Course List

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.

When people sit down to discuss their estate plan with their attorney, they often neglect to account for some of the most important members of the household — their furry friends.

Yes, Pet Law is a thing and planning for your pet’s future is also a thing. In this CLE the dynamic duo of Cheryl Nolan and Dan Weiner will tell you all about estate planning issues for your client’s pets. The main topics presented: pet law fundamentals, estate planning foundations, animal law & pet owner pitfalls, unique alternatives for lawyers and considerations for pet owners. Cheryl and Dan also discuss: pet law trends, custody, possession and rights of title, issues with pet caregivers, communicating with vets who have the right to access records, what happens to assets upon death, avoiding probate, the Lifetime Asset Protection Trust, disability planning, funding the pet trust, the MAAP Plan and accounting for the 10 D’s (death, divorce, deployment, etc.).

Cheryl Nolan decided on a career in law to help others and be of service. After 23 years promoting the interests of the disadvantaged and equal access to justice, Cheryl now runs an animal-centered law practice. Daniel Weiner is a US and UK licensed attorney, based in San Diego, who provides trust administration and estate planning services to families and individuals across California.

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.

Moneyball. A book written about the Oakland A’s because their organization was the first to utilize research and analytics in baseball to achieve tremendous success on a limited budget. “Moneyball” has since crossed over into numerous industries — and now it’s available for trial lawyers.

How often does opposing counsel take cases to trial? What is your judge’s summary judgement record? How can analytics help you write more persuasive motions? How can legal information make you a better lawyer? Attorney Nicole Clark will show you how legal research, data & analytics can help you win your cases in state trial court. Main topics: Judge Analytics & Ruling History, Case Valuation & Verdict Data, Strategic State Trial Court Research & Alerts and Law Firm Intelligence. Additional subjects: potential risks of re-assignment, litigation & motion strategy, discussing case strategy with your client & setting expectations, the 4 Buckets of Data (1) Rulings (2) Dockets (3) Documents (4) Verdicts, rulings as outlines for motions, searching filed documents via legal issue, motion type & outcome, expert testimony, jury instructions, motions to disqualify and good faith settlements.

Nicole A. Clark is an attorney and the co-founder and CEO of Trellis. She previously worked as a litigator, where she quickly realized that leveraging legal research, data and analytics could transform the practice of law.

You get that lovely client call at 3:45 on a Friday afternoon. One of your newer business clients wants a demand letter drafted ? because a newly departed employee took her company cell phone. Good idea?

Yes, many clients just want you to reach into your files and fire off that demand letter before it's happy hour on Friday - but is that the best approach? Like Ted Lasso said, "be curious" and know the right questions to ask your client before initiating that first blow of litigation - maybe a simple phone call can resolve the issue? Presented by Shannon Bell, this extremely thoughtful & poignant CLE will provide real-world points on when & how to carefully craft demand letters to advance client goals. Main topics: the client call, the info you need to gather, what goes into the letter, the Decision Tree and ethical considerations. Additional subjects: choice of law, notice provisions, cure periods, trade secrets cases, departing employees, cease & desist, breach of contract, managing client expectations, demand letters & unwanted publicity, slowing things down, the nuclear option, legal obligations, required by law, conventional obligation (contract), tone, kinds of demands, avoiding coercion & threats and substance & style.

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.

From donut shaped door handles, to the distinctive "scent of sweet, slightly musky, wheat-based dough" - better known as Play-Doh. Trademark law protects a wide variety of company & product logos, words, slogans and more.

Todd Fichtenberg will walk you through the wonderful world of trademarks and trademark law protections. Todd will mainly talk about what every attorney needs to know about trademarks, how trademarks protect brands in today's marketplace and counseling your clients on trademark registration and protection. Also discussed: service marks, certification marks, trade dress, product packaging, product design, store configuration, the distinctiveness spectrum, generic marks: cannot be registered, fighting genericide, acquired distinctiveness/secondary meaning, free speech & trademarks, disparaging marks, the notice of opposition, "scandalous & immoral," Likelihood of Confusion, dilution, blurring, tarnishment, parody, use application timeline 1(a), maintenance and trademark registration. Todd will also cover recent case law involving: Starbucks, Mutual of Omaha, Chewy Vuiton, NFTs, Jack Daniel's, Walmart vs. Kanye West (Yeezy) and Nike vs. StockX.

Todd A. Fichtenberg, Esq., has been a practicing attorney for over 11 years. Although Todd focuses his practice primarily on trademarks, he also has a wealth of experience in protecting creditors' rights in bankruptcy, probate & estate planning and business litigation.

Trustees are frequently pulled into litigation involving the validity or construction of a trust instrument or amendment. Sometimes, the trustee itself is accused of inappropriate conduct. It is better to resolve trust litigation early and efficiently.

Hon. Glen M. Reiser (Ret.) has vast experience adjudicating and resolving thousands of complex commercial, real property/environmental, trust and family law disputes as a respected trial judge and litigator. In this CLE, Judge Reiser will provide his practical insights and guidance to trust professionals on the mediation process and how to achieve the best results for their clients. The main topics: the Role of Trustees in Mediation, the How & Why to Mediate and Best Practices for the Mediation. Additional subjects: Arbitration vs. Mediation, Mediation in Probate, Trust & Conservatorship Litigation, Mediation: Who Attends, the Trustee as Neutral Stakeholder, the Trustee as Target, Mediation: When Is Best, the Mediation Process, Helping the Mediator Help You, Impairments to Settlement, Overcoming Real Barriers, Working on Creative Solutions and the Settlement Agreement.

Hon. Glen M. Reiser (Ret.) has vast experience adjudicating and resolving thousands of disputes and he regularly teaches California judges trust, probate, and conservatorships through the Judicial Council of California’s Center for Judicial Education and Research (CJER).

Surviving prison as an innocent person is a surreal nightmare no one wants to think about. But it can happen to you - and those you love.

Justin Brooks has spent his career freeing innocent people from prison. Putting you at the defense table, this CLE forces us to consider how any one of us might be swept up in the legal system. From bad IDs to people telling lies, Justin provides the main reasons that people are wrongfully convicted and he offers detailed accounts of the cases he has worked on. Main topics: bad lawyering, differences in police work in the city vs. the country, you come home & find your partner dead, false confessions, junk science, Shaken Baby Syndrome, you have or care for a sick child, the jury is blinded by junk science, bad information from informants, and you are poor and/or a person of color. Additional topics: bite mark evidence, bad crime scene preservation, Relative Opinion Process, Cross-Racial Identifications, problems with Police line-ups, DNA testing & database, the Reid Technique, the CSI Effect, the McMartin Pre-School case and the Brian Banks case.

Professor Justin Brooks directs the LLM Program in Comparative Law in Spanish at the USD School of Law. As the program director, he administers a national moot court program in Mexico, and coordinates the work of 35 innocence organizations in Latin America.