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See the "Schedule & Faculty" tab below for course titles, dates, and times
The July Webcast Extravaganza includes a wide variety of live webcast programs that are sure to inform and expand your practice. Earn up to 33 credits, including 11 ethics credits and 2 elimination of bias credits, as you enjoy all of the webcasts in the Alternative Dispute Resolution Series and the Start Your Own Practice A to Z Series. But the Extravaganza doesn’t stop there! This package includes a whole host of webcasts on topics ranging from family law, focus and time management, mental health in the legal profession, property tax appeals, ethical client service, and more. As a special bonus, you will also have access to the Sharper Lawyer webcasts featuring our popular guest presenter, Cynthia Sharp. Register for this cost-saving package today!
Times listed are Central Time.
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Creating a Business Plan and Start-Up Budget for Your Firm
Paul Floyd and Susan Mundahl walk you step-by-step through the process of starting your new firm. Topics include: starting out on a shoestring, how to obtain financing, what lenders look for in start-up loans – and much more. Materials include a hypothetical business plan and income and expense projections.
– Paul M. Floyd; Wallen-Friedman & Floyd, P.A.
– Susan J. Mundahl; Mundahl Law, PLLC
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
ADR: What You Need to Know to Include Collaborative Family Law in Your Family Law Practice
If you are curious about Collaborative Family Law (aka Collaborative Practice) and how you might include it in your practice, join us for this informative webcast. Attorneys Angela Heart and Tonda Mattie will provide a thumb’s nail sketch of what it is, how it benefits clients, what training is needed, and what a collaborative divorce case looks like when using the Collaborative Process.
– Tonda L. Mattie; Tonda L. Mattie, LLC
– Angela E. Heart; Heart Law, LLC
Wednesday, July 1, 2020
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Selecting a Business Entity for Your Firm
Selecting a business entity is no small matter for any company, but for law firms (and other professions), relevant issues go beyond just liability and tax shield implications. New firms, including solo firms, need to concern themselves with the Rules of Professional Responsibility and related filing requirements, state specific filing requirements, tax issues, and member/shareholder/partner relationships. This presentation will explore the prevalent structures (sole proprietorship, S-Corp, partnership, LLC) and evaluate the benefits and detriments of each.
– Scott J. Seiler; Seiler Law, PLLC
Thursday, July 2, 2020
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Focus and Time Management: What Neuroscience Tells Us About Improving These Critical Skills
Every time you focus your attention you are using glucose and other metabolic resources. Studies by Professor of Psychology at Florida State University Roy Baumeister and his colleagues show that each task that you perform tends to make you less effective at the next task. Whether we are at home, in the workplace, or elsewhere, we are constantly fighting off distractions and battling conflicting priorities. This session focuses on practical tips for avoiding and suppressing distractions, including a 4-step focused-attention-meditation which will help you sustain attentional focus, and other neuroscience-based practices to increase your ability to focus and better manage your priorities, energy, and time.
– Carolien Moors; HardTalk Biz Coaching
Thursday, July 2, 2020
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Family Law Institute: Finding Your Rhythm – When to Do Focused Work, Process Emails, Brainstorm Ideas, and Make Decisions
Attorneys routinely keep too many things on their to-do list, feel overwhelmed with busyness, and prioritize other people's requests over their truly important tasks. They are often told to manage their time better, multitask more, work smarter, or put in longer hours to get more done. But attempting to keep up with rising demands while neglecting to consider energy peaks and valleys creates an unsustainable path to productivity. In this presentation, you will learn how to:
– Dyan Williams; Dyan Williams Law PLLC
Thursday, July 2, 2020
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Crafting Your Marketing Plan and Building a Strategic Referral Network
The amount of time and energy a lawyer dedicates to marketing their practice can go a long way towards determining their eventual success or demise. However, crafting a marketing plan that is unique to the particularities of a practice can be just as important, if not more important, than simply the amount of money or time allocated to marketing. Included with this concept is the development of a strategic referral network. Join Matt Ludt for a presentation on how lawyers can develop a modern approach to marketing their practice while incorporating some tried and true methods to improve their chances for success.
– Matthew E. Ludt; Atticus Family Law, S.C.
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
10 Tips for an Effective Property Tax Appeal
Join Larry Martin as he presents 10 important tips for property tax appeals. These tips will prepare you for your next property tax appeal by guiding you through the process, explaining nuances, and providing pointers that can give you a greater chance of success.
– Larry D. Martin; L.D. Martin Law Office
Tuesday, July 7, 2020
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Family Law Institute: The One Where There Is Conflict – Family Law Dynamics as Portrayed in Sitcoms
Join Carlo Faccini and Eric Parker for an informative and entertaining look at some of the more difficult scenarios family law attorneys encounter as imagined through the lens of popular culture. They will illustrate how mainstream programming depicts family law matters which will provide a greater understanding of the misconceptions that shape clients’ perceptions. They will also provide useful points of reference to invoke when speaking to clients about difficult issues that arise during family law matters.
– Carlo E. Faccini; Attorney at Law
– Eric R. Parker; Johnson Turner Legal
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Fee Agreements
Fee arrangements can be contingent, fixed, hourly, or some combination of the three. This presentation will compare the types of fee agreements, which ones have writing requirements, and the best practices for different arrangements.
– Eric T. Cooperstein; Law Office of Eric T. Cooperstein, PLLC
Wednesday, July 8, 2020
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Breaking the Stigma about Mental Health
The theme of this installment of the Path to Lawyer Well-Being is the elimination of the stigma associated with help-seeking behaviors. To be a good lawyer, one needs to be a healthy lawyer. Recent studies of lawyers and law students reported that the fear of someone else finding out about a problem kept our colleagues from seeking (or offering) help. Our profession has often neglected these problems until they reach a point where they can no longer be ignored. This approach has often resulted in careers and sometimes even lives being cut tragically short. This program will delve into the biases that create barriers and counter them with proven research, personal examples, and specific strategies for changing the culture and reducing the toxicity in our profession.
– Joan Bibelhausen; Executive Director, Minnesota Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers
Friday, July 10, 2020
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Managing Business and Trust Accounts
Keeping your deposits and withdrawals straight and knowing how to properly and ethically manage lawyer trust accounts is critical to every lawyer’s practice – yet trust account management is frequently misunderstood. Join Cassie Hanson and Lynda Nelson from the Minnesota Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility as they review everything you need to know to properly maintain the required trust account books and records and fulfill your fiduciary duty to clients.
– Cassie B. Hanson; Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility
– Lynda Nelson; Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
9:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
How to Ethically Attract and Keep Quality Clients
Would you like to increase your client base but don’t know where to begin? Do you want to actively market your practice but have a restricted budget? If so, you won’t want to miss Cynthia Sharp’s energetic and informative presentation. Topics covered include:
– Cynthia Sharp, Esq.; The Sharper Lawyer
Wednesday, July 15, 2020
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
ADR: Goal Setting – Commencing a Client-Centered Path to Resolution
Many professional websites include a statement like “Our goal is to provide an optimal experience for our clients.” Goals are important! But what about our clients’ goals? Are we as mindful about learning what is truly important to them in their divorce process? And are we paying enough attention to what might be the shared goals of spouses or partners going through a separation or divorce? Discovering shared goals can make a divorce process much more positive and productive, and this begins with attorneys or a neutral helping each spouse or partner articulate their goals. Join us to learn more about how goal-setting with clients can enhance the process of reaching a settlement.
– Deborah Clemmensen; Licensed Psychologist, Neutral Child and Family Specialist
– Louise Livesay-Al; Livesay Law Office
Thursday, July 16, 2020
9:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
Financial Planning for Lawyers with Cynthia Sharp
This program will explore essential financial and tax concepts that all lawyers must know in order to properly guide clients as well as to secure their own economic futures. The content of the program will be based upon Cynthia Sharp’s book The Lawyers’ Guide to Financial Planning published by ABA Book Publishing. Topics covered include:
– Cynthia Sharp, Esq.; The Sharper Lawyer
Thursday, July 16, 2020
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
ADR: Mediation Is Confidential, Right?
Confidentiality in mediation is one of the most complex and incompletely understood issues in ADR. Yet one of the major reasons that participants choose mediation is because of the privacy that they believe the process will provide. The analysis of confidentiality, however, is not always as straightforward as some may believe. A basic understanding of the sources of mediation confidentiality, the scope of the protections afforded, who and what is protected and the possible exceptions to confidentiality is essential to effective advocacy and participation in mediation. Join experienced mediator and educator, Leslie Sinner McEvoy, for a closer look at mediation confidentiality in Minnesota – for mediators, advocates, and participants.
– Leslie Sinner McEvoy; McEvoy Conflict Management and Legal Education Consulting
Friday, July 17, 2020
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Ethics: Can We Talk? Developments in Rules 4.2 and 4.3
New twists have recently been applied to Rules 4.2 and 4.3 including ABA formal opinions about dealing with pro se parties who may occasionally hire counsel and the limits of “scripting” a client’s communication with an opposing party. Plus, whether service of pleadings implicates Rule 4.2 and whether lawyers click “Reply to All” at their own risk.
– Eric T. Cooperstein; Law Office of Eric T. Cooperstein, PLLC
Friday, July 17, 2020
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Mapping Prejudice: Uncovering the Hidden Histories of Race and Privilege in Minneapolis
Mapping Prejudice is using geographic information systems (GIS), Optical Character Recognition, and crowdsourcing to build the first comprehensive map of racial covenants for a major American city. These covenants were used in the first half of the 20th century to prevent people who were not white from owning or occupying property. While now illegal, covenants continue to impact the racial geography of Minneapolis today and undergird many of the city's contemporary racial disparities.
– Kevin Ehrman-Solberg; Digital and Geospatial Director, Mapping Prejudice Project
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
ADR: Domestic Violence Screening Made "SIMP[LE]" (Simplified Initial Mediation Prescreen)
Many ADR practitioners do not have a system to screen for domestic violence (DV) and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), and many screening guides are overwhelmingly lengthy and difficult to apply in practice. In this presentation, attorney and ADR provider Carl Arnold proposes a new model that he is calling "SIMP[LE]" (Simplified Initial Mediation Prescreen). It is a short, accessible DV/IPV pre-screening tool that is tailored to use for Mediation and other ADR processes. This model proposes that every ADR practitioner should develop 3-5 limited, non-leading questions that they ask every ADR client in order to improve the effectiveness and appropriateness of their initial DV/IPV screening for ADR. This model is not intended to replace the SAFeR model from the Battered Women's Justice Project but instead would be a pre-screen to more in-depth DV/IPV screening where appropriate.
– Carl J. Arnold; Arnold Law & Mediation LLC
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
ADR: How to Customize Arbitration Clauses to Fit Your Clients’ Needs
A carefully drafted arbitration clause is the foundation of an effective dispute resolution process. Business attorney and arbitrator, Steven Ness, discusses the various factors attorneys must consider when drafting arbitration clauses in business contracts, including sample clauses and practical drafting tips.
– Steven E. Ness; Business Law Center
Wednesday, July 22, 2020
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Family Law Institute: 20 Tips for Practicing in Greater Minnesota
From practical tips on setting and collecting fees to advice for succeeding in courtrooms, Jason Kohlmeyer from Mankato and Katrina Wass from Fergus Falls share their top 20 tips for practicing family law in Greater Minnesota. Some tips will be unique to their home counties while others will apply across the state.
– Jason C. Kohlmeyer; Kohlmeyer Hagen Law Office Chtd
– Katrina I. Wass; Pemberton Law Firm
Thursday, July 23, 2020
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
20 Top Tech Tips to Build Your Law Practice
This presentation will identify today’s top software and system tools helping lawyers become more efficient and productive. Learn about mobile tech tools, case management platforms, convenient invoicing and accounting, secure document storage, system vulnerabilities that expose your data to the world, and the answers to all of your tech questions.
– Todd C. Scott; Minnesota Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company
Thursday, July 23, 2020
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Law Firm Staffing: Practical Perspectives
This presentation is a replay of a webcast originally presented December 19, 2019
When you are in a small firm, getting the help you need isn’t always easy. Join our trio of experienced lawyers and law firm managers for three unique perspectives on what you need to know about staffing your firm. Topics include:
– Heather M. Gilbert; Gilbert Law, PLLC
– Paul M. Floyd; Wallen-Friedman & Floyd, P.A.
– Jon R. Schindel; SeilerSchindel, PLLC
Friday, July 24, 2020
9:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Retain Your Clients: A Roadmap to Effective, Ethical Client Service
Many lawyers forget that law is a service profession. Studies show that the most frequent reason for losing clients is poor service. And retaining clients in a volatile economy is crucial to your practice. So how do you make sure you’re providing the best service? This seminar will provide you with the tools you’ll need to consistently deliver exceptional service, retain and develop more business from current clients, and increase referrals. You’ll also earn ethics credit while you learn to:
– Roy S. Ginsburg; Attorney and Coach/Consultant
Friday, July 24, 2020
12:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Legal Career Makeover: How to Refresh and Refocus Your Future
Looking for a new direction for your career? There is no time like the present to reflect on what you’ve accomplished and consider what it is you want – and need – to do next.
– Roy S. Ginsburg; Attorney and Coach/Consultant
Thursday, July 30, 2020
9:00 – 10:30 a.m.
Challenges in Starting Your Own Firm and How to Overcome Them
A panel of attorneys who’ve “been there” will discuss challenges they faced when starting their own firms and will share what they’ve learned in order to help you overcome the rough spots of opening your own office. Learn from their successes – and their mistakes.
– Jessica L. Birken; Birken Law Office PLLC
– George E. Warner, Jr.; Warner Law, LLC
– Heather Olson; Olson Law LLC
– Leonard B. Segal; SeilerSchindel PLLC (moderator)
Thursday, July 30, 2020
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Ethical Considerations and Stress in Non-Traditional Legal Roles
In the legal field, lawyers often view issues and problems with urgency and with diligence. Shifting careers does not presuppose a changed work ethic, and it does not automatically imply a modified approach to pressure or anxiety. Those considerations often come from within a person, and they are greatly impacted by a variety of collective and individual factors. This presentation will address some foundational pieces about non-traditional careers and discuss ongoing engagement, connection, and purpose in the legal community. The presentation will also focus on the Rules of Professional Conduct which may be implicated by non-traditional practice. If a lawyer elects to remove their presence entirely from all things attorney, that’s fully their decision. If a lawyer worries about losing that part of their identity, though, it’s significant to recognize that their voice and their passion can remain very active and heard.
– Joan Bibelhausen; Minnesota Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers
– Nicole S. Frank; Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility
– Christine Wojdyla; Volunteer/Board Member, Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers
$495
Other discounts that may apply:
Scholarships available!
Need-based scholarships are available for in-person and online seminars. For further information or to obtain a scholarship application, contact us at 800-759-8840 or customerservice@minncle.org.
This package provides 33.0 total CLE credits. Credits should be reported individually for each webcast attended, not the package as a whole.
Minnesota CLE has applied to the Minnesota State Board of CLE for the standard, ethics, and elimination of bias CLE credits as listed below. Application has been made to the Minnesota State Bar Association for any "specialist" credits and to the Supreme Court ADR Program for any continuing education in ADR credits.
Click titles for credit status and individual event codes.
Creating a Business Plan and Start-Up Budget for Your Firm
1.0 standard CLE credit
ADR: What You Need to Know to Include Collaborative Family Law in Your Family Law Practice
1.5 standard CLE credits
1.5 ADR credits
Selecting a Business Entity for Your Firm
1.0 standard CLE credit
Focus and Time Management: What Neuroscience Tells Us About Improving These Critical Skills
1.0 standard CLE credit
Family Law Institute: Finding Your Rhythm – When to Do Focused Work, Process Emails, Brainstorm Ideas, and Make Decisions
1.0 ethics credit
Crafting Your Marketing Plan and Building a Strategic Referral Network
1.5 standard CLE credits
10 Tips for an Effective Property Tax Appeal
1.0 standard CLE credit
Family Law Institute: The One Where There Is Conflict – Family Law Dynamics as Portrayed in Sitcoms
1.0 standard CLE credit
Fee Agreements
1.0 ethics credit
The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Breaking the Stigma about Mental Health
1.0 elimination of bias credit
Managing Business and Trust Accounts
1.0 ethics credit
How to Ethically Attract and Keep Quality Clients
3.0 ethics credits
ADR: Goal Setting – Commencing a Client-Centered Path to Resolution
1.0 standard CLE credit
1.0 ADR credit
Financial Planning for Lawyers with Cynthia Sharp
3.0 standard CLE credits
ADR: Mediation Is Confidential, Right?
1.0 ethics credit
1.0 ADR credit
Ethics: Can We Talk? Developments in Rules 4.2 and 4.3
1.0 ethics credit
Mapping Prejudice: Uncovering the Hidden Histories of Race and Privilege in Minneapolis
1.0 elimination of bias credit
ADR: Domestic Violence Screening Made "SIMP[LE]" (Simplified Initial Mediation Prescreen)
1.0 standard CLE credit
1.0 ADR credit
ADR: How to Customize Arbitration Clauses to Fit Your Clients’ Needs
1.0 standard CLE credit
1.0 ADR credit
Family Law Institute: 20 Tips for Practicing in Greater Minnesota
1.0 standard CLE credit
20 Top Tech Tips to Build Your Law Practice
1.0 standard CLE credit
Law Firm Staffing: Practical Perspectives
1.0 standard CLE credit
Retain Your Clients: A Roadmap to Effective, Ethical Client Service
2.0 ethics credits
Legal Career Makeover: How to Refresh and Refocus Your Future
1.5 standard CLE credits
Challenges in Starting Your Own Firm and How to Overcome Them
1.5 standard CLE credits
Ethical Considerations and Stress in Non-Traditional Legal Roles
1.0 ethics credit
