The person most qualified (PMQ) deposition is a powerful discovery tool or - or a headache of a lifetime - depending what side of the litigation you're on. Whether you are pursuing remedies against a business entity or defending a corporation, how you plan and prepare for the PMQ deposition will ultimately determine the success you achieve for your client. With all of the possible traps, do you know how to effectively take, defend, and prepare for the PMQ deposition?

In this CLE course, veteran civil litigator Roy Comer provides practical tips and advice for your next PMQ deposition. When you complete this course you will know how to: indentify what makes a person most qualified, prepare the notice, respond & object to the notice, select the PMQ witness, prepare the PMQ witness, prepare the testimony, take the deposition, spot common traps and defend the PMQ deposition. Deposing the person most qualified is drastically different than the standard lay witness deposition and since party admissions are admissible against the company or entity, PMQ depositions can produce valuable testimony that can greatly aid settlement or sway the jury at trial.

For over 30 years Roy L. Comer has been dedicated to handling damage cases, including catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death cases arising from automobile, truck, motorcycle, medical negligence, defective products, and dangerous premises claims.

You don’t have to have an LLM in tax to help your business clients with tax issues. As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Being able to spot tax issues and help your business clients identify and manage risk can save them thousands of dollars and keep them in business.

In this tax crash course Sam Brotman details how you can help the businesses you counsel spot tax issues before they become major headaches. Sam will mainly cover the following topics: the difference between an accountant & an attorney, dealing with income tax audits, how to defend your clients against IRS audits, what to expect during a payroll tax audit and sales & use tax audits. In addition Sam will also address the main pitfalls that create tax problems, common myths, why people get audited, DIF & UI DIF scores, the 4 types of audits (matching, correspondence, office & field), statutes of limitations, audit red flags, substantiation & legal issue audits, how to conduct the pre-audit, the IRS Appeals Process, the EDD, the general ledger, independent contractor issues, methods of testing, sampling, the pre-audit plan and common traps.

Samuel D. Brotman is the founder of Brotman Law. His practice primarily centers on all aspects of tax litigation and criminal & civil tax controversies. Although a strong proponent of early stage tax resolution, Sam's practice is uniquely tailored to assist clients in all phases of their tax controversy from administrative resolution of the lawsuit.

In a recent case, a U.S. Magistrate Judge sanctioned an attorney for telling opposing counsel it wasn’t “becoming of a woman” to raise her voice during a contentious deposition. Yes, we have made strides when it comes to creating a level playing field for women in the legal profession… but there is still a long way to go.

In this lively and thought-provoking program, Andrea S. Kramer and Alton B. Harris discuss how gender bias can prevent law firms and legal organizations from achieving their desired diversity goals. In this incredibly insightful and practical discussion Andie and Al will mainly address gender disparity in achievement in the legal profession, why gender disparity exists in law firms, ending the gender disparity in law firms and what attorneys can do. The following topics are also covered: ABA Model Rule 8.4(g), state bar professional responsibility rules, the Muller-Lyer Illusion, communal & agentic stereotypes, the Goldilocks dilemma, the moral & business rationale for creating diversity, affinity bias, unconscious bias, being proactive, impression management and what male lawyers can do to be a part of the solution. Finally, Andie and Al provide specific action steps for addressing implicit biases and creating policies and procedures that can prevent bias from influencing decisions inside the firm.

Andrea S. Kramer is an attorney and a partner in the international law firm of McDermott Will & Emery, LLP. The managing partner in the Chicago office of Nixon Peabody, Al is a frequent writer and lecturer on the financial markets, financial regulation, corporate governance and diversity in the legal profession.

Many family law cases are extremely emotionally draining for the client and attorney alike. Knowing what to expect and having a good understanding of how these cases proceed through the court system can help you manage your client’s expectations and emotions.

Sandra Fava will provide you with a broad overview of family law practice – from adoptions to domestic violence. Sandra will mainly discuss how a family law case starts, the non-dissolution docket, the dissolution docket, practical points for family law practice and pitfalls for the new practitioner. She will provide you practical points on the following: domestic violence actions, adoption proceedings, juveniles, settlement, motion practice, use of experts, mediation & arbitration, dealing with unpaid support obligations, guardianships, the worthy client, zealous advocacy vs. becoming emotionally intertwined, good client management, managing deadlines, communicating with clients and practical advice for clients. This course is designed for attorneys new to family law practice or experienced attorneys from other practices that need to understand the family court system and how a case proceeds.

Sandra C. Fava has dedicated her legal career to the thoughtful and diligent representation of clients in divorce and family law matters. She provides representation at every level, including complex and sophisticated family law matters, often representing high net worth individuals, entrepreneurs, corporate executives, professionals and business owners or their spouses.

From car accidents to botched surgeries, many legal cases require lawyers to put on their doctor hats and have in-depth knowledge of the anatomy human body. In briefs and during mediation – and especially in the courtroom – personal injury attorneys must be able to convey their knowledge of anatomy to experts and the judge and especially the jury.

In this CLE course, attorney Rachel Rose will teach you about the anatomy fundamentals you need to know about so you can communicate with your expert witnesses and the jury. Rachel will mainly cover the issues & types of cases that require a lawyer to have anatomical knowledge, anatomy vs. pathology, medical position terminology and practical points to consider in your legal cases. She also provides detailed overviews of the following systems: musculoskeletal, gastro-intestinal, circulatory and nervous.

From working on Wall Street to interning on Capitol Hill, Rachel V. Rose, JD, MBA, has accumulated knowledge in a multitude of fields throughout her career. She advises on federal and state compliance and areas of liability associated with a variety of healthcare, legal and regulatory issues including: HIPAA, the HITECH Act, the False Claims Act, Medicare issues, as well as corporate and security regulations.

A well-known phrase amongst IP practitioners is that patentable subject matter may include “anything under the sun that is made by man.” Yet not surprisingly, not every invention is patentable - even if it falls within the four classes of “statutory subject matter” and the novelty, nonobviousness, and written description requirements can be met.

Join Vish Mohan for an excellent review of patent law protection in the United States. Vish mainly covers the hallmarks of patent law and then details the standards determined to issue patents – patent eligible subject matter, useful, new, nonobvious and adequate written description. Additional subjects addressed include: utility, design & plant patents, how you get a patent, the four classes of patentable subject matter, substantial & credible utility, public use, described in a printed publication, “on sale”, otherwise available to the public and the best mode. The following hallmark cases are also discussed: KSR International Co. v. Teleflex Inc., Diamond v. Chakrabarty, Bilski v. Kappos and Alice Corp. v. CLS Bank International.

Vishwanath (“Vish”) Kootala Mohan is an intellectual property associate at One LLP in Costa Mesa, California. Coming from a Mechanical Engineering background, his practice focuses on intellectual property law, including patent and trademark prosecution and IP litigation involving patent, trademark, and copyright issues.

When you prepare for oral argument do you find yourself writing out a convoluted outline and rehearsing in front of the mirror like you are going to be speaking at the local Toastmasters. Unfortunately, oral argument is not a speech where you will be handed ten minutes of interrupted speaking time. Rather, it's dynamic, rapid shifting and it can require extreme responsiveness if you get that judge that likes to pepper you with questions.

Since oral argument is much more fluid process than regurgitating a written response, you need a more dynamic approach. In this incredibly entertaining and practical CLE course, Peter R. Afrasiabi covers what to do, what not to do and how to be prepared when you stand at the podium to argue your appeal. Peter mainly discusses the hallmarks of effective oral arguments, winning preparation strategies and practical points when making your argument in front of the judges (or justices). In addition, Peter also addresses using a conversation dialogue, knowing your audience & goals, crafting a compelling argument, establishing credibility, the kitchen sink approach, briefs & the record review process, facts & law review, your podium materials, mooting, your first words, staying cool under pressure, possible outcomes, amicus briefs and the 7 Golden Rules.

From battles with Madonna over the "Material Girl" brand to fair use disputes with the Eagles' Don Henley to protecting such iconic brands as Bettie Page in trademark and trade dress disputes, Peter R. Afrasiabi primarily handles copyright, trademark, and entertainment disputes. He is also the Chair of the Appellate Practice Group for One LLP and co-director of the Appellate Litigation Clinic at the University of California, Irvine School of Law.

Have you ever had a case where the authenticity of a signature on a document was at issue? Cases that involve contracts, wills (even graffiti!!) and other important "writings" often turn on whether it was written by a given person. When the veracity of writing is at issue in a case, attorneys frequently turn to an expert - a trained forensic handwriting examiner.

This presentation details the scientific methodology used by forensic handwriting examiners in order to determine the authenticity of handwriting and signatures. Mike Wakshull of Q9 Consulting provides an excellent introduction to the tools and the trade of the forensic document examiner. In this highly informative presentation Mike teaches the basic tenets of handwriting analysis, describes natural variations in handwriting, explains the forensic document examiners role, highlights case examples where the authenticity of handwriting is at issue and provides an objective framework for handwriting analysis & authentication.

Additional topics covered in this CLE course: the Zodiac case, inter-writer variability, intra-writer variability, handwriting identification techniques, reasons for special cause variation, 21 key elements for handwriting identification, the tools used to examine documents, generally accepted methods of examining documents, handwriting comparison and the difference between simulated writing and disguised writing. In addition, Mike discusses numerous legal cases that he has worked on around the country over the years.

A court-qualified forensic document examiner, Michael N. Wakshull has been involved in the Forensic Document Examination arena since 1983 and belongs to a number of Document Examination Associations. A licensed attorney in California, Jason Castillo actively participated in this course.

Dirty money gets produced by organized crime and other criminals though drug trafficking, prostitution, tax evasion, corruption, financial crime and many other sources. Spearheaded by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), world leaders and governments have sought to monitor and suppress money laundering and terrorism financing around the globe. This became even more pressing in our country after the terror attacks on 9/11. Due to our legal system and anonymous entities like LLCs, the United States is an easy place to hide money and terrorists have begun using our financial and legal systems to launder dirty money and clandestinely move it around the world to finance terrorist and other illegal operations. Unfortunately for attorneys, there is a very fine line between assisting clients and taking part in criminal activity.

Peter W. Bowie, the former Chief Judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of California, has seen these matters develop first hand from his view from the bench. In this CLE course, Judge Bowie explores the evolving link between bankruptcy, money laundering & terrorist financing and the attorney's duty to investigate. The main topics addressed by Judge Bowie include money laundering around the globe, the use of anonymous entities to hide money and the attorneys increased duty to investigate. Additional topics presented: the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on Money Laundering's 40 recommendations, the 2002 ABA Task Force, ABA Formal Opinion 463, risk based client due diligence, how individuals hide money from creditors, the anonymous purchase of numerous high end American properties, the 2016 GlobalWitness.org report, the Panama Papers, confidentiality, attorney-client privilege, Rule 11 and recent case law regarding attorney investigations.

Peter W. Bowie, former Chief Judge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of California, spent 27 years on the bench. He leverages his vast experience in the courtroom to conduct mediation settlement conferences and contribute to the firm's mediation practice. A skilled mediator, Judge Bowie has successfully resolved several vigorously contested, large fee application disputes, and other important cases. Before joining the bench, he served in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California for 14 years, the last six as Chief Assistant U.S. Attorney, overseeing operations of the criminal and civil divisions. Earlier in his career, he served as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice, where he was hired through the Department's prestigious Honors Program.

You might be a winner! No purchase necessary! Just send a self-addressed stamped envelope! Many will enter…. few will win. We all know the catch phrases because we’ve heard the sweepstakes and promotions commercials countless times.

In this CLE course Rob Laplaca will show you the basics of running a legally-compliant sales campaign from development through execution. You will learn: how to spot the differences among sweepstakes, contests, games & charitable sales promotions; how to negotiate gambling laws, and key points when running social media & mobile marketing campaigns. In addition, Rob will also discuss prize, chance & consideration, chance vs. skill games, post consideration, non-monetary consideration, skill contests, User Generated Content (UGC), mobile marketing, product review & endorsements and social websites. Companies love to blanket the airwaves with sweepstakes, games and promotions as part of their marketing campaigns – make sure the companies you represent do it legally.

Rob Laplaca represents promotional marketing agencies & major brands – including food and beverage, retail, entertainment, personal care, and professional and consumer products in a variety of nationwide marketing activities from traditional promotions and offers to social media, in-app and other on-line programs.

Many of us have achieved the one of the pinnacles of the American dream, owning our own home. However, even though it’s the most expensive purchase many of us will make, quite a few attorneys and clients fail to understand the basics of the document that protects their investment - the homeowners insurance policy.

In this CLE course, attorney Evan Walker will walk you through the basics of understanding homeowners insurance policies and coverage. He will mainly cover the following topics: the declarations page & definitions, coverages, exclusions, endorsements and first & third party claims disputes. Evan will also discuss coverage & coverage limits, Coverages A - D, how to read the policy, the definitions of the insured & insured property, being underinsured, due diligence to make sure that you have adequate insurance, depreciation, additional living expenses, named perils, the burden of proof, scope of coverage, riders, contract-driven disputes, tort claims against third parties and subrogation.

After evacuating from New Orleans to Houston, Evan W. Walker graduated in 2008 as part of the ‘Hurricane Katrina Class.’ After graduation, Evan worked for a New Orleans insurance defense firm. He opened his own firm in 2014 to represent people after years of defending insurance companies.

With billions of cell phones and apps out there, the amount of ESI generated by cell phones is overwhelming to many legal professionals. We get it - you are an attorney not a computer genius. But if you are ignoring evidence on smart phones and apps, you are ignoring a virtual treasure trove of electronic information that can greatly benefit your client at trial.

In this CLE program, highly rated instructor Lars Daniel will use case examples from his digital forensics practice to explain the proper methods to forensically acquire cell phone evidence. Lars will mainly discuss the collection, acquisition, analysis and examination of electronic evidence on smartphones and challenging the evidence. Lars will also address the following topics: “thumb forensics” by first responders, logical & file systems, deleted & destroyed data, manual examinations, Google Maps & network, user accounts, Internet searches & history, call logs, SMS & MMS messaging, installed apps, power events, the user dictionary, Google is watching & listening, timelines, affidavit highlights, video verification, fakes messages are real and a spoofing case example.

A digital forensics expert, Lars Daniel has attended over 250 hours of forensic training and has worked on over 500 cases involving murder, child pornography, terrorism, rape, kidnapping, intellectual property, fraud, wrongful death, among other case types. A licensed attorney in California, Jason Castillo actively participated in this course.

Your client is arrested for robbery. Like everybody that walks into your office, he claims he didn’t do it and that he was at the park with his kid at the time of the crime. Wisely, you turn to the information stored on his iPhone to show that he was nowhere near the scene of the crime because you can show that his phone was searching for WiFi connections around the houses next to the park.

Call Detail Records (CDRs) and cell phone location evidence has become crucial evidence in many civil and criminal trials. In this CLE course, Larry Daniel will teach you how cell phones work and how CDR and location evidence is used in legal cases - from insurance fraud to murder. In addition, Larry will cover tactics on how to locate cell phones and cell phone records and he will show you how to challenge the methods of analysis and the qualifications of persons who will testify about this evidence. These topics are also addressed: how to get CDRs from Verizon, AT&T & Sprint, how CDRs are used, what they contain, how to generate cell phone location maps, retention, records, prepaid “burner phones,” getting the records, cell phone registration, how the phone chooses a tower, sector layout & azimuth, cell tower coverage, cell tower sectors and key case law.

A licensed attorney in California, Jason Castillo actively participated in this course.

In auto accident claims, more than 70% of all insurers use Colossus and similar software to assess bodily injury claim values and limit settlement offers. Plaintiff's counsel must understand how this specialized software works, how his software impacts insurer settlement offers to claimants and how insurance companies use other considerations like medical factors to formulate settlements. Controlling factors must be thoroughly examined, such as the accuracy of all injury diagnoses as well as the points and drivers to include in your demand, in order to get the best possible settlement for your clients.

In this CLE course, Dr. Frank Liberti provides an in-depth examination of Colossus and similar software used by insurers used to assess auto accident claim values in personal injury cases. Dr. Liberti will demonstrate how to prevent unfair settlements, leverage new style demand letters to obtain higher settlements, increase settlement valuation by four times the average, prevent unfair claims practices and win the greater weight of the evidence challenges. Further topics discussed include the ethics codes of adjusters, litigation obstacles, Business Processing Improvement (BPI), attorneys & consultants, 4 main medical factors, the AMA Guide & impairment evaluation, insurer's unfair claims acts, key decision points & drivers, the checklist of decision points & drivers to include in your demand, inputting values into Colossus, claim values, standard medical records & prognosis, common injury types, the 4 corners of the medical claim, medical expert value factors and eliminating narrative-style demand letters.

Spanning 35 years, Dr. Frank Liberti has consulted over 15,000 doctors and lawyers on the subject of personal injury and often presents on personal injury law issues. A licensed attorney in California, Jason Castillo actively participated in this course.

Communicate with clients, don’t “borrow” money from trust accounts, calendar every key deadline… the same fundamental ethics principles still hold true for the 21st century lawyer. That’s because the same traditional ethics issues continue to plague lawyers, leading to countless ethics violations and malpractice lawsuits.

In this course Joel Selik discusses the most common ethics violations you need to be aware of so you can continue to practice ethically. The main issues discussed include the most common ethical pitfalls, insurance issues, what happens when you get “the letter” and sources of ethics laws & duties. Joel will also address calendaring deadlines, communicating with clients, trust account issues, dumping clients, staying in your practice area, contingent & set fee agreements, billing issues, responding to a malpractice letter or ethics complaint from the state bar and key practice points to remain ethical in your everyday practice.

A malpractice attorney and ethics expert, Joel G. Selik has practiced law for over 30 years and frequently represents attorney clients in malpractice cases. Joel is licensed to practice law in both California and Nevada and he frequently presents seminars on Estate Planning, Nursing Home Litigation, Legal Ethics and Malpractice.

From the “puppy paw” handshake to how you sit at the conference table, there are verbal and non-verbal communication techniques women can employ and avoid to overcome gender bias and find greater success in the legal workplace.

Andie Kramer and Al Harris provide practical communication tips and techniques to improve gender diversity in law firms and organizations. Andie and Al present a frank discussion on how gender bias affects women in the legal profession, the root of the problem and communication techniques that can help men and women lawyers overcome gender bias. Additional subjects covered include: why the law continues to be a traditionally male profession, the gender achievement gap, the ABA Presidential Initiative for Achieving Long-Term Careers for Women, communal & agentic stereotypes, other’s peoples impressions & the image you present and how to encourage organizational change. The following biases will also be discussed: affinity bias, negative bias, agentic bias, self-limiting bias, benevolent bias and motherhood bias.

Andrea S. Kramer is an attorney and a partner in the international law firm of McDermott Will & Emery, LLP. The managing partner in the Chicago office of Nixon Peabody, Al is a frequent writer and lecturer on the financial markets, financial regulation, corporate governance and diversity in the legal profession.

Copyright protection has become incredibly important for content producers in our new Digital Age where copyrighted content can be copied, pasted and distributed around the globe in seconds. However, there are many common myths associated with copyright protection, fair use and permission to use copyrighted works. Are you guilty of telling one of your clients to put their work in a sealed envelope and mail it to themselves?

In this CLE course, Rex Brabson provides an entertaining discussion about key issues in copyright law and the common misconceptions about fair use and permission to use copyrighted works. Rex will mainly cover: the elements to establish a valid copyright, common issues faced by authors & businesses, common myths associated with fair use and permission to use copyrighted works. He will also address the five copyright rights, how rights are acquired, original works of authorship, fixed in a tangible medium, the value of registration, copyright compared to trademark law, works made for hire, what is not protected, the four fair use factors, content that requires permission to use, protection for databases and the abstraction-filtration comparison test.

Rexford Brabson is of counsel at Branfman Law Group. Rex mainly handles state and federal trademark applications and Responses to Office Actions, in addition to preparing and filing copyright applications. A graduate of the University of San Diego School of Law, Rex was admitted to the State Bar of California in 2014.

Every business uses trademarks and service marks to identify their goods and services. A strong trademark or service mark can make the difference between a wildly successful business and its not-so-successful competition. Additionally, a trademark is also valuable because it helps distinguish a business from competing brands and products in the marketplace and the valuable good will of the business becomes intertwined with the company's trademarks and reputation.

And while business owners and entrepreneurs are great at what they do - starting and running companies - they are not always great at choosing the best marks for their products, services and businesses. To learn more about counseling your business clients on trademarks join intellectual property attorney Mark Reichenthal as he discusses the primary considerations for selecting strong trademarks. Mark mainly discusses intellectual property protections for businesses, counseling clients on selecting a strong trademark and strong business trademarks from top established companies. Additional subjects covered: the purpose of intellectual property protection, the rationale behind trademark law, choosing a better trademark, the scale of trademark strength, the continuum of protection, actual use of the mark, trademarks & cannabis, educating clients and pushing your client's to stronger marks.

Mark Reichenthal practices in the areas of intellectual property, licensing, new media, entertainment law, book publishing, and general business contracts. Prior to joining Branfman Law Group, Mark was a Senior Counsel at Wiley Publishing - the publisher of the wildly successful and famous "For Dummies" series where Mark was responsible for managing the day-to-day legal affairs of the company.

The way that juries process information has fundamentally changed over the last few decades - you can thank Big Bird and YouTube for that. Today's jurors are less apt to soak up volumes of information that complex cases require. Because of this short attention span, you must be as dynamic as possible to grab the jury's attention and persuade them to find for your client. When it comes to the all-important closing argument, you should keep your message simple, brief and easy to understand.

In this fast paced and informative CLE course, you will learn how to provide an effective and succinct closing argument that the jury will be able to process and remember when they walk into deliberations. Trial attorney David A. Fox discusses how jurors learn & retain information, using different media in your closing, connecting with the jury, framing the debate, focusing on responsibility & jury instructions, crafting your message, being outcome determinative, keeping your message easy to understand, streamlining your trial and solving the problem. Dave covers a number of practice points and uses case examples from the following causes of action: criminal conspiracy to commit robbery, slip & fall, fraud, personal injury, negligence and wrongful death.

Dave Fox is a trial lawyer that has dedicated his career to helping ordinary people going through extraordinary circumstances. Dave has obtained remarkable settlements and verdicts for his clients in difficult cases involving wrongful death, catastrophic injuries, premises liability and fraud.

Your 13 year-old daughter comes home from school one day crying because a group of girls posted a horrible video on YouTube calling her derogatory names and making fun of the way she dresses. The girls shot the video at a local restaurant on the way home from school. What can your daughter’s school legally do to punish the girls who filmed and posted the video?

In this CLE course Gretchen Shipley, an education technology lawyer, discusses one of the key issues facing educators and school districts today - cyberbullying and free speech. Gretchen will mainly cover the school’s duty to provide a safe environment, infringing on student’s free speech, school & district employees and related laws to cyberbullying. These topics will also be addressed: transmitting sexual images of minor, bullying & cyberbullying defined, schools & social media monitoring, bullying prevention laws, the school’s jurisdiction to punish student speech, the substantial disruption standard, search & seizure of student’s smartphones and impersonation laws. Gretchen will also discuss key case law in this area such as: Tinker v. Des Moines, J.C. v. Beverly Hills School District, J.S. v. Blue Mountain School District, New Jersey v. T.L.O and Klump v. Nazareth.

Gretchen M. Shipley is a partner in the San Diego area office of Fagen Friedman & Fulfrost and co-chair of the firm's eMatters Practice Group. A respected legal leader in education law and technology, Mrs. Shipley advises school districts and presents workshops to students, employees and district leaders nationwide on the promotion of digital citizenship in the school community.