Course1

Domestic Asset Protection Strategies for Trust and Estate Planners

$89.00

Though asset protection planning often seems to be the province of off-shore trusts available to only a limited range of clients, in fact asset protection planning utilizes a wide range of domestic planning vehicles, tools, and techniques that are of great value to many clients.  Exemption planning allows clients to preserve real estate and other forms of property against claims of creditors and tort claimants. Retirement plans, annuity and insurance contracts, properly structured and held, also provide creative solutions to protect assets.Each of these vehicles and techniques comes with risks that must be carefully explored, explained and hedged.  This program will provide you with a practical guide to utilizing domestic asset protection techniques to achieve client goals in trust and estate planning.   Asset protection with self-settled trusts, single member LLCs, and other entities Use of retirement fund accounts and plans to shield assets Strategies using annuity and insurance products to preserve assets Planning to maximize “exempt” assets under federal & state bankruptcy and creditor laws Risks and penalties if certain transfers are deemed fraudulent conveyances   Speaker: Jonathan E. Gopman is the managing partner of the Naples, Florida office of Akerman. LLP, where his practice focuses on sophisticated wealth accumulation and preservation planning strategies for entrepreneurs.  He is co-author of the revised version of the BNA Tax Management Portfolio “Estate Tax Payments and Liabilities.”  He is also a commentator on asset protection planning matters for Leimberg Information Services, Inc., a member of the legal advisory board of Commonwealth Trust Company in Wilmington, Delaware, and a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. 

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 7/12/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

Unwinding a Commercial Real Estate Transaction Gone Bad, Part 1

$89.00

When a real estate project goes bad for whatever reason – sales are slow or at prices below projections, leasing is slow, or there are extensive cost-overruns or regulatory delays – developers, investors, lenders, and others are left scrambling to restructure the project and salvage any value or at least limit losses. This often involves restructuring or possibly refinancing a loan.  It may also involve additional equity.  Another option is selling the project, if possible.  These processes can be complicated by the nature of the investors and lenders involved.  This program will provide you with a practical guide to restructuring troubled real estate projects.  Day 1 Practical strategies for unwinding real estate deals outside of bankruptcy or litigation Negotiating, structuring and drafting the restructuring of failed real estate projects Underlying economics and tradeoffs of real estate restructuring Types of sellers and their impact on restructuring – individual owner, institutional, joint venture, private equity Complications and limitations involving syndicated loans, CMBS loans, and REMICs Navigating seller issues – personal guaranties, ongoing management fees, upside participation, reputation   Day 2  Restructuring alternatives, including straight purchases, “Loan to Own,” rescue capital/preferred stock/securities Drafting forbearance and loan modification agreements  Receivership of distressed properties and planning to emerge from receivership “Loan to own” strategies and limitations Tax issues, including cancellation of indebtedness and restructuring recourse indebtedness Potential loss of valuable tax attributes and tax planning opportunities   Speakers: Anthony Licata is a partner in the Chicago office of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, where he formerly chaired the firm’s real estate practice. He has an extensive practice focusing on major commercial real estate transactions, including finance, development, leasing, and land use.He formerly served as an adjunct professor at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He speaks extensively on real estate topics nationally. Mr. Licata received his B.S., summa cum laude, from MacMurray College and his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School.

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 7/14/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

Unwinding a Commercial Real Estate Transaction Gone Bad, Part 2

$89.00

When a real estate project goes bad for whatever reason – sales are slow or at prices below projections, leasing is slow, or there are extensive cost-overruns or regulatory delays – developers, investors, lenders, and others are left scrambling to restructure the project and salvage any value or at least limit losses. This often involves restructuring or possibly refinancing a loan.  It may also involve additional equity.  Another option is selling the project, if possible.  These processes can be complicated by the nature of the investors and lenders involved.  This program will provide you with a practical guide to restructuring troubled real estate projects.  Day 1 Practical strategies for unwinding real estate deals outside of bankruptcy or litigation Negotiating, structuring and drafting the restructuring of failed real estate projects Underlying economics and tradeoffs of real estate restructuring Types of sellers and their impact on restructuring – individual owner, institutional, joint venture, private equity Complications and limitations involving syndicated loans, CMBS loans, and REMICs Navigating seller issues – personal guaranties, ongoing management fees, upside participation, reputation   Day 2  Restructuring alternatives, including straight purchases, “Loan to Own,” rescue capital/preferred stock/securities Drafting forbearance and loan modification agreements  Receivership of distressed properties and planning to emerge from receivership “Loan to own” strategies and limitations Tax issues, including cancellation of indebtedness and restructuring recourse indebtedness Potential loss of valuable tax attributes and tax planning opportunities   Speakers: Anthony Licata is a partner in the Chicago office of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, where he formerly chaired the firm’s real estate practice. He has an extensive practice focusing on major commercial real estate transactions, including finance, development, leasing, and land use.He formerly served as an adjunct professor at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and at the Illinois Institute of Technology. He speaks extensively on real estate topics nationally. Mr. Licata received his B.S., summa cum laude, from MacMurray College and his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School.

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 7/15/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

Lawyer Ethics & Credit Cards

$89.00

Use of credit cards by law firms and lawyers is commonplace. Law firms may accept credit cards as means of payment for fees and expenses. This concession to the larger reality of the economy, however, raises many ethical issues. Can lawyers pass on credit card processing fees (which can be substantial) to clients?  What happens if a client’s credit card company does a chargeback of fees?  How does a lawyer maintain confidentiality when he or she has a dispute with a credit card company, or the client has a dispute with the credit card company?  These and many issues arise when lawyers accept credit cards from clients. This program will provide you with a guide to ethical issues when credit cards are accepted and used in law practice.    Passing on credit card processing fees to clients Truth-in-Lending issues and tax penalties Ethical issues when credit card companies chargeback funds paid to a lawyer or from a trust account Confidentiality when a client has a dispute with his or her credit card company Use of credit cards to fund a retainer and related trust fund accounting issues Creditor claims against trust fund accounts Leftover client funds and proper trust fund accounting   Speaker: Thomas E. Spahn is a partner in the McLean, Virginia office of McGuireWoods, LLP, where he has a substantial practice advising clients on properly creating and preserving the attorney-client privilege and work product protections.  For more than 30 years he has lectured extensively on legal ethics and professionalism and has written “The Attorney-Client Privilege and the Work Product Doctrine: A Practitioner’s Guide,” a 750 page treatise published by the Virginia Law Foundation.  Mr. Spahn has served as a member of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility and as a member of the Virginia State Bar's Legal Ethics Committee.  He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Yale University and his J.D. from Yale Law School.

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 7/19/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

Ethics and New Clients: Inadvertent Clients, Intake, and more

$89.00

Getting a client relationship right from the outset – defining scope, setting reasonable expectations – greatly helps set up the relationship for success and helps avoid disputes with clients.  There are issues of identifying and clearing conflicts of interest, or getting them waived in writing.  There are issues of explaining billing policies to clients, ensuring they understand, and putting it in writing. There are issues of communication – explaining how and when you will communicate with clients about their case, and about decision-making.This program will provide you a practical guide to drafting engagement letters and best practices in new client intake.    Engagement letters – best practices in setting scope and expectations Explaining bill rates and practices – tips on avoiding disputes Conflict of interest clearance – current clients, past clients Drafting and obtaining conflict of interest waivers Attorney-client privilege considerations   Speakers: Matthew Corbin is Senior Vice President and Executive Director in the Professional Services Group of AON Risk Services, where he consults with the company’s law firm clients on professional responsibility and liability issues.  Before joining AON, he was a partner with Lathrop & Gage, LLP, where he was a trial and appellate lawyer handling professional liability, commercial, business tort, employment, construction, insurance, and regulatory matters. Before entering private practice, he served as a judicial clerk to Judge Mary Briscoe of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.  Mr. Corbin earned his B.A. from the University of Kansas and his J.D. from the University of Kansas School of Law. Mark A. Webster is Vice President and Director in the Professional Services Group of AON Risk Services.  He consults with the company’s law firm clients on professional responsibility and liability issues.  Before joining AON, he was a partner with Lathrop & Gage, LLP, where he had an extensive real estate transactions practice.  Mr. Webster received his B.A. from the University of Kansas and his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School.

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 7/21/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

Drafting Escrow Agreements in Business & Commercial Transactions

$89.00

Every escrow agreement has a degree of intrinsic uncertainty.  Whether the agreement is for the release of money, property title, software code, or something else, the escrow agent must determine whether certain conditions have been met before releasing the property held in escrow.  That involves a degree of judgement, and like all judgments, subject to dispute.  In this sense, escrow agreements, which are intended to limit risk and enhance the certainty of a transaction, introduce another layer of risk. This puts a priority on carefully drafting the material details of the underlying transaction in as clear terms as possible.This program will provide you with a practical guide to drafting escrow agreements in transactions.   Defining conditions for release of property in basic, clear, explicit terms to reduce risk Drafting release instructions to tightly synchronize with the underlying transaction Inherent risks involved with escrow agent determinations Co-mingled and held in trust funds v. segregated funds Timing – how drafting too early might miss key terms in the underlying agreement Choosing the right escrow agent depending on the nature of the transaction Reducing escrow agent through E&O or other insurance   Speaker: Steven O. Weise is a partner in the Los Angeles office Proskauer Rose, LLP, where his practice encompasses all areas of commercial law. He has extensive experience in financings, particularly those secured by personal property.  He also handles matters involving real property anti-deficiency laws, workouts, guarantees, sales of goods, letters of credit, commercial paper and checks, and investment securities.  Mr. Weise formerly served as chair of the ABA Business Law Section. He has also served as a member of the Permanent Editorial Board of the UCC and as an Advisor to the UCC Code Article 9 Drafting Committee.  Mr. Weise received his B.A. from Yale University and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law.

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 7/28/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

From One Thing to Another: Business Entity Conversions & Domestication

$89.00

Choice of entity is not a one-time decision.  Business entities may choose to change their legal form for many reasons – changing tax laws, new investors that require a different form of entity, or market or regulatory conditions making a different form of entity the better choice. But whenever an entity is converted from one form to another, significant tax liability and corporate or partnership law issues arise.  One important consideration is how to modify the company’s underlying agreements to ensure basic economic arrangements among the owners remain intact.  This program will provide a real-world guide to entity conversions.   Conversions among C Corps, S Corps, partnerships and LLCs Strategies for minimizing tax on conversions Business and organizational law considerations when converting an entity Drafting issues in restating underlying company agreements Practical and tax traps when engaging in an entity conversion   Speaker: Elizabeth Fialkowski Stieff is an attorney in the Baltimore, Maryland office of Venable, LLP, where her practice focuses on corporate advisory matters, including mergers, acquisitions, and joint ventures, as well as tax controversies.  Prior to joining Venable, she was an associate in corporate and securities practice at a national law firm, where she advised clients on a variety of federal and state tax issues.  Before entering private practice, she served as a judicial clerk to Judge L. Paige Marvel of the United States Tax Court.  Ms. Stieff earned her B.A. from John Hopkins University and her J.D. and LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center.

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 7/29/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

Trust and Estate Planning for Firearms

$89.00

Many clients hold firearms in their estates.  These firearms – shotguns, rifles, pistols or others guns – may have been long held in their families and hold sentimental value. These firearms may also be quite valuable. Clients wanting to pass these firearms to their heirs, however, are subject to a significant and growing body of law regulating the transfer of firearms, even as part of a testate transfer. These are no ordinary assets that can be transferred easily like other personal property. In fact, in the absence of strict adherence to a body of law, the estate’s executor, a trust’s trustee, or the estate planner himself or herself, as well as the transferee, may be subject to substantial fines or even imprisonment.  This program will provide you with a real-world guide to risks of and best practices for transferring firearms as part of a trust and estate plan.   Framework of gun law and how it impacts trust and estate planning Drafting “Gun Trusts” to transfer firearms & comply with National Firearm Act Planning for death and incapacity of firearm owners Potential substantial fines and jail time for estate planners, executors, and trustees Special issues in probate, trustee selection, and constructive control of firearms   Speaker: Lee-ford Tritt is a law professor and member of the graduate tax faculty at the University of Florida College of Law in Gainesville, where he teaches trust and estate planning. He is also the director of the Center for Estate Planning and director of the Estate Planning Practice Certificate Program.  He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and the vice president of the American Association of Law Schools’ Trusts & Estates Division.  In addition, He serves as vice chair of the ABA Real Property Trusts & Estates Law Section’s Outreach Committee as well as a chair of a committee for the Non-Tax Estate Planning Considerations Group.  Before joining the College of Law, he practiced at Davis, Polk & Wardwell and Milbank Tweed in New York City.  Professor Tritt earned his B.A. from the University of the South, his J.D. from New York University School of Law, and his LL.M. in taxation from the New York University School of Law.

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 8/3/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

Getting to Market: Sales and Distribution Agreements

$89.00

A product is only as successful as its distribution, only as profitable as it reaches the widest market possible.  Most suppliers of goods rely on distributors to reach the market. Distributor agreements can come in a multitude of types, including wholesale and retail distribution agreements. These agreements encompass a series of intricately interrelated provisions about the scope of products, the scope of the territory involved, exclusivity, pricing control, support in the form of marketing and training, supply guarantees, and much more.  Success for both the supplier and the distributor depends on a thoughtfully planned and drafted agreement.  This program will provide you with a practical guide to drafting the most essential provisions of distributor agreements.   Understanding distributor and supplier objectives – and how they can be harmonized Legal framework of distributor agreements Products covered and how they are defined and altered over time Exclusivity – territory and products Support – training, advertising, promotion Supply guarantees, timeliness of performance Pricing – who controls and antitrust considerations   Speaker: Joel R. Buckberg is a partner in Nashville office of Baker Donelson, P.C. and vice chair of the firm’s corporate group. He has more than 40 years’ experience in corporate and business transactions.  His practice focuses on corporate and asset transactions and operations, particularly in hospitality, franchising and distribution.  He also counsels clients on strategic planning, financing, mergers and acquisitions, system policy and practice development, regulatory compliance and contract system drafting. Prior to joining Baker Donelson, he was executive vice president and deputy general counsel of Cendant Corporation.  Mr. Buckberg received his B.S. from Union College, his M.B.A. from Vanderbilt University, and his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law.

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 8/9/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

Lawyer Ethics and the Internet

$89.00

The Internet is the uniform information appliance for communications, research, and marketing, for consumers and for lawyers.  You can easily research witnesses, parties, judges, and jurors with a simple Google search.  Add in social media searches – blogs, Facebook, Twitter and many other platforms – and you can develop a rich demographic profile of all of these individuals.  With a few keystrokes, you can pull down more information than ever before. You can also communicate freely, unmediated and unrestricted, with virtually anyone. All of these functions are valuable in litigation and transactional practice but also give rise to substantial ethics issues – not everything that the Web enables is proper. This program will provide you with a real world guide to ethics issues when lawyer engage in research and communication using the Internet.    Communicating with parties, opposing attorneys, and witnesses via email, social media, and texting Researching jurors, parties, witnesses and judges via social media Blogging or sending newsletters/law updates to clients Trends in texting, confidentiality, and discoverability Law firm marketing via the web   Speaker: Thomas E. Spahn is a partner in the McLean, Virginia office of McGuireWoods, LLP, where he has a substantial practice advising clients on properly creating and preserving the attorney-client privilege and work product protections.  For more than 30 years he has lectured extensively on legal ethics and professionalism and has written “The Attorney-Client Privilege and the Work Product Doctrine: A Practitioner’s Guide,” a 750 page treatise published by the Virginia Law Foundation.  Mr. Spahn has served as a member of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility and as a member of the Virginia State Bar's Legal Ethics Committee.  

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 8/16/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

Easements in Real Estate

$89.00

Easements are nonpossessory rights to use a third party’s property.  They can be conveyed by deed or contract and may have a significant impact on the underlying property. When valid and enforceable, easements may have a major impact on the use of property, its development and ultimately the value of the underlying property. It isvery important to timely identify easements in diligence, value them, and perhaps obtain their termination or release. If your client depends on an easement, ensuring that they are properly drafted and filed, and are enforceable are essential.  This program will provide you with a real-world guide to easements in real estate transactions, including their types, how they are created and released, or enforced in transactions.   Types of easements – prescriptive, appurtenant, in gross, mortgage-related, estoppel, necessity and quasi-easements How they are used in real estate transactions – which are best for your client? Due diligence in transactions – identifying and valuing easements Creation of easements – drafting essential terms and filing for maximum enforcement Enforcement – methods and measure of damages Termination and release – effective drafting to eliminate easements   Speaker: John S. Hollyfield is of counsel and a former partner in the Houston office Norton Rose Fulbright, LLP.  He has more than 40 years’ experience in real estate law practice.  He formerly served as chair of the ABA Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, president of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, and chair of the Anglo-American Real Property Institute.  He has been named a "Texas Super Lawyer" in Real Estate Law by Texas Monthly magazine and is listed in Who’s Who in American Law.  He is co-editor of Modern Banking and Lending Forms (4th Edition), published by Warren, Gorham & Lamont.  

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 8/18/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

Assuming Liabilities/Debt in Transactions: Tricks and Traps

$89.00

This program will provide you a practical guide to drafting for the assumption and limitation of liabilities in business and commercial transactions.  The program will cover the mechanics of assuming debt in a transaction, how it is identified, terms negotiated and documented. The program will discuss the related issue of how “bad conduct” carve-outs in indemnification and other limitation of liability provisions can defeat limitations on liability if the carve-outs are not carefully drafted.  Successor liability in business transactions and techniques to mitigate its risk will be covered. This program will provide a real-world guide to handling debt and liabilities in transactions.   Identifying and documenting the assumption of liabilities Successor liability and techniques to mitigate the risk “Bad conduct” carve-outs in indemnification and limitation of liability Risks of carve-out language being over-expansive and defeating liability protection Mistakes in the treatment of liabilities in transactions   Speaker: Steven O. Weise is a partner in the Los Angeles office Proskauer Rose, LLP, where his practice encompasses all areas of commercial law. He has extensive experience in financings, particularly those secured by personal property.  He also handles matters involving real property anti-deficiency laws, workouts, guarantees, sales of goods, letters of credit, commercial paper and checks, and investment securities.  Mr. Weise formerly served as chair of the ABA Business Law Section. He has also served as a member of the Permanent Editorial Board of the UCC and as an Advisor to the UCC Code Article 9 Drafting Committee. 

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 8/19/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

Good Faith and Fair Dealing in Business Transactions: Litigation Risks

$89.00

When business transactions go bad – either because they fail on their own terms or they never reach the closing table – there are often recriminations, accusations of bad-faith and threats of litigation.  The parties negotiating these transactions are subject to certain standards of conduct which, if violated, give rise to liability. Various theories of liability exist, including breach of the duty of good faith and fair dealing, negligent or fraudulent misrepresentation, and interference with a business expectancy. This program will provide you with real-world guide to the standards of conduct in business transactions and your clients can mitigate risk of liability.   Sources of fiduciary standards in negotiating, drafting and closing business transactions How fiduciary standards are commonly breached in transactions Role of business torts, including negligent and fraudulent misrepresentation, interference with a business expectancy Risks of litigation and practical remedies – damages, rescission, specific performance Special duties in closely held businesses, including misappropriation of company opportunities   Speaker: Shannon M. Bell is a member with Kelly Law Partners, LLC, where she litigates a wide variety of complex business disputes, construction disputes, fiduciary claims, employment issues, and landlord/tenant issues.  Her construction experience extends from contract negotiations to defense of construction claims of owners, HOAs, contractors and tradesmen.  She also represents clients in claims of shareholder and officer liability, piercing the corporate veil, and derivative actions.  She writes and speaks on commercial litigation, employment, discovery and bankruptcy topics.  

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 8/23/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

LIVE REPLAY: Ethics in Discovery Practice

$89.00

Discovery can be the most important phase of litigation, directing the course and outcome of the case.  How evidence is discovered, how it is used, and how mistakes in its handling are disclosed and remedied all raise very significant ethical issues. These issues – the risk of mishandling – are increased by the vast growth of ESI, electronically stored information. Litigators have certain obligations that their vendors comply with ethics rules. There are also issues surrounding the use of paralegals in discovery practice.  Failure to ensure ethics compliance during discovery can have a material adverse impact on the underlying litigation and draw an ethics complaint.  This program will provide you with a real-world guide to substantial issues ethical issues that arise in discovery practice and how to avoid ethics complaints.    Duty of candor to the tribunal during discovery Ethical issues when you learn that a client is dishonest Inadvertent disclosure privileged documents and their handling Ethics in depositions – conferring with witnesses, using video depositions and more Ethical issues in widespread data mining of discovery documents Issues involving metadata in electronic files – documents, email, text messages Attorney-client privilege and security issues of working with outside e-discovery vendors Ethics and social media discovery   Speakers: Elizabeth Treubert Simon is an ethics attorney in the Washington, D.C. office of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where she advises on a wide range of ethics and compliance-related matters to support Akin Gump’s offices worldwide.  Previously, she practiced law in Washington DC and New York, focusing on business and commercial litigation and providing counsel to clients regarding professional ethics and attorney disciplinary procedures.  She is a member of the New York State Bar Association Committee on Professional Discipline and the District of Columbia Legal Ethics Committee.  She writes and speaks extensively on attorney ethics issues.    Thomas E. Spahn is a partner in the McLean, Virginia office of McGuireWoods, LLP, where he has a substantial practice advising clients on properly creating and preserving the attorney-client privilege and work product protections.  For more than 30 years he has lectured extensively on legal ethics and professionalism and has written “The Attorney-Client Privilege and the Work Product Doctrine: A Practitioner’s Guide,” a 750 page treatise published by the Virginia Law Foundation.  Mr. Spahn has served as a member of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility and as a member of the Virginia State Bar's Legal Ethics Committee.  

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 8/26/2025
    Presented
SEE MORE
Course1

Trust & Estate Planning for Cabins, Boats, and Other Family Recreational Assets

$89.00

Clients frequently have substantial reactional assets that they want to pass in their estates – family cabins, mountain houses, other retreats, boats, and other assets.  These assets may be held in full or in fractional interests, sometimes shared uncomfortably by different parts of a single family or with third parties, giving rise to issues of control, value, and transfer.  Any or all of these assets may have substantial financial value and almost always have emotional value to clients. Planning for these assets is a blend of property and tax law, but also practical counseling of clients. This program will provide you with a real world guide to trust and estate planning for recreational assets.    How to title and/or hold assets in LLCs or other business entities Methods and agreements foster stable and cooperative use property among many family members Special trust and estate planning issues for reactional assets Use of Qualified Personal Residence Trusts for cabins and other vacation homes Real estate issues – capital improvements, treatment of taxes and expenses, conservation easements Special issues related to boats and airplanes   Speakers: Missia H. Vaselaney is a partner in the Cleveland office of Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, LLP, where her practice focuses on estate planning for individuals and businesses.  She also represents clients before federal and state taxing authorities.  Ms. Vaselaney is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and has been a member of the Steering Committee for AICPA’s National Advanced Estate Planning Conference since 2001.  Michael Sneeringer a partner in the Naples, Florida office of Porter Wright Morris & Arthur LLP, where his practice focuses on trust and estate planning, probate administration, asset protection planning, and tax law. He has served as vice chair of the asset protection planning committee of the ABA’s Real Property, Trust and Estate Section and is an official reporter of the Heckerling Institute.  

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 8/30/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

Incentive Compensation in Businesses, Part 1

$89.00

Companies of every type including incentivize compensation features in employee compensation packages. The range of incentive compensation tools and techniques available to these companies depends on the type of entity involved.  Corporate entities have stock options, restricted stock and other forms of profit or capital appreciation rights.  LLCs are even more flexible and can award a variety of forms of profit or capital rights.  These alternatives, together with voting and vesting restrictions, provide companies alternatives for virtually every circumstance.  But each alternative comes with tradeoffs – practical, tax and financial. This program will provide you with a real world guide to the incentive compensation alternatives in business entities.   Day 1: Framework of incentive compensation alternatives for corporate v. pass-through entity Advantages and drawbacks of stock options, restricted stock, and profit participation rights How IRC Section 83 impacts corporate stock options, the award of restricted stock and other rights Use of vesting to impact the tax consequences of incentive compensation Special incentive compensation issues in S Corps   Day 2: Use of profit interests and capital interest in LLCs, partnerships Exchanging incentive compensation for services Incentive compensation in single member LLCs Impact of IRC Section 409A and deferred compensation Employment tax considerations   Speaker: Norman Lencz is a partner in the Baltimore, Maryland office of Venable, LLP, where his practice focuses on a broad range of federal, state, local and international tax matters.  He advises clients on tax issues relating to corporations, partnerships, LLCs, joint ventures and real estate transactions.  He also has extensive experience with compensation planning in closely held businesses.  

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 8/31/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

Incentive Compensation in Businesses, Part 2

$89.00

Companies of every type including incentivize compensation features in employee compensation packages. The range of incentive compensation tools and techniques available to these companies depends on the type of entity involved.  Corporate entities have stock options, restricted stock and other forms of profit or capital appreciation rights.  LLCs are even more flexible and can award a variety of forms of profit or capital rights.  These alternatives, together with voting and vesting restrictions, provide companies alternatives for virtually every circumstance.  But each alternative comes with tradeoffs – practical, tax and financial. This program will provide you with a real world guide to the incentive compensation alternatives in business entities.   Day 1: Framework of incentive compensation alternatives for corporate v. pass-through entity Advantages and drawbacks of stock options, restricted stock, and profit participation rights How IRC Section 83 impacts corporate stock options, the award of restricted stock and other rights Use of vesting to impact the tax consequences of incentive compensation Special incentive compensation issues in S Corps   Day 2: Use of profit interests and capital interest in LLCs, partnerships Exchanging incentive compensation for services Incentive compensation in single member LLCs Impact of IRC Section 409A and deferred compensation Employment tax considerations   Speaker: Norman Lencz is a partner in the Baltimore, Maryland office of Venable, LLP, where his practice focuses on a broad range of federal, state, local and international tax matters.  He advises clients on tax issues relating to corporations, partnerships, LLCs, joint ventures and real estate transactions.  He also has extensive experience with compensation planning in closely held businesses.  

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 9/1/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

LIVE REPLAY: Real Estate Appraisals: Financing and Development Insights

$89.00

Appraisals are part and parcel of every major realistic transaction.  Lenders will not loan without an appraisal.  Loan-to-value ratios are measured against the appraisal.  Investors will not invest without an appraisal.Appraisals are not set-piece documents, however; they involve a multiplicity of valuation metrics and different appraisers looking at the same property can and do generate widely varying valuations.  Because of their centrality to real estate transactions, understanding their structure and content is essential.  This program will provide you with a real-world guide to how appraisals are prepared and used in commercial real estate, their traps, and how they are incorporated into transactional documents.   Use of appraisals in obtaining funding for development projects and acquisitions Ensuring appraisals are prepared according to standards – and fraud risks if they are not Integrating appraisals in underlying operative documents What lawyers should look for in appraisals provided to clients – and how to spot red flags   Speakers: Anthony Licata is a partner in the Chicago office of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, where he formerly chaired the firm’s real estate practice.  He has an extensive practice focusing on major commercial real estate transactions, including finance, development, leasing, and land use.  He formerly served as an adjunct professor at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and at the Illinois Institute of Technology.  Mr. Licata received his B.S., summa cum laude, from MacMurray College and his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 9/2/2025
    Presented
SEE MORE
Course1

LIVE REPLAY: Real Estate Appraisals: Financing and Development Insights

$89.00

Appraisals are part and parcel of every major realistic transaction.  Lenders will not loan without an appraisal.  Loan-to-value ratios are measured against the appraisal.  Investors will not invest without an appraisal.Appraisals are not set-piece documents, however; they involve a multiplicity of valuation metrics and different appraisers looking at the same property can and do generate widely varying valuations.  Because of their centrality to real estate transactions, understanding their structure and content is essential.  This program will provide you with a real-world guide to how appraisals are prepared and used in commercial real estate, their traps, and how they are incorporated into transactional documents.   Use of appraisals in obtaining funding for development projects and acquisitions Ensuring appraisals are prepared according to standards – and fraud risks if they are not Integrating appraisals in underlying operative documents What lawyers should look for in appraisals provided to clients – and how to spot red flags   Speakers: Anthony Licata is a partner in the Chicago office of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, where he formerly chaired the firm’s real estate practice.  He has an extensive practice focusing on major commercial real estate transactions, including finance, development, leasing, and land use.  He formerly served as an adjunct professor at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and at the Illinois Institute of Technology.  Mr. Licata received his B.S., summa cum laude, from MacMurray College and his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School.

  • Audio Webcast
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 9/2/2025
    Presented
SEE MORE
Course1

LIVE REPLAY: Indemnity Agreements: Drafting for Business Success

$89.00

Client engagement letters are the foundation of a successful representation in trust and estate planning, administration or fiduciary litigation.  It’s where expectations are set – about fees, timelines, and who you are representing. Difficult issues involving conflicts of interests and decision-making can also be framed and addressed. These letters clarify goals and substantially reduce the risk of later dispute.  This program will provide you a practical guide to using client engagement letters to provide the foundation of a successful relationship in trust and estate planning, administration and litigation.   Most important elements of successful client engagement letter Spousal representations – joint representation or separate, and practical difficulties of each Representing multiple generations of a family – who is in charge?   Lawyer as fiduciary – what must you do if you’re the trustee How to handle extant or developing client incapacity Ongoing communication and billing issues Providing for withdrawal from an engagement – when and how   Speaker: Daniel L. Daniels is a partner in the Greenwich, Connecticut office of Wiggin and Dana, LLP, where his practice focuses on representing business owners, corporate executives and other wealthy individuals and their families.  A Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, he is listed in “The Best Lawyers in America,” and has been named by “Worth” magazine as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in the United States representing affluent individuals. Mr. Daniels is co-author of a monthly column in “Trusts and Estates” magazine.  

  • Audio Webcast
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 9/11/2025
    Presented
SEE MORE
Course1

LIVE REPLAY: Indemnity Agreements: Drafting for Business Success

$89.00

Client engagement letters are the foundation of a successful representation in trust and estate planning, administration or fiduciary litigation.  It’s where expectations are set – about fees, timelines, and who you are representing. Difficult issues involving conflicts of interests and decision-making can also be framed and addressed. These letters clarify goals and substantially reduce the risk of later dispute.  This program will provide you a practical guide to using client engagement letters to provide the foundation of a successful relationship in trust and estate planning, administration and litigation.   Most important elements of successful client engagement letter Spousal representations – joint representation or separate, and practical difficulties of each Representing multiple generations of a family – who is in charge?   Lawyer as fiduciary – what must you do if you’re the trustee How to handle extant or developing client incapacity Ongoing communication and billing issues Providing for withdrawal from an engagement – when and how   Speaker: Daniel L. Daniels is a partner in the Greenwich, Connecticut office of Wiggin and Dana, LLP, where his practice focuses on representing business owners, corporate executives and other wealthy individuals and their families.  A Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, he is listed in “The Best Lawyers in America,” and has been named by “Worth” magazine as one of the Top 100 Lawyers in the United States representing affluent individuals. Mr. Daniels is co-author of a monthly column in “Trusts and Estates” magazine.  

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 9/11/2025
    Presented
SEE MORE
Course1

Trust and Estate Planning for Collectibles, Art & Other Unusual Assets

$89.00

Art, collectibles, cars, jewelry and other unique assets, perhaps handed down for generations in a family, may form a large share a client’s estate.  Unlike more traditional assets, these non-traditional assets pose special challenges for planners.  There are issues of valuation – how do you value a painting, even by a well-known artist? – and liquidity.  Though very valuable, these objects do not have liquid markets.  There are also many issues surrounding the lifetime or post-mortem transfer of control of these assets, tax issues, and, in some instances, intellectual property issues.  These and many other issues can be fascinating but also frustrating. This program will provide you with a practical guide to trust and estate planning for art, collectibles, jewelry, and other unique assets.    Trust and estate planning issues for art, collectibles, jewelry, cars, and other unique assets The problem of valuing unique objects Liquidity and paying taxes and expenses for objects with great value but small markets Irrevocable trust planning for art and collectibles Lifetime and post-mortem charitable giving during the donor’s lifetime Succession planning for unique objects Issues related to fractional ownership interests Art executors and special powers of attorney Estate administration issues   Speakers: Jeremiah W. Doyle, IV is senior vice president in the Boston office of BNY Mellon Wealth Management, where he provides integrated wealth management advice to high net worth individuals on holding, managing and transferring wealth in a tax-efficient manner.  He is the editor and co-author of “Preparing Fiduciary Income Tax Returns,” a contributing author of Preparing Estate Tax Returns, and a contributing author of “Understanding and Using Trusts,” all published by Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education.   Blanche Lark Christerson is a managing director at Deutsche Bank Wealth Management in New York City, where she works with clients and their advisors to help develop estate, gift, tax, and wealth transfer planning strategies.  Earlier in her career she was a vice president in the estate planning department of U.S. Trust Company.  She also practiced law with Weil, Gotshal & Manges in New York City.  Ms. Christerson is the author of the monthly newsletter “Tax Topics."  

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 9/28/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

"Founding Documents": Drafting Articles of Incorporation & Bylaws, Part 1

$89.00

Though LLCs have become a default choice of entity for many businesses, corporations – C Corps and S Corps – still produce optimal results for many family-held businesses or businesses operating in industries where the corporate is preferred or required.  The founding documents of corporations – Articles of Incorporation, Stockholders’ Agreements, and bylaws – are complex, interlocking instruments that create and regulate the capital structure, governance, and finance of the business.  Very important issues of who can own stock, how that stock is valued and transferred, how major corporate decisions are made, and how disputes are resolved are all determined by these documents. This program will provide you with a practical guide to planning and drafting the essential founding documents of corporations.  Day 1: Practical planning and drafting founding documents Counseling clients about the allocation of voting power and distribution preferences Framework of law – what’s required, what can be modified, what’s discretionary Defining common stock characteristics – classes, voting rights Uses of preferred stock – classes, rights, preferences Tax issues to consider when drafting founding documents Day 2: Instituting boards of directors – duties, restrictions, indemnification Approval of shareholders – major transactions, voting thresholds, procedures Restrictions on the transferability of stock Major components of corporate bylaws Common traps in drafting founding documents – avoiding later litigation  Speaker:  Eric J. Zinn is of counsel in the Denver office of Kutak Rock, LLP.  He represents clients in clients in matters involving corporate, individual and partnership taxation, state and local taxation, and corporate mergers, acquisitions and finance. He is a frequent lecturer on topics including the proper choice of legal entity for the operation of a business enterprise, drafting operating agreements for limited liability companies, international taxation, partnership taxation, and like-kind exchanges.  He is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Colorado-Denver Business School and at the University of Colorado School of Law in Boulder. He is the author of "Colorado Limited Liability Company Forms and Practice Manual,” published by Data Trace Publishing. Before entering private practice he served as a judicial clerk to the U.S. Tax Court.

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 9/29/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

"Founding Documents": Drafting Articles of Incorporation & Bylaws, Part 2

$89.00

Though LLCs have become a default choice of entity for many businesses, corporations – C Corps and S Corps – still produce optimal results for many family-held businesses or businesses operating in industries where the corporate is preferred or required.  The founding documents of corporations – Articles of Incorporation, Stockholders’ Agreements, and bylaws – are complex, interlocking instruments that create and regulate the capital structure, governance, and finance of the business.  Very important issues of who can own stock, how that stock is valued and transferred, how major corporate decisions are made, and how disputes are resolved are all determined by these documents. This program will provide you with a practical guide to planning and drafting the essential founding documents of corporations.  Day 1: Practical planning and drafting founding documents Counseling clients about the allocation of voting power and distribution preferences Framework of law – what’s required, what can be modified, what’s discretionary Defining common stock characteristics – classes, voting rights Uses of preferred stock – classes, rights, preferences Tax issues to consider when drafting founding documents Day 2: Instituting boards of directors – duties, restrictions, indemnification Approval of shareholders – major transactions, voting thresholds, procedures Restrictions on the transferability of stock Major components of corporate bylaws Common traps in drafting founding documents – avoiding later litigation  Speaker:  Eric J. Zinn is of counsel in the Denver office of Kutak Rock, LLP.  He represents clients in clients in matters involving corporate, individual and partnership taxation, state and local taxation, and corporate mergers, acquisitions and finance. He is a frequent lecturer on topics including the proper choice of legal entity for the operation of a business enterprise, drafting operating agreements for limited liability companies, international taxation, partnership taxation, and like-kind exchanges.  He is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Colorado-Denver Business School and at the University of Colorado School of Law in Boulder. He is the author of "Colorado Limited Liability Company Forms and Practice Manual,” published by Data Trace Publishing. Before entering private practice he served as a judicial clerk to the U.S. Tax Court.

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 9/30/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

LIVE REPLAY: Background Check Boundaries: What Your Clients Can and Can't Investigate

$89.00

Background checks are an exercise in risk management in hiring. Employers want to align an applicant’s skills with a job profile, reducing the likelihood the hire will not work out or, worse yet, cause the employer liability. This typically means that the employer wants as much information as possible on job candidates. But background checks themselves are fraught with potential liability. There are many categories of questions that employers may not ask applicants; and if they do ask these questions, they open themselves to liability.This program will provide you with a real-world guide to what is allowed and what isnot allowed in background checks, and best practices for using that information and avoiding liability.   Framework of laws impacting background checks, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act What an employ may/may not ask – criminal arrest history, marital status, age, credit history, and other bases Social media background checks Liability for improper/discriminatory use of background checks Counseling clients about best practices in conducting/using background checks   Speaker: Felicia Davis is an attorney in the Los Angeles office of Paul Hastings, LLP where she represents employers in all aspects of labor and employment law, including discrimination, retaliation, harassment, religious accommodation and wage and hour issues, in both single-plaintiff and class-action matters. She has also represented clients in disability access litigation under Title III. She has served as lead attorney on single and multi-plaintiff matters, successfully defending lawsuits alleging discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful discharge as well as collective bargaining agreement violations. She is a member of the ABA Labor and Employment Law Committee on Technology in the Practice and Workplace (Planning Committee). Ms. Davis received her B.A., cum laude, from Claremont McKenna College and her J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles.

  • Audio Webcast
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 9/30/2025
    Presented
SEE MORE
Course1

LIVE REPLAY: Background Check Boundaries: What Your Clients Can and Can't Investigate

$89.00

Background checks are an exercise in risk management in hiring. Employers want to align an applicant’s skills with a job profile, reducing the likelihood the hire will not work out or, worse yet, cause the employer liability. This typically means that the employer wants as much information as possible on job candidates. But background checks themselves are fraught with potential liability. There are many categories of questions that employers may not ask applicants; and if they do ask these questions, they open themselves to liability.This program will provide you with a real-world guide to what is allowed and what isnot allowed in background checks, and best practices for using that information and avoiding liability.   Framework of laws impacting background checks, including the Fair Credit Reporting Act What an employ may/may not ask – criminal arrest history, marital status, age, credit history, and other bases Social media background checks Liability for improper/discriminatory use of background checks Counseling clients about best practices in conducting/using background checks   Speaker: Felicia Davis is an attorney in the Los Angeles office of Paul Hastings, LLP where she represents employers in all aspects of labor and employment law, including discrimination, retaliation, harassment, religious accommodation and wage and hour issues, in both single-plaintiff and class-action matters. She has also represented clients in disability access litigation under Title III. She has served as lead attorney on single and multi-plaintiff matters, successfully defending lawsuits alleging discrimination, retaliation, and wrongful discharge as well as collective bargaining agreement violations. She is a member of the ABA Labor and Employment Law Committee on Technology in the Practice and Workplace (Planning Committee). Ms. Davis received her B.A., cum laude, from Claremont McKenna College and her J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles.

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 9/30/2025
    Presented
SEE MORE
Course1

LIVE REPLAY: When Clients Change Their Mind: Practical Steps in "Breaking a Contract"

$89.00

This program will provide you with a practical guide to developments under the Family and Medical Leave Act and review trends in employee leave generally. The program will cover significant case law and regulatory developments, as well as the practical trends in dispute and litigation impacting your employer clients. The program will cover the impact of technology, contract employees, and other changes in the workforce, and discuss their impact on traditional leave law.  This program will provide you with a real-world guide to significant legal and practical developments under FMLA and employee leave generally.   Case law and regulatory developments under the FMLA Developments related to “appropriate notice” Serious health condition requiring leave and practical application Remote and work-from-home workers and leave under the FMLA Responding to leave requests based on substance abuse Emerging cannabis issues   Speaker: Patrick F. Martin is a partner in the Miami office of Greenburg Traurig, LLP, where he has a national employment law practice. He represents employers of all sizes before state and federal courts, as well as administrative agencies such as the Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Florida Commission on Human Relations. He regularly litigates cases involving wrongful termination, employment discrimination, workplace harassment, public accommodation, wage and hour matters, and employee disability and leave issues. He also advises employers on preventive strategies to minimize potential litigation and assists in the development of policies to promote constructive employee relations. 

  • Audio Webcast
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 10/3/2025
    Presented
SEE MORE
Course1

LIVE REPLAY: When Clients Change Their Mind: Practical Steps in "Breaking a Contract"

$89.00

This program will provide you with a practical guide to developments under the Family and Medical Leave Act and review trends in employee leave generally. The program will cover significant case law and regulatory developments, as well as the practical trends in dispute and litigation impacting your employer clients. The program will cover the impact of technology, contract employees, and other changes in the workforce, and discuss their impact on traditional leave law.  This program will provide you with a real-world guide to significant legal and practical developments under FMLA and employee leave generally.   Case law and regulatory developments under the FMLA Developments related to “appropriate notice” Serious health condition requiring leave and practical application Remote and work-from-home workers and leave under the FMLA Responding to leave requests based on substance abuse Emerging cannabis issues   Speaker: Patrick F. Martin is a partner in the Miami office of Greenburg Traurig, LLP, where he has a national employment law practice. He represents employers of all sizes before state and federal courts, as well as administrative agencies such as the Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Florida Commission on Human Relations. He regularly litigates cases involving wrongful termination, employment discrimination, workplace harassment, public accommodation, wage and hour matters, and employee disability and leave issues. He also advises employers on preventive strategies to minimize potential litigation and assists in the development of policies to promote constructive employee relations. 

  • Teleseminar
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 10/3/2025
    Presented
SEE MORE
Course1

Asset Protection Techniques for Real Estate

$89.00

Appreciated real estate is often the most valuable asset held by a client.  Real estate as an asset class is also frequently subject to depletion through divorce, claims of creditors, tort claimants and others.  Ensuring that the real estate is properly held, preserved, and administered to protect its value is the key task of many trust and estate plans. This program will provide you with a real-world guide to accessible asset protection strategies for real estate, including the sophisticated use of limited liability entities, trusts and insurance products, key elements of drafting operating agreements and their traps, and use of forms of ownership and choice of law planning.  Economic issues to consider on acquisition, holding and administration of real estate Sophisticated use of LLCs and trusts to protect real estate Key provisions of LLC operating agreements and their traps in protecting real estate Forms of ownership and choice of law as asset protection Uses and traps of using real estate products Bankruptcy planning opportunities and limitations for distressed real estate projects   Speaker: Jonathan E. Gopman is a partner with Nelson Mullins in Naples, Florida.  His practice focuses on sophisticated wealth accumulation and preservation planning strategies for entrepreneurs. He assists them with their personal and business planning needs at all phases of the wealth accumulation and preservation cycle. In his practice, Jonathan takes a four-part approach to wealth preservation planning by assisting individuals in implementing sophisticated estate planning, tax deferral, tax-favored investment, and asset protection structures. Jonathan’s personal practice emphasizes international wealth preservation planning. He has substantial experience in assisting high net worth families with international and domestic estate planning, implementing foreign trust structures, business planning, and general tax planning. 

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 10/10/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE
Course1

Drafting Arbitration Agreements in Business and Commercial Transactions

$89.00

One of the biggest risks in most business, commercial, or real estate agreements is the risk of dispute and costly, protracted litigation. Arbitration agreements are one of the primary methods by which this substantial risk of loss is contained. Rather than the parties resorting to costly litigation, they are required to seek resolution of their dispute before a neutral arbiter, whose decision in the matter is final and cannot be litigated. Though these agreements are effective mechanisms for dispute resolution and cost containment, they are also highly controversial. This program will provide you with a practical guide the law governing arbitration agreements and drafting their major provisions.   Framework of law governing arbitration agreements Practical uses in business, commercial, and real estate transactions Circumstances where arbitration is effective v. ineffective Counseling clients about the benefits, risks, and tradeoffs of arbitration agreements Scope of arbitration, mandatory nature, and rules used Defining applicable law, arbiter selection, and method of arbitration Judgment on award, review by courts (if any), interim relief   Speaker: Shannon M. Bell is a partner with Kelly Law Partners, LLC, where she litigates a wide variety of complex business disputes, construction disputes, fiduciary claims, employment issues, and landlord/tenant issues.  Her construction experience extends from contract negotiations to defense of construction claims of owners, HOAs, contractors and tradesmen.  She also represents clients in claims of shareholder and officer liability, piercing the corporate veil, and derivative actions.  She writes and speaks on commercial litigation, employment, discovery and bankruptcy topics.  

  • MP3 Download
    Format
  • 60
    Minutes
  • 10/14/2025
    Avail. Until
SEE MORE