Course List

There is a large remote fire loss in Alaska that takes 1-2 days of travel once you’re off the plane. Just as you arrive with your team, you get a text message that one of the parties will not be able to attend and wants to reschedule. What do you do?

This is where 3D scanning such as LiDAR and photogrammetry could save weeks of time and $1,000’s for all parties involved. This is an actual case example pulled from the files of Andrew Bennet, a fire & explosion investigator. In this CLE, Andrew Bennet will show you how 3D scanning can be deployed in your cases, detail the difference between LiDAR & photogrammetry, present 2 case examples & 2 actual 3D models, address the limitations and illustrate how 3D scanning can be used in litigation to virtually walk juries through crime scenes, accident reconstructions and fire investigations. Additional topics: scene documentation, virtual inspections, spoliation, crime scene work, “stitching,” joint scene exams vs. solitary exams, discovery & alteration, admissibility and receiving the 3D model.

Andrew Bennett is Fire & Explosion investigator at Envista Forensics. He has more than 20 years of experience, conducting over 1600 fire and explosion investigations globally in both the public and private sectors.

Solo and small firm attorneys often delay retirement and exit planning due to perceived complexity, cost, or uncertainty—unintentionally increasing professional, financial, and ethical risk. This practical CLE equips attorneys with a clear, risk-aware framework for planning their eventual exit, succession, or retirement while protecting clients, firm value, and personal financial security. The program focuses on realistic planning strategies for attorneys who may not have internal successors, including identifying risk exposure in delayed planning, coordinating legal and financial considerations, and implementing safeguards that align with professional responsibility obligations.

Learning Objectives:

* Identify key professional, ethical, and financial risks associated with delayed or informal retirement and exit planning in small firm and solo practices

* Evaluate practical exit pathways and assess their relative risk profiles

* Implement foundational risk-mitigation strategies to protect clients, firm value, and personal assets during retirement or transition planning

* Coordinate retirement and exit planning decisions with ethical obligations related to client communication, file management, trust accounts, and continuity of representation

* Develop a roadmap appropriate for attorneys without internal successors or large firm infrastructure

Stacey Carrasco is the Founder and Principal Attorney of Carrasco Legal Group, a boutique estate and business planning law firm based in Silver Spring, Maryland, serving clients throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia. With more than 20 years of legal experience, Ms. Carrasco counsels individuals, families, and small business owners on comprehensive planning strategies, including wills and trusts, incapacity planning (powers of attorney and advance directives), and business planning with a focus on entity formation, continuity, succession, and exit strategies.

Effective negotiation is one of the most critical skills in legal practice, yet many attorneys fail to achieve optimal outcomes due to inadequate preparation, cognitive bias, or a misunderstanding of opposing interests. This course provides a practical framework for advanced negotiation strategies, equipping attorneys with the tools to approach negotiations with greater precision, confidence, and effectiveness. Attorneys will learn how to develop structured negotiation plans, define clear objectives and distinguish between goals and realistic expectations. The program explores key bargaining styles and when to apply competitive, collaborative, or hybrid approaches based on context and leverage. It also examines the strategic use of opening offers and anchoring, highlighting how early positioning can shape negotiation outcomes.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify and apply advanced negotiation strategies tailored to legal practice

• Distinguish between negotiation goals and realistic expectations to improve outcomes

• Analyze and adapt bargaining styles based on context, leverage, and relationship dynamics

• Evaluate the strategic impact of opening offers and anchoring in negotiations

• Recognize and mitigate cognitive biases affecting negotiation decisions

• Apply effective concession strategies, including integrative bargaining and issue trading

• Utilize psychological techniques ethically to influence negotiation dynamics

• Develop structured negotiation plans that align with client objectives and risk tolerance

A significant focus is placed on cognitive biases and psychological influences, including anchoring, framing, and loss aversion and how these factors affect decision-making. The course further introduces advanced concession strategies and ethical persuasion techniques designed to maximize value while preserving professional relationships. Participants will examine integrative versus distributive bargaining, issue trading, and conditional concession techniques, as well as the role of leverage and timing in concession-making. The program emphasizes that effective negotiation is not simply about “winning,” but about structuring agreements that align with client objectives and reduce future conflict. Through real-world examples, attorneys will gain actionable insights to improve negotiation performance, enhance client outcomes, and effectively manage complex disputes across litigation, transactional, and advisory contexts.

Callie Kyhl is an associate attorney at Vanderpool, Frostick & Nishanian, PC, specializing in cases such as breach of contract, fraud, and civil conspiracy. Before earning her Juris Doctorate from Mitchell Hamline School of Law, she worked as a paralegal for thirteen years, gaining extensive experience in legal research, drafting complex documents, and collaborating with experts across various fields.

This CLE explores the connection between attorney wellness and professional responsibility, highlighting how stress management, balance, and sustainable practice habits are essential for both personal health and excellence in client service. Participants will learn practical strategies to reduce burnout, strengthen decision-making, and build healthier professional routines. The program emphasizes how wellness directly impacts an attorney’s ability to meet their ethical obligations to clients, colleagues, and the profession, and how supportive systems within firms can reduce risks, enhance communication, and foster long-term success.

Learning Objectives

1. Recognize how well-being affects professional performance, including the ability to provide competent, reliable, and high-quality service.

2. Identify the warning signs of impairment—such as stress, fatigue, or substance use—that can compromise judgment and create ethical risks.

3. Apply practical wellness strategies such as mindfulness, time management, and peer support that strengthen focus, resilience, and client service.

4. Evaluate practice management systems (records, communication, and technology use) to reduce errors and avoid malpractice exposure.

5. Understand professional duties related to leadership and accountability, including creating a culture of wellness, addressing misconduct, and supporting colleagues.

Dieter Clauss is Vice President of Clauss & Co., Inc., where he leads the professional liability program for Lawyers Insurance Group. He specializes in advising law firms and attorneys on risk management, professional responsibility, and malpractice coverage, helping legal professionals safeguard their practices while meeting client and ethical obligations.

If you are an attorney, you’ve probably been asked to serve on a Board. However, if you do agree there are numerous legal & ethical pitfalls that you must avoid as an attorney.

In this CLE, Nikki Semanchik will teach you what you need to know about serving on a Board, from your initial homework & due diligence to your ethical duties & avoiding conflicts of interest. The course is broken into three main parts, with Nikki first providing background on the key points of Nonprofit Law, she will then take a deep dive into your fiduciary duties and conclude by detailing the risks of serving as Director & legal counsel. Additional topics: entity type, public transparency, Board Committees vs. Advisory Boards, the duties & role of Directors, the Articles of Incorporation, reviewing bylaws & internal policies, Duty of Care, Duty of Inquiry, Duty of Loyalty, Duty to Follow Investment Standards, conflicts of interest, director protections, the Business Judgment Rule, volunteer immunity, Indemnification, Directors & Officers (D&O) Insurance, Nonprofit Compliance, the loss of the attorney-client privilege and your liability exposure.

Nikki Semanchik is the Founding Attorney of Semanchik Law Group, a business and nonprofit firm located in San Diego, California. In addition to assisting nonprofits with formation, compliance and governance, she also represents for profit businesses on a wide variety of matters.

Mediation presents unique opportunities and challenges for lawyers—whether serving as advocates for clients or neutrals guiding resolution. Yet, common ethical missteps can undermine the process, damage credibility, and even create professional liability. This CLE will explore how attorneys can avoid the most frequent ethical pitfalls in mediation by grounding practice in the ABA Model Standards of Conduct for Mediators and applicable professional conduct rules. Participants will gain practical guidance on preparing ethically for mediation, building rapport with parties, maintaining neutrality, and balancing zealous advocacy with duties of candor and fairness. Through real-world examples and best practices, the course empowers lawyers to engage in mediation with confidence while protecting both their clients and their professional integrity.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the most common ethics mistakes that occur in mediation from both the advocate’s and neutral’s perspective.

2. Apply the ABA Model Standards of Conduct for Mediators and Rules of Professional Conduct to mediation practice.

3. Evaluate how to prepare for mediation in a way that aligns with ethical duties to clients and the process.

4. Implement strategies for building rapport and maintaining neutrality while avoiding bias or undue influence.

5. Recognize red flags and apply preventative measures to reduce the risk of ethical violations in mediation.

Francine Friedman Griesing has over 40 years of experience, she is a strategic advisor to top executives, general counsel, and institutions—handling complex business transactions, high-stakes litigation, employment matters, ethics, and alternative dispute resolution. She has served as an advocate and a neutral arbitrator and mediator in range of commercial and employment disputes. Her clients include Fortune 500 companies, privately-held businesses, non-profits, higher education institutions, law firms and individual professionals and executives.

You get a call from an old friend that needs help. His brother-in-law works for the government in Thailand and he wants your help to wire transfer $6.5 million out of the country, set up a series of LLCs and then buy luxury condos. Good idea to represent this client?

The drug trade and globalization has led to more dirty money flowing into the U.S. and lawyers unwittingly taking part in money laundering. Timothy Dunfey will teach you the risks & red flags of money laundering and how to protect yourself, your clients and your law firm from being used as a laundromat. In this CLE he will: discuss the lawyer’s role as gatekeepers, explore relevant federal regulation, show you how to measure geographic risk and detail the guidance to attorneys from the ABA. Additional topics: protecting your trust accounts, placement, layering, integration, the 1MDB case, Currency Transaction Reports (CTR), Suspicious Activity Reports (SAR’s), the USA Patriot Act, the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2020, the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC), Geographic Targeting Orders (GTO), real estate, title companies, knowing your client, Beneficial Ownership, Client Due Diligence and the danger of cash businesses.

Timothy Dunfey, Esq., CFE, CAMS, is a consulting expert who has 16 years of experience in financial services operations and compliance. Mr. Dunfey is a highly seasoned professional experienced in all facets of AML and OFAC processes, regulatory communications, investigations, and risk management.

Eyewitness testimony is powerful—but not always reliable. Decades of research have shown that memory can be fallible, and mistaken identifications remain a leading cause of wrongful convictions. In this CLE, expert witness testimony expert Dr. Curt Carlson draws on empirical research and real-world cases to explain how and why eyewitnesses can get it wrong—and what legal professionals can do about it. Participants will explore the science of perception, memory, and bias, learn about common pitfalls in police lineups, and review best practices that align with current psychological evidence. This session will help attorneys better evaluate the reliability of eyewitness testimony and improve how such evidence is addressed in investigations and at trial. Learning Objectives:

1. Identify key psychological variables that affect the accuracy of eyewitness identification.

2. Analyze common procedural flaws in police lineups and interviews that contribute to false identifications.

3. Evaluate the probative value of eyewitness testimony using scientifically grounded criteria.

4. Apply best practices in case strategy when dealing with eyewitness evidence, whether prosecuting, defending, or presiding.

5. Advocate for or challenge the admissibility and weight of eyewitness evidence through effective use of expert testimony.

Curt Carlson, Ph.D., is a distinguished cognitive psychologist whose academic journey informs his work at the intersection of psychology and the legal system. Since joining East Texas?A&M, he has led research on eyewitness memory and lineup procedures, secured a $344K National Institute of Justice grant, and holds fellowships in the American Psychology–Law Society and Psychonomic Society.

Choice of Law, Prevailing Party, Forum Selection, Force Majeure. “Boilerplate” refers to the standard clauses that typically appear at the end of a contract.

These provisions are often pulled from templates and frequently overlooked by the parties and the attorneys tasked with drafting the agreements. However, these clauses establish essential rights for the parties and warrant careful consideration – especially in the front-end drafting stage of the agreement so you can avoid trying to enforce or fight these common clauses on the back end in litigation. In this CLE, Shannon Bell will delve into these common boilerplate clauses: choice of law, arbitration, forum & venue selection, amendment & modification, force majeure, jury waiver, prevailing party, merger and survival. Shannon will dissect key case law from around the country and provide practical tips & suggestions for drafting better boilerplate clauses in your contracts.

Shannon M. Bell has years of trial experience in state and federal courts and litigates a wide variety of complex business disputes, construction disputes, fiduciary claims, employment issues, and landlord/tenant issues, with a specialization in construction.

There are many reasons why shareholders fight and small businesses break up – differences in business vision & strategy, disagreements over financial decisions, conflicts of interest & personality clashes are some of the main ones. When shareholders fight, legal advisors must quickly assess available rights, remedies, and the trajectory of any potential resolution or litigation.

In this CLE, Brandon M. Schwartz will mainly explore fiduciary duties owed among shareholders in closely held corporations, detail the types of disputes that frequently arise and highlight the strategies available to resolve them effectively. The program highlights both substantive and procedural fiduciary obligations, including duties of loyalty, candor, and fair dealing. Attendees will also gain insights into majority vs. minority shareholder dynamics, shareholder oppression and deadlock scenarios. Finally, the session focuses on dispute resolution options — from mediation and arbitration to full-scale litigation and the use of Special Litigation Committees (SLCs). By the conclusion of the session, attorneys will be better equipped to advise clients on preventative measures, evaluate risks, and select dispute resolution strategies that protect shareholder rights and preserve business value.

Learning Objectives

- Identify fiduciary duties owed among majority and minority shareholders in closely held corporations.

- Differentiate between common types of shareholder disputes, including deadlock, oppression, and breach of shareholder agreements.

- Analyze risks and consequences of shareholder disputes, including operational, financial, and reputational impacts.

- Evaluate dispute resolution options, including mediation, arbitration, and litigation.

- Understand the role of Special Litigation Committees (SLCs) in resolving shareholder disputes and the standards courts apply to review their decisions.

- Develop strategies for advising clients proactively to minimize disputes and preserve business relationships.

Brandon M. Schwartz, Esq., is a Board-Certified Civil Specialist by the Minnesota State Bar Association, a Board-Certified Civil Trial Advocate and Family Trial Law Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and has received recognition from peers and clients alike for his thorough, zealous and ethical representation.

Plaintiffs' lawyers now need to write more than ever. Unfortunately, courts are slammed with heavy caseloads and you are competing against other litigants for what little time the judge has to analyze the claims & merit of your case. How can you avoid the dreaded MTD??

Join professional brief writer Jonathan Hilton as he explains how to craft legal briefs that judges will want to read. He will present & explain his top ten tips: five practice points to help the judge spot your best arguments in less time and five practice points on how to make your clients more likable & your clients’ stories more compelling. The ten points: (1) Start with first principles, (2) Create an alternate storyline, (3) Show why you state a claim — don’t just defend, (4) Plant the emotional facts in the Complaint, (5) Dumb Cases Die, (6) Use notice pleading to build your story, (7) Distinguish Civ. R. 8 from Civ. R. 9(b), (8) Use the right theory to hook in the big pockets, (9) Handle SOLs carefully and (10) To amend… or not to amend? Jonathan will round out the hour by looking at resources that will help you become a better brief writer moving forward.

Jonathan Hilton became the youngest-ever Cincinnati Chess Champion at age 15, and he earned the National Master in chess title the following year. At Hilton Parker LLC, Mr. Hilton now advisies other attorneys on how to best navigate through their most difficult cases. As a consultant and brief writer, he designs novel legal theories in courts across the country.

Most clients want everything in a contract negotiation. Unfortunately, the other side probably wants everything too. The real question for practitioners is: which clauses are truly worth the fight? The answer, of course, is…. it depends.

In this CLE, Kristi Zentner and Heather Marx — a seasoned transactional attorney & an experienced commercial litigator — share insights drawn from daily practice on both sides of the negotiating table. They explore the most common flashpoints in contract drafting and negotiation, from indemnification and limitation of liability to representations, warranties, and confidentiality provisions. The dynamic duo also provide practical strategies for recognizing which provisions merit aggressive advocacy, show you how to tailor clauses to a client’s risk profile, and drafting the contact with enforceability in mind. Attendees will also gain tools for memorializing the negotiation: ensuring that contracts clearly reflect agreed terms, avoid ambiguities and reduce the risk of costly disputes down the road.

Learning Objectives

* Identify key contract clauses — such as indemnification, limitation of liability, and representations and warranties — that most often become points of contention and potential litigation.

* Evaluate negotiation dynamics, including leverage, market conditions, and counterparty risk, to determine which provisions are worth pressing and which can be compromised.

* Draft clear and enforceable risk-shifting provisions tailored to the transaction, including defining scope, triggers, exceptions, and remedies.

* Recognize common mistakes in contract drafting and negotiation that create ambiguity or weaken enforceability, and implement strategies to avoid them.

* Apply effective review techniques to ensure that contracts accurately memorialize negotiations, reflect agreed business terms, and align with preliminary documents such as term sheets or letters of intent.

* Integrate practical drafting tips—such as consistency of defined terms, clarity of structure, and avoidance of boilerplate legalese—into daily practice to improve contract quality and reduce litigation risk.

Kristi Zentner, Esq., is a transactional attorney who represents clients in general business, supply chain management, as well as tariff, customs, and trade matters. Heather Marx. Esq., applies her experience in the areas of complex business and commercial litigation to represent a variety of clients.

Nathan Osborn frequently works with clients to buy investment properties on the ski slopes of Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, Aspen and more. These clients buy these properties as VRBOs (Vacation Rental By Owner) to generate revenue – but what they fail to realize is that one accident on their property could put their personal assets at risk. Nate Osborn often recommends a very practical solution that offers asset protection & tax benefits – the LLC. In this CLE he provides practical guidance on how to draft a real estate limited liability company (LLC) operating agreement. Nate will provide a plethora of practical guidance on: asking the right questions, determining whether an LLC is the appropriate entity for your client, selecting a member or manager managed LLC, maximizing personal asset protection through the LLC, drafting capital contribution provisions, drafting real estate profit distribution provisions, drafting dispute resolution provisions and tax implications & how to maximize tax benefits. Specific topics covered: vacation rentals & investors, understanding the client’s business, the advantages of LLCs in real estate, putting title to real estate into an LLC, potential LLC liability, piercing the corporate veil, structuring capital calls, provisions to share real estate profits, incorporating IRAs, holding strategies & double FICA taxes and utilizing 1031 like-kind exchanges.

Nathan G. Osborn, Esq., focuses on real estate litigation, real estate transactions and commercial litigation. Mr. Osborn effectively uses his significant trial experience to help transactional clients avoid situations that often end up in court.

Ethical Mistakes that Could Cost You Your License explores the most frequent missteps that lead to attorney discipline—and how to avoid them. From trust account violations to client communication breakdowns, unauthorized practice of law, and improper withdrawal from representation, this program draws from real-world scenarios and applicable ABA Model Rules. Participants will leave with practical tools to improve ethical decision-making, reduce professional risk, and deliver better client service. Learning Objectives:

1. Identify common ethical violations that lead to discipline, suspension, or disbarment.

2. Apply the appropriate ABA Model Rules when managing client funds, communications, and fees.

3. Recognize the boundaries of authorized practice and how to ethically manage multijurisdictional or remote work.

4. Evaluate best practices for withdrawal from representation while safeguarding client interests.

5. Understand the disciplinary process and consequences of failing to respond to a complaint.

Cari L. Sheehan is Assistant General Counsel at Taft Stettinius & Hollister, where she focuses on professional responsibility, conflicts of interest compliance, and civil litigation. She regularly reviews outside counsel guidelines, conflict waivers, and engagement letters, and provides firm-wide ethics training. In addition to her role at Taft, Sheehan is an adjunct professor at Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law, where she teaches Professional Responsibility.

In the last installment of his comprehensive evidence series, Michael DeBlis takes a deep dive into every attorney’s favorite subject – out-of-court statements other than the one made by the declarant while testifying at a trial or hearing that is offered into evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted.

Yes, hearsay. Mike will mainly cover the following points on hearsay: Rule 801 & hearsay definitions, forms of non-hearsay and the hearsay exceptions. Specific topics: determining who the declarant is, the 4 point hearsay checklist, verbal acts, non-assertive conduct, state of mind, prior inconsistent statements, prior consistent statements, prior identifications, direct admissions, transactional words, witness unavailability, present sense impression, excited utterance, statement of present mental or physical condition, past recollection recorded, business records, public records, hearsay exceptions dealing with records, learned treatises, hearsay catch-all exceptions, dying declaration, declaration against interest, hearsay exceptions under 804. Mike will also provide numerous memorable hypotheticals so you can think fast on your feet during the trial and practically deploy the Rules of Evidence to your advantage.

Michael is a partner in the boutique law firm of DeBlis Law where he specializes in tax compliance and entertainment law. As a former public defender, he has spent nearly eight years cutting his teeth on some of the most serious felony cases to pass through the state courts of New Jersey.

Understanding who qualifies as an “employee” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is critical for ensuring wage and hour compliance. In this CLE, Michael Minkoff, Partner at Stevenson Marino LLP, breaks down the legal framework that governs employee classification, with a particular focus on how it impacts minimum wage and overtime eligibility. The program explores key definitions under the FLSA, common exemptions, and the practical implications of misclassification. Attendees will gain a foundational understanding of the criteria used to determine employee status and the potential risks employers face when these rules are misunderstood or ignored.

Learning Objectives:

1. Define the term “employee” under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and distinguish it from independent contractors.

2. Identify the key tests and factors used to determine employment status for overtime purposes.

3. Understand the major exemptions to FLSA overtime rules, including the “white-collar” exemptions.

4. Recognize common misclassification pitfalls and legal consequences of non-compliance.

5. Apply FLSA principles to real-world scenarios to better advise clients or assess internal risk.

Michael R. Minkoff is a Partner in Stevenson Marino LLP’s Employment Law and Commercial Litigators group. He advocates for workers cheated out of wages, combats workplace discrimination and harassment, and protects whistleblowers. With experience as lead counsel in over 200 cases, Michael has been appointed class counsel in unpaid wage actions across various industries

The Founding Fathers thought so highly of robust public discussion, they added the freedom of speech to the 1st Amendment to the Constitution — right after the freedom of religion. Unfortunately, many colleges do not place this same value on the right to free speech.

One junior college student was barred from passing out pocket Constitutions — on Constitution Day. Emory University told students they can’t hang Christmas decorations. And Syracuse University charged a student orientation leader with hazing & suspended her — because she helped organize an optional campus scavenger hunt. There are countless tales of colleges impermissibly chilling speech on campus and punishing students for legally exercising their free speech rights. In this CLE, Zach Greenberg will mainly cover: hate speech vs. free speech, the more speech approach, college standards & regulations, speech codes and free speech zones. Additional topics: public vs. private colleges, harassment policies, the “true threat” standard, thought reform at the University of Delaware and dealing with hateful speech. Zach will also discuss numerous case examples where colleges overstepped their bounds and trampled on student’s First Amendment rights.

A native New Yorker, Zach graduated from Binghamton University in 2013 and Syracuse Law in 2016. Zach developed an appreciation for free speech while leading the College Libertarians and the Federalist Society.

“From the River to the Sea, Palestine will be free, Jews for Palestine.” “Let’s take the f*king streets later.” “All Zionists must die tonight at midnight.”

Following the start of the Israel-Hamas War tensions burst wide open on college campuses all over the country following the aftermath of the October 7th attack. By the spring, a wave of pro-Palestinian tent encampments led to massive demonstrations, student takeovers and more than 3,200 people arrested. As tensions escalated, it became very difficult to delineate the line between protected free speech and unprotected harassment & true threats of violence. In this CLE, FIRE attorney Zach Greenberg will give his reasoning why it’s so important to protect the freedom of speech and the freedom of expression on college campuses and the line between protected speech and unprotected threats & harassment. Zach will specifically address: the Looking Glass theory, public vs. private universities, true threats, harassment, the More Speech approach, calls for genocide, encampments, content neutral + time + manner restrictions, disruption & the Heckler’s Veto and creating a culture of free speech.

A native New Yorker, Zach graduated from Binghamton University in 2013 and Syracuse Law in 2016. Zach developed an appreciation for free speech while leading the College Libertarians and the Federalist Society.

Product liability, mass torts, and class action claims are no longer limited to the United States—they’ve gone global. With new claimant-friendly frameworks, such as the EU’s latest Product Liability Directive, and an increase in cross-border coordination among plaintiffs’ firms, multinational corporations are facing mounting exposure worldwide. This program explores the accelerating globalization of mass tort and product liability litigation, the key jurisdictions driving this trend, and the evolving strategies required to assess risk and mount effective defenses. Attendees will gain insight into recent global trends, emerging procedural developments, and practical tools for in-house counsel and their outside counsel to mitigate potential liability before it arises and successfully defend claims when they do.

Learning Objectives:

1. Recognize key global trends and statistical data highlighting the rapid expansion of product liability, mass tort, and class action litigation beyond the United States.

2. Identify new and emerging laws—such as the EU Product Liability Directive—and jurisdictions that have become increasingly hospitable to collective redress claims.

3. Evaluate potential cross-border litigation risks for manufacturers and other corporate defendants and implement proactive risk-mitigation measures.

4. Develop effective defense strategies for managing and resolving international product liability and mass tort claims, including jurisdictional, procedural, and coordination considerations.

5. Apply lessons from recent high-profile global cases to strengthen compliance, corporate governance, and litigation readiness programs. Chris Campbell is the Chair of DLA Piper's Product Liability and Mass Tort practice group, one of the world's largest and most acclaimed teams in product liability defense. A Harvard Law School graduate, Chris has 20 years of experience in mass tort, class action, and complex commercial litigation, including trials and appeals. He has served as global, national, and trial counsel for companies in life sciences, food and beverage, automotive, and insurance sectors.

Launching and growing a law practice doesn’t require debt, prestige, or expensive marketing campaigns. In this program, Chaz Roberts shares the practical strategies and guiding principles that helped him build a thriving firm from a laptop and a spare bedroom. Attorneys will learn how to start and grow a practice by staying lean, marketing authentically, treating every case like it matters, eliminating harmful habits, and prioritizing relationships and integrity. The course provides practical tools for building a sustainable practice while emphasizing professional responsibility, client service, and attorney wellness.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify sustainable skills and practice management strategies for starting and growing a law firm with minimal overhead.

2. Apply grassroots marketing techniques that align with the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct to build authentic client and community relationships while remaining ethically compliant.

3. Recognize the importance of client service and case preparation in generating referrals and long-term growth.

4. Evaluate common professional pitfalls and harmful habits that undermine attorney competence, client trust, or wellness.

5. Apply the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct to everyday law practice decisions in order to enhance client service and build a sustainable, principled practice.

6. Demonstrate how to balance advocacy with professionalism and civility in relationships with clients, colleagues, and the courts.

Chaz Roberts is a distinguished Lafayette-based personal injury attorney and owner of Chaz Roberts Law, LLC, licensed in Louisiana since 2009. A Louisiana State University graduate with a J.D. from Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Chaz founded his firm in 2010 and has been consistently recognized among the state’s top legal talent—recently named a Super Lawyers honoree from 2023 through 2025.