ethics and professionalism and has written “The Attorney-Client Privilege and the Work Product Doctrine: A Practitioner’s Guide,” a 750 page treatise published by the Virginia Law Foundation.Mr. Spahn has served as a member of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility and as a member of the Virginia State Bar's Legal Ethics Committee.He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Yale University and his J.D. from Yale Law School.  

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/30/2020
    Presented
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LIVE REPLAY: How Ethics Rules Apply to Lawyers Outside of Law Practice

$79.00

Ethics rules are intended primarily to regulate lawyer acts when practicing law. But the rules do not always stop there. Lawyers can be held responsible and disciplined under ethics rules for things they do when acting outside of their practices.  Lawyers may be disciplined under ethics rules for criminal conduct, including misdemeanors, entirely unrelated to their lawyerly conduct. They may be also be disciplined for any acts that involve dishonesty, misrepresentation, or any actions prejudicial to the judicial system. This program will provide you with a real-world guide to circumstances in which ethics rules apply to lawyers when they act outside of law practice. Dishonesty and misrepresentation when a lawyer is acting as a non-lawyer Lawyers as business people – how counter-parties can allege ethical misconduct Ex parte communications – when lawyers represent themselves in litigation or in other matters, who can they communicate with? Violations of law, including misdemeanors, as ethics violations Restrictions on lawyers’ ability to market themselves in non-lawyer roles   Speaker: Thomas E. Spahn is a partner in the McLean, Virginia office of McGuireWoods, LLP, where he has a broad complex commercial, business and securities litigation practice. He also has a substantial practice advising businesses on properly creating and preserving the attorney-client privilege and work product protections.  For more than 20 years he has lectured extensively on legal ethics and professionalism and has written “The Attorney-Client Privilege and the Work Product Doctrine: A Practitioner’s Guide,” a 750-pagetreatise published by the Virginia Law Foundation.  Mr. Spahn has served as member of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility and as a member of the Virginia State Bar's Legal Ethics Committee.  He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Yale University and his J.D. from Yale Law School.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 12/31/2020
    Presented
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