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Virtually network with fellow UConn Law School alumni as well as meet Dean Eboni Nelson.

Chief Justice Robinson and ABA President Patricia Lee Refo will open up the first day of the 2020 Connecticut Legal Conference.

The Business Law Track

The presenters will give an overview of state and local responses to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), namely addressing the state tax deduction limitation and how states have proactively modified their tax laws to allow taxpayers to still benefit from a federal tax deduction. Taxpayers in Connecticut will be familiar with the pass-through entity tax, which will be addressed along with other states’ laws and the new Connecticut payroll tax proposal.

The Family Law Track

The enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act fundamentally changed the tax treatment of alimony and thus how many family lawyers negotiated, settled, and tried contested financial cases. This seminar will focus on the body of law regarding alimony that has emerged since the Act’s implementation in 2019, and will also focus on best practices for the settlement of alimony claims. Our presenters will provide insight on structuring alimony proposals and seeking alimony orders across all income brackets.

The Hot Topics Track

Drug overdose is now the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50. This epidemic has sparked over 3,000 lawsuits throughout the nation against pharmaceutical companies, suppliers, distributors, and health care providers for their alleged role in contributing to the epidemic. With the targets of these lawsuits vigorously defending these suits, it was inevitable that complex insurance coverage issues would emerge. This program will analyze the insurance coverage issues implicated by the opioid epidemic, including an overview of the existing litigation and decisions to date.

The Hot Topics Track

Several states are moving forward with exploring new regulations for the profession. Connecticut has instituted a new task force to look at the practice of law. This seminar will explore regulatory changes being proposed in a few states. We will discuss why Supreme Courts are considering these changes and the implications it will have for lawyers from small and large firms.

The Hot Topics Track

This program will include an overview of Connecticut waiver programs, the functional and financial eligibility requirements for programs, and when these programs apply and when they don’t.

The Negotiation Track

In this hour-long seminar, attendees will observe a 30 minute mock oral argument by two experienced appellate advocates before a panel of current and former Connecticut Appellate Court judges. The mock oral argument will be followed by a 30 minute debriefing, discussion, and question and answer session with the mock oral argument judges and advocates regarding their experiences, perspectives, and thoughts on the subject of effective, skillful appellate oral argument.

The Ethics Track

This program will provide a review of the most recent opinions from the CBA Standing Committee on Professional Ethics, the Statewide Grievance Committee, and the courts, as well as a review of any proposed rules changes.

The Workplace Track

The session will explain the workers’ compensation offset in Social Security disability claims, in ways that should be useful for workers’ compensation and Social Security disability practitioners. Understanding the offset and practical advice to minimize it will be the focus of the session. Drafting considerations to achieve this goal will be discussed in depth.

Click on the link above to view the list of exhibitors.

The President's Track

The seminar will discuss the work of the CBA's COVID-19 and State of the Legal Profession Task Forces, and discuss how they have been working to explore, implement, and promote certain advances in technology, as well as other changes in the way we practice law, to ensure the sustainability of the practice of law, and shrink the access to justice gap. 

The Business Law Track

This seminar offers an opportunity for Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act (CUTPA) novices and veterans alike to keep up-to-date with the cutting edge of CUTPA jurisprudence. The seminar will mostly cover several significant recent shifts in CUTPA jurisprudence, but only after offering enough background and context to permit even those who are new to CUTPA to follow the discussion and understand the significance of the cases presented.

The Updates in Case Law Track

Review of some of the critical decisions in the construction law industry over the past year and their potential impact on the construction field.

The Family Law Track

This multi-disciplinary panel will educate participants on the complicated topic of domestic violence.

The Hot Topics Track

Connecticut and Massachusetts have both seen a significant expansion in casino gaming with the opening of the MGM casino in Springfield in 2018, and with the planned joint venture of Connecticut's Native American tribes to create a competing casino in Bridgeport and/or East Windsor. In light of these developments, Connecticut attorneys will need to be versed in the unique aspects of the law as it applies to the gaming industry. This program will examine the particular features of casino gaming law, detailing the broad architecture of regulation and licensing that overlays the industry. The program will then discuss the role of Native American tribes in casino gaming, particularly the framework of tribal-state relations mandated by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Finally, the program will discuss the law and policy sea change in the states, particularly the northeastern states, as to using gaming and sports betting as a vehicle for economic development after the US Supreme Court's decision in Murphy v. NCAA which effectively legalized sports betting nationwide. The prospects for legislation in Connecticut to authorize sports betting will receive particular attention.

The Negotiation Track

Developed by former Harvard University instructors, this seminar gives you the essential skills, strategies, and tools to effectively handle your negotiation challenges. This program is designed to be highly dynamic, interactive, and participatory—giving attendees the ability to quickly learn an effective negotiation skill set and apply it to real-word negotiations. Expect a high-speed, intense experience which will be a great deal of FUN! This training is the perfect fit for lawyers who want to advance or further their negotiation skillset.

The Real Property/Environmental Law Track

Ethical issues present themselves in all areas of law. This program will focus on ethical issues that arise in commercial real estate transactions. You will hear from attorneys discussing both environmental and lender ethical responsibilities and a Licensed Environmental Professional (LEP) discussing the ethical responsibilities when conducting environmental investigations related to commercial transactions. Join us as we review actual situations that lawyers and LEPs have found themselves facing.

The Workplace Track

The program will provide an informative annual review of workers’ compensation case law, a legislative update, an address by the agency chairman on current issues facing the workers’ compensation system, and an overview of the new RETAIN CT program.

Click on the link above to view the list of exhibitors.

Chief Judge Underhill and Attorney General Tong will open up the second day of the 2020 Connecticut Legal Conference.

The President’s Track

Connecticut faces an eviction crisis. According to data made available by Pulitzer-Prize winning scholar Matthew Desmond, four of Connecticut’s cities have the highest eviction rates in the country. Studies increasingly reveal the eviction crisis as a racial justice issue, disproportionately affecting women and children of color. With growing evidence of legal representation as one of the most effective tools to prevent housing instability, cities and states across the country are passing right to counsel legislation and investing in eviction defense programs for low-income renters.

The Negotiation Track

This seminar will provide an enlightening and comprehensive review of Connecticut Supreme Court cases from the past year by Kenneth A. Bartschi, followed by an insightful and thought-provoking review of Connecticut Appellate Court cases from the past year by Karen L. Dowd.

The Diversity and Inclusion/Lawyer Well-Being Track

Disability awareness and etiquette training is useful whenever you, as an employer, want staff to become more comfortable interacting with co-workers and customers with disabilities. Melissa Marshall developed this training from a Boston Globe Foundation grant well over a decade ago, and has documented the development and results in her book Getting It: Persuading Organizations and Individuals to Become More Comfortable with People with Disabilities. The training varies in time according to one’s needs, budget, and time constraints, but overall takes a light-hearted approach to the serious subject of becoming more comfortable with people with disabilities. Using props, including masks and dolls, and customized etiquette scenarios to your organization, Melissa creates a safe environment for participants to ask any questions that they have ever had regarding disability.

The Family Law Track

This trial-practice seminar will focus on the nuts and bolts of emergency motions from a practitioner’s perspective and a judicial perspective.

The Legal Technology Track

This seminar will showcase how the great tools in Casemaker4 can assist an attorney from the opening of a case through trial and appeal.

The Legal Technology Track

Learn how artificial intelligence (AI) will change how you practice law.

The Workplace Track

The Official Connecticut Fee Schedule For Hospitals and Ambulatory Surgical Centers went into effect April 1, 2015 and applies to all workers’ compensation bills at hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers, though many attorneys and some insurance carriers have not learned how it works. This presentation will go through the basics of how to apply the fee schedule correctly. All attorneys who practice workers’ compensation law should have a basic understanding of how the fee schedule works per Rule 1.1 of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct.

Click on the link above to view the list of exhibitors.

The President’s Track

Seventy-five years ago, Executive Order 9066 paved the way to the profound violation of constitutional rights that resulted in the forced incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans. Featuring George Takei and many others who were incarcerated, as well as newly rediscovered photographs of Dorothea Lange, And Then They Came for Us brings history into the present, retelling this difficult story and following Japanese American activists as they speak out against the Muslim registry and travel ban. Knowing our history is the first step to ensuring we do not repeat it. And Then They Came for Us is a cautionary and inspiring tale for these dark times. Join us for a film screening and panel discussion. "It was a failure of American democracy, and yet because most Americans are not aware of that dark chapter of American history, it's about to be repeated." - George Takei, Actor and Activist

The Business Law Track

Principally due to the success of various machine learning techniques, AI is no longer a technology of the future. Industrial actors increasingly adopt AI-based applications to improve their business operations or bring innovative products to market. And consumers routinely engage with AI that power speech recognition systems, social media feeds, mortgage apps, and myriad others. Hundreds of billions of dollars have been invested in AI development this decade alone, and global business value derived from AI is reported to have exceeded $1 trillion in 2018 and is forecast to reach almost $4 trillion in 2022. While the economic value of AI technology is unquestionable, it poses unique challenges with respect to intellectual property, managing and protecting data, and regulatory oversight.

This program will provide practitioners with practical guidance for identifying and managing legal risks and opportunities relating to AI systems by focusing on intellectual property, data privacy and security, and current and future regulatory environments. In addition, specific attention will be given to issues affecting digital health and insurance technologies.

The Updates in Case Law Track

Join a distinguished panel of seasoned commercial litigators and bankruptcy practitioners to learn the latest developments in the fields of business litigation, business bankruptcy, and consumer bankruptcy. This annual review of the law promises to be a highly-informative seminar.

The Family Law Track

Join us for the annual review of cases pertaining to the field of family law. Participants will be provided with richly detailed materials summarizing all relevant and current family law cases.

The Legal Technology Track

Clients today have much different expectations than clients did a generation or two ago. Learn from industry leaders in the law and law firm management how to anticipate, meet, and exceed those evolving expectations.

The Negotiation Track

Representing clients before and during negotiation in a mediation setting calls for a very specific form of advocacy, different from traditional litigation advocacy. Lawyers need advanced negotiation skills and a sophisticated understanding of the role and potential power of the mediator. This program is presented by members of the Connecticut Mediation Association, who will present the theory of what "mediation advocacy" should be, both in the preparation and counseling phases and during the mediation itself. We will demonstrate and deliver "best practices" for ethical and effective representation in civil and family mediation that enhance the promise and principles of mediation rather than undermine the potential for resolution and creative problem-solving that mediation offers.

The Ethics Track

Presented by some of Connecticut’s leading defense counsel lawyers, this program will focus on providing valuable instruction, risk control, and recommendations to help lawyers safely navigate today’s complex legal environment and assist them in minimizing professional liability risk. Topics to be covered include: the ethics of errors, exploring some nontraditional legal malpractice exposures, conflicts of interest and the rules that govern them, and exploring cautionary case law.

Click on the link above to view the list of exhibitors.

Lt. Gov. Bysiewicz and Judge Streit-Kefalas will open up the final day of the 2020 Connecticut Legal Conference.

The President’s Track

The panel of judges and judicial educators will provide best practices for teaching implicit bias to legal professionals. They will assist the participants in conceptualizing and simplifying the research concerning implicit bias. They will provide suggestions for sidestepping anger or embarrassment among future students by ensuring those students know that all humans have biases, including the instructors. Most importantly, the panelists will provide strategies for mitigating implicit biases.

The Diversity and Inclusion/Lawyer Well-Being Track

Across America, companies are recognizing that well-being initiatives are necessary in the workplace, not only from a moral and societal benefit standpoint but it’s also smart business. Learn the benefits of a proactive well-being program and what you can do to get you and your organization started down the path to legal well-being!

The Family Law Track

An overview of the Social Security programs of disability and retirement, focusing on eligibility for the benefits, ex-spousal eligibility for those benefits, and alienability of those benefits for the benefit of the spouse and children. The program will also address Social Security retirement, ex-spousal eligibility, valuation, and reduction of those benefits for the worker and ex-spouse by windfall elimination and government pension offset.

The Hot Topics Track

Due to circumstances outside of our control, this session will not be presented.

The Hot Topics Track

Early stage companies face many challenges and needs for capital. The closing of financing for an early stage company is not the end but really the beginning of a new collection of people seeking to work together going forward. There are often many parties involved with many different interests and viewpoints, and so it is important to understand the key terms and aspects of such transactions and how to successfully navigate them as a practitioner, regardless of which party is your client.

The Hot Topics Track

In this program, you will learn about conducting a hearing/bench trial via online technology. Our panel will provides tips and advice on how to conduct remote trials and hearing. You will learn about available features and use of exhibits, proposed witness protocols, strategies and pitfalls, and best practices from attorneys who have conducted remote trials and hearings.

The Ethics Track

The Rules of Professional Conduct include specific obligations regarding technology. What does this mean for lawyers and what obligations to clients does it create? In this program, we will review the requirements of the Rules of Professional Conduct and the many reasons to be technologically competent.

The Real Property/Environmental Law Track

This seminar will educate members of the bar about the Connecticut Standards of Title published by the Connecticut Bar Association. It will highlight the key sections of the standards to assist practitioners in clearing title to real property and addressing common title issues.

The Workplace Track

This presentation will provide a brief overview of the ADA, past and present, the implications of the ADA on assistance animals in the workplace, and providing leaves of absence as a reasonable accommodation.

Click on the link above to view the list of exhibitors.

The Business Law Track

This program will be a “soup to nuts” primer on trademark litigation, both at the United States Patent and Trademark Office and at federal court, from the beginning of the litigation to the entry of judgment. The program will first briefly discuss applying for and registering one’s trademark and/or trade dress. It will also discuss effectively pleading and defending a trademark action, both from the perspective of allegations of infringement/unfair competition, and various defenses or invalidity counterclaims, including using legal tools that are “trademark adjacent” to get relief otherwise questionably obtainable via the Lanham Act. Then the program will discuss best practices for conduct of discovery in a trademark case, including preservation of data and prioritization of types of evidence and use of expert testimony as to both liability and damages, etc. Finally, the program will turn to arguing and presenting one’s best case at trial in a trademark case, including proving damages and the availability of appropriate remedies.

The Updates in Case Law Track

Stay up-to-date on recent developments in Connecticut law affecting land use and planning procedure, compliance, and interpretation. Experts from the field from across the state will provide succinct and practical analysis on recent case law and significant legislative and administrative changes that took effect this year.

The Diversity and Inclusion/Lawyer Well-Being Track

As Sarah Grimke once said: “But I ask no favors for my sex...All I ask of our brethren is, that they will take their feet from off our necks, and permit us to stand upright....” In honor of the 19th Amendment Centennial, where women were granted the right to vote, the Diversity & Inclusion Committee and the Women in the Law Section present a moderated intimate conversation about women and diversity in the legal profession over several decades.

The Legal Technology Track

This program will focus on the ever-expanding range of risks that lawyers in any type of firm face as a result of cybercrime, including online theft, e-mail compromise and ransomware, as well as errors in IT use and implementation. The panel will explain current and emerging statutory, ethical, and contractual concerns and provide common sense suggestions for fulfilling those obligations and attendant client expectations. Practical, real-world advice will be offered on basic security precautions and preparations, insurance options, and cooperation with the government. No prior technical experience or aptitude necessary.

The Negotiation Track

Developed by former Harvard University instructors, this seminar gives you the essential skills, strategies, and tools to effectively handle your negotiation challenges. This program is designed to be highly dynamic, interactive, and participatory—giving attendees the ability to quickly learn an effective negotiation skill set and apply it to real-word negotiations. Expect a high-speed, intense experience that will be a great deal of FUN!
This training is the perfect fit for lawyers who want to advance or further their negotiation skillset. 

The Ethics Track

Presented by some of Connecticut’s leading defense counsel lawyers, this program will focus on providing valuable instruction, risk control, and recommendations to help lawyers safely navigate today’s complex legal environment and assist them in minimizing professional liability risk. Topics to be covered include: the ethics of errors, exploring some nontraditional legal malpractice exposures, conflicts of interest and the rules that govern them, and exploring cautionary case law.

The Real Property/Environmental Law Track

Participants will be provided with a review and analysis of recent cases of interest to real property practitioners as well as bills that have recently passed in the legislative session, and a review of those bills that may not have passed but bear watching.

Click on the link above to view the list of exhibitors.