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.

The cost of a college education has skyrocketed over the last few decades. Along with the increased tuition costs, the amount of money borrowed for college has also ballooned with student loan debt now approaching $2 TRILLION dollars. Many former students have found themselves in default being unable to pay their massive undergraduate and graduate school debt back.

To learn more about what you can do to help your clients with defaulted student loans, join Natalie Jean-Baptiste as she discusses potential options for your clients. Natalie will mainly cover default student loan resolution, repayment options, loan forgiveness, administrative discharges and discharging student loan debt in bankruptcy. Natalie will also address the following topics: student debt facts & figures, federal vs. private student loans, the main types of federal student loans, eligibility for deferment & forbearance, delinquency & default, the consequences of default, tax refund offsets, wage garnishment, settlement, loan rehabilitation, reasonable & affordable payments, consolidation, repayment programs such as REPAYE and PAYE, Chapter 7 & 13 bankruptcy, undue hardship and additional resources.

Natalie Jean-Baptiste is a financial empowerment coach and consumer rights advocate who works with student loan borrowers to manage and eliminate debt. Prior to becoming a consumer rights advocate, Natalie worked for many years as a music industry attorney.

Despite the increased importance of eDiscovery in today’s legal world many attorneys still don’t even know the basics… what’s ESI??? How do you respond to a litigation hold? What are native files?

In today’s electronic world, being prepared to properly respond to eDiscovery demands can make or break your client’s case - and your litigation budget. In this CLE course Alex Marjanovic and Greg Mahoney show you the most efficient way to respond to eDiscovery by discussing the key terms you need to know to get results, litigation holds and the three primary methods that firms are currently handling e-discovery. Alex and Greg also review the three primary eDiscovery methods and provides a cost benefit analysis and the potential for sanctions with each of the three methods: review on your computer, review hard copy of ESI and review in database. The analysis of the three methods is conducted with the use of a sample data set that could be found in any litigation matter today.

Alex Marjanovic the Managing Partner of Sales at Epiq, a national and international provider of electronic discovery services, with responsibility over the Southwestern States of the U.S. He has had extensive experience with electronic and paper-based discovery and related litigation production/discovery matters over the past 14 years.

How does discrimination hiring occur? What is the best way to write a legally compliant job description? Can I only hire fans of the New York Yankees? When it comes to hiring a new employee, there are certain things that an employer legally can and can’t do under federal and state laws.

Nicole Croddick provides you with in-depth legal guidance when counseling your business clients on screening, interviewing and hiring new employees - from posting the job ad to steps to take once hired. Further topics discussed include: the cost of a mis-hire, goals when hiring, the bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ), job titles & descriptions, “Have, Do, Be,” permissive pre-employment questions, accommodations & criminal background notes, permitted inquiries at all stages, using a systemic process for interviewing, the “5 musts of interviewing” and problematic inquiries in the application & interview. Nicole highlights the common pitfalls that cause employers to end up in lawsuits over hiring and she provides highly practical information to help your clients avoid these common issues.

Nicole Sorokolit Croddick is Counsel at Davison, Eastman, Muñoz, Lederman & Paone, P.A., where she focuses her practice on employment and labor matters. She consults companies on human resources issues and has conducted internal investigations on ethical and legal violations.

With the cost of litigation and the current backlog in the courts, mediation has become a path for redress for many aggrieved parties. But should you approach a mediation like you were headed to court? What are the steps you can take to get the most successful outcome for your client?

After trying more than 100 cases, Monty A. McIntyre is a now a mediator, arbitrator & discovery referee. In this CLE course he shares his insights into preparing for a successful mediation. He mainly discusses important points to consider prior to the mediation, pitfalls to avoid, techniques & key points to employ during the mediation and final considerations before concluding. Monty also talks about the essence of your case, the cost & stress of litigation, sitting down with clients, brevity in the brief, avoiding initial high numbers, apologies, flexibility, joint meetings, bracketing, settlement offers, terms to consider at the conclusion, payment plans and stipulations for settlement.

An award winning trial attorney, mediator, arbitrator & discovery referee, Monty A. McIntyre has nearly four decades of legal experience. As a mediator his mission is to bring peace into the lives of people by excellently helping them resolve disputes.

Like most attorneys, you probably feel like there is no way you could ever be sued - until that process server shows up at your office.< br>
In this fast paced seminar, Bill McCaffery will discuss what leads trusts and estates practitioners into legal malpractice and provides 60 practical tips to help you avoid getting sued by your clients. Topics to be discussed include: inadequate investigation, communication errors, errors of law, clerical errors, time management issues, conflicts of interest and insurance considerations. Bill will also discuss malpractice statistics based on practice area & firm size, using questionnaires, investigating assets, using plain English, documenting the file, keeping detailed notes, conflicts checks, remembering who your client is, and undue influence.

William T. McCaffery concentrates in the areas of legal malpractice defense, professional liability, commercial litigation, and general liability defense. He represents attorneys and law firms that have been sued for legal malpractice in cases ranging from real estate and personal injury matters to complex business transactions and commercial litigation.

How many times do you have to be told to communicate with your clients? Well, it’s still not enough for some attorneys because numerous lawyers still get in hot water for failing to call, email or text clients and keep them in the loop.

What can you do to avoid a legal malpractice claim or grievance from the state bar? Brooks Schuelke will help keep you out of trouble by discussing the key elements of malpractice law, 10 tips to avoid ethical violations, what you can do if a claim is made against you and possible insurance coverage. Brooks will also cover negligence, breaching a fiduciary duty, privity, defining who you represent, defining the scope of the representation, communicating with clients, saying you’re sorry, calendaring, doing business with clients, suing clients for fees, screening clients, conflicts checks, reporting your claim to your insurance carrier and purchasing legal malpractice insurance.

Brooks has been a trial lawyer since 1995. His practice has focused on the representation of individuals and small businesses injured by others. This practice includes personal injury litigation and legal malpractice litigation.

It’s Tuesday and you’re just about to head to a lunch meeting. You get an email from Dan, one of your longest running clients that has recently had some financial hardships. Dan emailed you to “suggest” that he thought about covering up some “possible” money-laundering with some documents you previously prepared for him. What do you do?

Yes, dicey situations arise when it comes to the interplay of privilege, confidentiality and the attorney work product doctrine. Although related, these are different concepts and the interplay of the three frequently confuses lawyers and judges alike. In this CLE course, C. Evan Stewart will provide some clarity on these complex and interwoven issues. Evan will cover: ABA Model Rule 1.6, mandatory & permissive disclosures, SEC violations, the 5 C’s of Confidentiality, why the attorney-client privilege is under attack, selective waiver, the crime-fraud exception, the Michael Cohen incident, confidentiality & ex-employees, opinion vs. ordinary work product and ten tips to maximize the protections of confidentiality. Evan will discuss number case examples and practical everyday situations so you can better understand the similarities and differences between the privilege doctrine, the work product doctrine, and confidentiality.

C. Evan Stewart’s practice principally focuses on the financial services industry, handling litigation matters for domestic and international clients before federal and state trial and appellate courts, in arbitration forums and the U.S. Supreme Court. He advises clients on a range of complex commercial matters, including antitrust, bankruptcy, class action defense, ethics, intellectual property, internal investigations, securities litigation, and tax controversies.

In 1926, Learned Hand noted that it is “a totally different thing to search a man’s pockets and use against him what they contain, from ransacking his house for everything which may incriminate him.” Fast forward to today where just about everyone carries a pocket computer (smart phone) that contains endless amounts of information about every aspect of that person’s life.

Yes, recent advances in technology have caused great confusion when it comes to the Fourth Amendment’s prohibition against unreasonable searches by the government. Paul Ghanouni will provide clarity by analyzing four recent Fourth Amendment cases to show you to how to approach these complex issues. Paul mainly discusses electronic devices & digital information, search warrants and the Stored Communications Act (18 USC § 2701). He will also analyze the following caselaw: Carpenter v. United States, Riley v. California, United States v. Jones, Kyllo v. United States and Carpenter v. United States. When you complete this course you will: understand the evidence that exists on smart phones & how it is frequently obtained, be able to determine the legal mechanism used to obtain the evidence, know how to analyze these cases on traditional Fourth Amendment notions and consider these line of cases in a broader context to determine if the technology has outgrown the confines of traditional caselaw.

Paul Ghanouni is a criminal attorney that focuses on teen and young adult defense. Paul has had the opportunity to try a number of jury & bench trials and his practice is built on the idea that good people can make bad choices, and that those choices should not ruin an individual's future.

Say it with me, we all know it. “A statement, made out of court, provided for the truth of the matter asserted.” Yes, we can all repeat the definition of hearsay in our sleep. It’s the application of the hearsay rule that’s trips up lawyers and judges alike.

In this incredibly insightful course, Paul S. Marks provides you with better organized framework for analyzing potential hearsay evidence that has been gleaned from over twenty years of trial practice. Paul will mainly cover the basic elements of the hearsay rule, oral testimony vs. written testimony & “The Hearsay Conundrum” and exceptions to the hearsay rule. Paul will also discuss why the hearsay rule is a lawyer’s dream, non-verbal conduct intended as communication, implied statements, quickly assessing possible hearsay statements, the veracity of the statement, using motions in limine to keep possible hearsay away from the jury, FRE 105 - Limited Admissibility, FRE 403 - Prejudicial vs. Probative and FRE 803(6) - The Business Records exception.

Paul Marks has practiced civil and commercial litigation in California for over twenty years. Mr. Marks has served as first chair trial counsel in over thirty cases that have reached verdict, about half of them being jury trials.

You represent a client in a wrongful death lawsuit whose wife was tragically killed in a freak car accident. After you get a discovery request for the contents of his Facebook account, you discover a post with your client wearing an “I Heart Hot Moms” shirt. To mitigate any damage at trial, you counsel your client to “clean up” his Facebook page. Good idea?? This attorney was forced to pay over $500,000 and agreed to a 5 year suspension.

To learn more about how you can remain ethical on our new social media world, join Jeff Bennion for an entertaining look at some of the unethical electronic conduct that gets attorneys into trouble with the state bar. Jeff will mainly cover the why you need to use social media, the main social media platforms, the ethical rules regarding social media use and non-obvious ethics traps & tips. Jeff will also address why social media is unique, social media & discovery, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, advertising & solicitation, unethical posts & tweets, creating an ethical digital footprint, spoliation of social media evidence, following/friending parties & witnesses, following & friending parties & witnesses and LinkedIn endorsements.

Jeff Bennion is a solo practitioner at the Law Office of Jeff Bennion. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of San Diego’s plaintiffs’ trial lawyers association, Consumer Attorneys of San Diego. He is also the Education Chair and Executive Committee member of the State Bar of California’s Law Practice Management and Technology section.

When a company equips 11 million of its cars with software to cheat federal emissions tests and standards. When a former star athlete takes his own life at 43 due to a traumatic brain injury suffered while playing in the NFL. And when a terrorist group rams two planes filled with gas into the World Trade Center and into heart of New York City and America. Trial lawyers are there to protect the public and our Democracy.

A renowned trial lawyer who has tried hundreds of high profile cases and class actions, David Casey has been at the forefront of the fight to protect the public for over the last forty years. In this CLE course, David highlights the infamous cases he has litigated and the trial bar’s role in protecting the public and democracy. David will discuss the Exxon Valdez litigation, tobacco litigation, Wells Fargo’s collateral protection insurance litigation, Apple litigation regarding slowing phone speeds, CTE & the NFL, Tony Gwynn & smokeless tobacco, the Battling Bastards of Bataan and the September 11 Victim Compensation Fund.

A third generation attorney, he joined his late father David S. Casey Sr.’s firm in 1976, after working as a prosecutor for the San Diego City Attorney’s office. With dozens of high profile verdicts and settlements achieved over a nearly 40-year legal career, he is well on his way to attaining his father’s - who tried more than 700 jury trials - legendary status.