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Many estate planners consider the passage of the SECURE Act in 2019 to be the most significant retirement legislation of the past 15 years. However, Congress isn’t done, and the EARN Act, which further builds on the SECURE Act, and proposed treasury regulations are in the pipeline to further change laws surrounding retirement. How do these changes affect estate planning and how can individuals and families plan to optimize their IRA planning in light of these new laws?

The two greatest sources of professional risk to attorneys come from overlapping sources – ethical obligations and legal duties to clients. Using real world examples, this course explores a national survey of claims against lawyers based on attorney malpractice and professional misconduct. Common ethical considerations and the relationship between professional responsibility and malpractice exposure will be explored along with growing cyber risks to attorneys. Related causes of action, common defenses and jurisdictional considerations will be reviewed as well as risk management techniques and best practices to mitigate such claims.

“The metaverse is the new virtual and visual frontier, a user-interactive digital environment based in computer-generated spaces of augmented and virtual realities in which visual imagery predominates, cryptocurrency is lucre and NFTs are fashion and decor." 1 The technology is new but the legal rights regulating imagery and art are not new-- copyright, trademark, publicity rights. We will discuss art, sports, entertainment and rap examples of how rights owners, including Quentin Tarantino and Pulp Fiction, Andy Warhol and Prince, rapper Lil Yachty, heirloom and iconic brands like Hermes, Patek Philippe, Cartier and Bulgari, are asserting their claims and defenses in the metaverse world of appropriation. This presentation connects the Andy Warhol fair use case [Section 107 of Title 17 of the US Code] before the U.S. Supreme Court with appropriation concepts in metaverses and NFTs and other appropriation types of litigation in copyright and trademark infringement, publicity rights, unfair competition. Participants will gain a general understanding of what they need to know in this evolving technology space to ethically and responsibly advise clients in a climate of rapid change and inconclusive precedent.

As drone technology continues to evolve and drones evolve from novelty items to a central part of business operations in a variety of fields ranging from logistics and public utilities to real estate and construction, commercial drone operators must ensure that their operations comply with emerging federal drone privacy law. In this overview of the provisions of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 governing the privacy practices of commercial drone operators, we cover key provisions governing operators’ privacy policies and compliance with the emerging patchwork of state and local information privacy and security laws. We also address emerging issues in federal preemption law related to the applicability of state and local information privacy and security laws to the aviation sector.

This is a comprehensive overview by an attorney who defended the Church for 20 years. How did the sexual abuse crisis start? What was the Church’s response? What must one do to sue the Church? What must one do to defend it? What are special issues that come up? What are the insurance implications? Examples from the presenter’s experience are discussed, and the handling of litigation is uniquely treated in light of the presenter’s previous career as a social worker in which he also dealt with victims (and perpetrators) of sexual abuse. Warning: explicit descriptions are given such as is necessary in this area of litigation.

This CLE course will provide guidance for attorneys when drafting cloud computing services contracts for clients. The course will highlight key terms in these contracts and discuss how they differ from traditional software license terms as well as address various common mistakes made by attorneys in cloud computing agreements. The course will take a deep dive into important industry trends, pre and post contract diligence, as well as key contract provisions, including service availability, service levels, and client data issues.

Copyright Law can be the Charles Dickens of the law. It can be the best of times; it can be the worst of times. It truly is A Tale of Two Scenarios. If the attorney handling the copyright matter for the client is well prepared, does the initial research, and understands the general principles, it will be the best of times—going from initial application through final issuance and, possibly, victory at trial. If the attorney handling the copyright matter is unprepared, does not conduct sufficient research ahead of time, or does not understand the general principles of copyright law, then it will be the worst of times. The initial application may result in rejection from the U.S. Copyright Office, or the attorney could find himself embroiled in protracted and, ultimately, unsuccessful copyright-infringement litigation. In this introduction to Copyright Law, we cover the basics from application through litigation in an effort to ensure the attorney practices Copyright Law in the best of times.

In this program, you will learn about the sources of a private business owner’s rights and responsibilities, fiduciary duties and how they play out in real business ownership disputes. We will review the importance (or not) of written agreements, remedies to be aware of, and how to reduce and eliminate liability risk.

Voting is the cornerstone of democracy. Yet many states engage in ongoing efforts to suppress exercise of the franchise and have faced a series of responsive lawsuits seeking to protect the right to vote. This program will provide an overview of voting rights, beginning with a brief historical overview of the origins of voter suppression in the U.S. It will consider how election laws impact voters’ ability to register, vote, and have their vote counted, then focus on the primary constitutional and statutory bases for protecting the right to vote. The course will focus on courts’ recent application of constitutional and statutory protections for the right to vote in recent election cycles. It will review recent significant voting rights legal challenges and developments in voting and election law, compare past discriminatory voting restrictions to modern day second-generation barriers to voting, and consider examples of racial discrimination through vote dilution, undue burdens on the right to vote, gerrymandering and felony disenfranchisement. We will end by summarizing strategies to challenge voter suppression through advocacy and litigation.

As the housing market sours, there has been an uptick in homesellers refusing to pay their real estate brokers commissions. This has rendered the timing of when commission vests a hotly contested and litigated issue. In this course, you will learn the default rules for when commission vests, the meeting of the minds, and what options brokers and sellers have to change that default rule by supplanting the listing agreement with other triggers to commission. We will delve into how the default rule is modified when a real estate broker is cut out of a transaction as well as when a broker's breach of statutory / common law duties impacts their ability to claim commission. This is your one stop shop to learn how to litigate real estate brokerage law.

Lawyers and staff are drowning in email, and many feel helpless when trying to get it under control. While communicating with clients via email may be quick and easy, there are ethical pitfalls that can cause problems for unwary lawyers. This program will cover how to efficiently store and organize email and attachments, successfully deal with high email volume, and communicate ethically and effectively with clients.

Congress has often responded to historic medical catastrophes by enacting new regulations designed to prevent their recurrence. With respect to infectious diseases and vaccines capable of preventing them, a well-established regulatory system exists for providing oversight of the process of developing and testing vaccines, licensing their use, controlling their administration, and following up on post-licensure issues. This course covers the structure of FDA regulation in these areas, including its powers governing Emergency Use Authorization and related litigation.

Whether a car accident, defective medical device, or other situation where injuries are sustained and damages are sought, lawyers need to understand the fundamentals of anatomy, physiology, conditions, and treatments. Procedural and evidentiary items must also be considered. The purpose of this webinar to provide substantive explanations of the following items: legal considerations, general medical terminology, musculoskeletal anatomy (with an emphasis on the spine), and surgical procedures.

Understanding the nuances of gender, gender identity, gender pronouns, neopronouns, sex, and sexual orientation can be challenging. During this session, the facilitators will provide basic definitions of various terms in the LGBTQIAP+ acronym while providing insights on how to use gender-inclusive language and how to create an LGBTQIAP+ friendly environment for employees and clients alike. This session is for allies, those new to DEI work, or anyone who desires to create safer spaces and safer language for humanity.

Culture and religion are at the forefront of the United States’ diverse population. Individuals hold true to their personal religious and cultural belief systems, even during the times of separation and divorce. Oftentimes, these individuals feel marginalized through the legal separation and divorce proceedings because their religious and cultural identities are not recognized. How do we give voice to these cultural and religious identities, so that our clients’ needs, and desires are heard and met in the divorce process? How do we make a legal divorce work for them, when their marriage is not? This program will provide an overview of the mediation process, and how it serves as a tool when approaching gray areas of diversity in religion, tradition, and customs that courts may not address in separation or divorce. These gray areas cover the topics of parenting, family dynamics in assets and debts, custody, and support.

This course will provide an overview of fresh water law in the United States. We will cover both the law and policy aspects within water law while analyzing the balance between public rights and private rights to use water, including private ground water rights, and private water harvesting rights. While also covering water usage and its impact. Water is the heart of agriculture, commerce, transportation’s, recreation, and survival.

Abelism is defined as prejudice against people who are perceived to be disabled. It consists of bias in favor people who are perceived as being typically able and it often denies or fails to recognize the unique super-capabilities of the differently-abled. How can we rid ourselves of stereotypes regarding the lesser value and or lesser capabilities of people who are not typically abled? How do we create an environment where differently-abled people are fully respected, fully valued, fully appreciated, and fully supportive? This session will answer these questions with compassion and humor.

Electronic communications and e-signatures have amplified the speed and number of contracts entered into everyday. The rapid changes in technology have also imposed rapid changes on a legal system that is traditionally slow to adapt - the Uniform Electronic Transaction Act has been implemented in almost every state for close to 20 years, yet many attorneys still insist on printing, signing and scanning signature pages. In this CLE course, attorney and eDiscovery specialist Aaron Cronan will cover some of the most important implications for contract formation and enforcement in the digital age. He will focus on a legislation overview, electronic signatures, Statute of Frauds, UCC, assent of the parties, Browser/Clickwrap, and best practices. This session will include examples and case law from across the county to identity trends and traps.

Opening your own law firm? Congratulations! You are officially an entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur you will face many challenges and you must operate your practice ethically and professionally. The law is a profession, but it is also a business and to maximize your chances of success you must have a plan. In the conclusion of this exciting two part presentation, hosted by a leading legal author, columnist and media personality who has operated a solo law practice out of his home for the past 25 years, you will learn best practices for dealing with clients and making sure your operations are profitable at all times.

Recently, there have been questions regarding income inequality that have fueled trends in questioning the wisdom and fairness of today’s executive compensation practice. In this course, we will dive into the latest ESG updates and review significant litigation highlights and case law, as well as examine recent compliance obligations and best practices.