CLEs You Actually Want to Hear

This program walks newer litigators through the full life cycle of a deposition, from building an effective outline to using exhibits and creating a clean record. We will cover concrete techniques for handling evasive witnesses, responding to difficult opposing counsel, and asking targeted questions that generate strong transcript excerpts for motions, mediation, and trial. Attendees will leave with a practical checklist, question frameworks, and post-depositionroutines they can use immediately in their own cases.

What drives executive decision-making in a legal dispute? Hint: the merits aren’t the primary focus. Instead, corporate leaders weigh broader business realities—market dynamics, leverage, financial pressures, and preserving key relationships, among other criteria, in determining the best course of action. Drawing on decades as a CEO and entertainment executive, Michael Schwimmer offers a candid look at how decision-makers evaluate conflicts, as well as how lawyers can build more loyalty and trust with clients through a deep understanding of their business priorities.

International Family Law examines how family law disputes are handled across different legal systems, cultures, and jurisdictions. Through in-depth conversations with leading international practitioners, the series explores forum selection, property and support regimes, child custody, enforcement challenges, and conflicts of law, with each discussion grounded in practical comparisons to California family law.In this episode, William Healing of AFPBloom and Delphine Eskenazi of Libra Avocats explore international family law disputes spanning the U.S., UK, and France. The conversation covers forum selection, marital property and support regimes, cross-border enforcement, child custody and relocation issues, Hague Convention proceedings, and post-Brexit developments. Alphonse Provinziano of Provinziano & Associates moderates the conversation by drawing comparisons to California law, highlighting jurisdictional contrasts, and probing practical enforcement considerations across borders.William Healing, AFPBloomDelphine Eskenazi, Libra AvocatsModerated by Alphonse Provinziano, Provinziano & Associates

Defense attorneys Keith G. Bremer and Vik Nagpal of Bremer Whyte Brown & O’Meara, LLP break down the voir dire philosophy that has driven their defense verdicts and controlled outcomes. They explain how they build a cohesive “tribe,” uncover juror biases and prejudices, and position for effective for-cause challenges. The program offers a candid look at how they evaluate jurors, structure the selection process, and establish the rhythm and trial theme that carry through the entire case.

In this presentation we will explore the origins of the role of the Parenting Plan Coordinator (PPC), who they are, what their goals are. This session will also explore the synergy between parenting plan coordinators and mental health therapists in managing high-conflict parents and what is needed to make the PPC process effective. This session aims to provide professionals with strategies to leverage a collaborative team approach that assists parent to reduce and resolve conflict, respects each other’s roles, and enhances overall family well-being by working together. This presentation will emphasize practical tools which assist in communication, defining roles and modeling mutual respect. Though the professionals may have different roles we will demonstrate how professionals can model effective collaboration and communication for the families they serve. Attendees will gain practical insights into the PPC stipulation.

In this program, California Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee staff will provide an overview of notable legislation enacted in 2025. The program will begin with a discussion led by Colin Grinnell on California tax conformity and SB 711, which updated the state’s specified date of conformity to January 1, 2025. The second part of the program will be led by Haley Summers, who will highlight other notable tax legislation enacted in 2025. Select bills impacting the following areas of state tax law will be covered: excise taxes, local tax and fee authority, personal and corporate income taxes, property taxes, sales and use taxes, special taxes and fees, and tax administration. There will be an opportunity to ask the Committee staff questions after each part of the program.

In this program, Kenneth P. Williams of Segal McCambridge breaks down the accelerating legal challenges created by autonomous vehicles and the technologies that support them. The program explores how liability is shifting toward manufacturers, software providers, fleet operators, and other participants in the AV ecosystem as traditional negligence concepts evolve. It also examines emerging insurance coverage disputes, subrogation pitfalls, regulatory scrutiny, and the rise of complex commercial litigation tied to AV defects and data-driven failures.

Join Shay Aaron Gilmore for a review of the cannabis and hemp measures from California’s 2025 legislative session, emphasizing what attorneys need to know when advising their clients on cannabis and hemp laws in California. This session will cover major developments, including AB 8 - California's hemp-cannabinoid regulatory overhaul, as well as other legislation concerning online marketplaces for cannabis and hemp, tax reductions for cannabis operators, and controlled substances research.

Learn best practices for consumer arbitration with a focus on fairness, accessibility, and transparency. Adam Shoneck (Vice President, Consumer Division, American Arbitration Association) and Delton R. Henderson (Law Office of Delton R Henderson) will guide you through the entire consumer arbitration process—from filing to resolution—while sharing techniques to keep time and costs low. The session will also highlight the 2025 updates to AAA’s Consumer Arbitration Rules and their impact on proceedings, along with how practitioners can maximize procedural efficiency for all parties.

Running a successful law practice means more than delivering excellent legal work—it also requires thoughtful, competitive, and compliant management behind the scenes. This program shines a light on an often-overlooked part of the profession: the employee benefits that help law firms attract and keep top talent.Join seasoned financial advisors and benefits specialists as they break down what every firm owner—or future owner—needs to know. We’ll cover the landscape of employer retirement plans, the advantages they offer both employers and employees, and the key compliance considerations that keep your benefits program on solid footing. Whether you manage a growing practice, advise business owners on benefits issues, or are planning your future as a firm leader, this is a session you won’t want to miss.

Derek F. Foran and Conor Tucker of Steptoe bring their trial and appellate expertise to guide practitioners through the most significant California Supreme Court decisions of 2025. This session will highlight the most impactful rulings shaping California’s legal landscape, including developments in contract interpretation, the scope of recoverable damages, arbitration enforcement, judicial review of agency decisions, and other key areas affecting commercial and appellate practice.

Understand the entire lifecycle of a commercial arbitration. Aaron Gothelf (Vice President, Commercial Division, American Arbitration Association) and David B. Coher (Founder, Coher ADR) walk through each step—from initiating a case, selecting arbitrators, and conducting preliminary hearings to managing discovery, engaging in mediation, drafting pre-hearing briefs, handling the evidentiary hearing, and submitting post-hearing documents including attorney fee applications and Final Awards. Whether you're new to arbitration or an experienced advocate, you'll gain valuable insight into best practices for resolving commercial disputes

Here we go again! The reverberations of 2023’s dual strikes continue, yet a new negotiation cycle is already underway, with key DGA, WGA, and SAG-AFTRA agreements expiring in mid-2026. Unions and management are already sizing up the AI issues that will once again be front and center—along with sizing up each other in advance of productive talks? nail-biters? something worse?Meanwhile, technology races ahead (Hello, Tilly Norwood! Howdy, Sora 2!), industry landscapes shift like tectonic plates, and the law, as usual, struggles to keep up. With the future of entertainment hanging in the balance, this webinar takes an essential look at where we are now and what may lie ahead as the next round of guild negotiations approaches.

Punitive damages—we know what they are, but how do we prove them?Please join us for part two of our in-depth discussion on punitive damages. Our panelists will explore tips for presenting and defending punitive damage claims, focusing on case law and hypotheticals to illustrate a step-by-step approach to how such claims and awards have been reported.

California Code of Civil Procedure sections 999-999.5 and the new version of CACI 2334 have profoundly changed how insurers and legal professionals handle time-limited policy limit demands. This webinar offers an analysis of these new rules, including what constitutes a reasonable settlement demand and what is and is not unreasonable conduct of an insurer that rejects such a demand. It provides essential strategies to navigate the updated requirements for demand letters, response times and potential bad faith claims. This program also discusses whether bad faith can exist without a settlement demand.

In this one-hour Intro to Tapping (EFT) course, attorneys will discover a scientifically supported, easy-to-use technique to help manage stress, anxiety, and emotional overwhelm — both in their personal lives and in their work with clients.Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), commonly referred to as Tapping, combines gentle acupressure with modern psychology to calm the body’s stress response and promote mental clarity. Backed by over 100 peer-reviewed studies, Tapping is increasingly used in clinical, workplace, and trauma-informed settings to reduce stress and improve resilience.This session will:Explain the science behind EFT and its connection to the nervous system and stress regulation.Guide participants through a live tapping demonstration to experience its calming effects firsthand.Offer practical tools attorneys can use before court appearances, client meetings, or at the end of a demanding day.Provide insights on how lawyers can share simple EFT techniques with clients to support emotional wellbeing and improve communication.Participants will leave with a clear understanding of how to use Tapping to reduce stress and enhance focus, empathy, and decision-making — essential skills for sustainable success in the legal profession.

This interactive program explores the use of mediation and arbitration to resolve disputes in the social media industry. Led by a neutral with direct experience in representing social media platform and influencers, as well as working with technology companies, the session focuses on incorporation of mediation and arbitration into social media practices and contracts, discusses unique concerns in the social media environment, and evidence considerations in the event of a conflict. Participants will gain practical skills for addressing high-stake conflicts in an online environment.

Explore how employment arbitration cases begin and how to effectively navigate the early stages of the process. Stephanie Cubacha (Vice President, Employment Division, AAA-ICDR) and Kristine Kwong (Partner, Musick, Peeler & Garrett LLP) cover initiating claims, early case management steps, and common procedural questions. The program also examines best practices for ensuring a fair and streamlined approach to workplace disputes, offering actionable insights for both employer and employee counsel.

Join us for a discussion of some of today’s most important entertainment-industry tax issues, including the surge in catalog sales, the new California law regarding loan-out companies, IRC §181 production deals, and emerging challenges involving equity compensation and endorsements. We will also cover the ever-present residency issue. Our experts will also discuss ethical concerns. This concise, practice-oriented session is designed to give attorneys the insights they need to navigate the evolving tax landscape of entertainment industry.

In this program, Liane Ly of Liane Ly Law will provide attorneys with a practical and accessible overview of disability discrimination and workplace accommodations under California law. Attendees will gain a clear understanding of how the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) protects workers with disabilities, as well as the obligations employers have to provide reasonable accommodations and to engage in a good-faith interactive process.