Co-sponsored by The Barristers/Young Attorneys Section.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
Join Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Upinder Kalra and Elizabeth Bradley, LACBA VP of DIO, COPRAC Member and former Chair of LACBA’s Professional Responsibility & Ethics Committee for a discussion of Rules of Professional Responsibility 8.4.1and 5.1 and how engaging in or ignoring bias, discrimination or harassment can lead to discipline. A new judicial ethics opinion regarding a court’s mandatory and discretionary duty to report attorney misconduct the State Bar of California will also be discussed.

SPEAKERS:
Hon. Upinder Kalra | Judge, Los Angeles Superior Court 
Elizabeth Bradley | Rosen Saba, LLP

Co-Sponsored by the by the Diversity in the Profession Section and The Korean American Bar Association of Los Angeles.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
Trusts and estate practitioners of diverse backgrounds will share how they became a trusts & estates lawyer, how they built their practice, what they like about it, and the challenges they face.  The Diversity Outreach committee of the Trusts & Estates Section was created in recognition of the disparity within the Trusts & Estates legal community.   Our committee believes that one way to reduce this legal representation gap is to introduce our practice to young attorneys and law students.

SPEAKERS:
Vivian Thoreen | Holland & Knight LLP
Gloria Park | Law Office of Gloria K. Park
Edward Navarro | Navarro Law Firm
Boutros Imad | Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett
Lynda Chung | Valensi Rose, PLC
Sonya Sultan | Sultan & Sultan
Eric Tokuyama | Withersworldwide
Beti Bergman | Peninsula Law

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
Objectives:

• Discuss the signs and symptoms of post-traumatic stress and vicarious trauma and its impact on an attorney’s competence;
• Explore the areas of practice where attorneys are most prone to vicarious trauma and PTSD;
• Explain what trauma-informed lawyering is and how to integrate this compassionate approach into your practice; and
• Gain insights from a family law attorney and former law enforcement officer as they share their personal experiences and effective strategies for managing PTSD and vicarious trauma.

SPEAKERS:
Lita Abella, JD, BCC, ACC
Ronald F. Brot, Esq.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
This program is an overview of bioethics from the vantage point of a medical practitioner. The lecture will focus on frameworks for bioethical analysis along with real-life case studies.

SPEAKER:
Ankit Shah | USC Gould School of Law

Program Description

Please join us for this informative virtual presentation as Shannon Callahan, Nixon Peabody's Senior Attorney Development & Retention Manager, discusses "SOS: The Science of Stress (and How to Break the Cycle)", which walks us through the impact of stress on our bodies, discusses evidence-based strategies to enhance mental agility, and provides resources on how to handle stress.

Panelist:
Shannon Callahan, Nixon Peabody

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
Jean-Paul Jassy, Dan Laidman, and Eugene Volokh will discuss the most recent developments and trends in First Amendment law and their impact on the entertainment and creative industries. Among other topics, the panelists will cover recent Supreme Court cases concerning freedom of speech in the context of social media (the NetChoice cases and Murthy v. Missouri), including the ability of public officials to block users (Lindke v. Freed) and government pressure to restrict disfavored speech (NRA v. Vulio), as well as whether the government can refuse to register a trademark that criticizes a public figure (Vidal v. Elster). They will also discuss the First Amendment implications of artificial intelligence.

SPEAKERS:
Jean-Paul Jassy | Jassy Vick Carolan LLP
Dan Laidman | Davis Wright Tremaine LLP
Eugene Volokh | UCLA

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
This program will cover important cases, decided by California courts in 2023 and 2024, that will impact the practice of real estate law, primarily relating to title to real property in California. The program is designed to give a quick overview of important developments in the law about which all real estate lawyers in California should know.

SPEAKERS:
Ryan C. Squire | Garrett & Tully, P.C.
Ani Grigoryan | Garrett & Tully, P.C.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
This Panel will provide an overview of the issues facing creative talent, particularly performers, in light of the rapid development in AI technology. Among other topics, the panel will discuss SAG-AFTRA’s digital replica rules and how to comply with them.

SPEAKERS:
Danielle Van Lier | Founder, Van Lier Law
Olga Rodriguez-Aguirre | Executive Director, SAG-AFTRA

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
Please join us for this informative webinar.  The presenter will discuss recent changes to the estate, gift and generation-skipping tax law, and planning considerations in light of the recent election.

SPEAKERS:
Andrew Katzenstein | Proskauer Rose LLP
Terry Cuff (Moderator) | Loeb & Loeb LLP

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
Join us for our annual Entertainment Law Year in Review Discussion. This program will highlight the significant cases, decisions, and legislative efforts that shaped entertainment law in 2024.

SPEAKERS:
Corey Field | Corey Field Law Group, P.C.
Rami Yanni | Raines Feldman Littrell LLP 
Tracy Rane | Kibler Fowler & Cave LLP

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
This program will address the tax aspects of partnership divisions, including technical requirements and planning considerations. Attendees will gain insights into how these rules apply in real-world contexts and potential pitfalls to avoid. The session is designed for tax professionals seeking a deeper understanding of Subchapter K and partnership restructuring strategies.

SPEAKERS:
Carey W. Smith | Arnold & Porter
Terence Floyd Cuff (Moderator) | Loeb & Loeb LLP

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
Leading environmental experts discuss environmental and insurance challenges that residents living in the areas impacted by the wildfires may encounter over the next several months.

SPEAKERS:
Bryan Hill | Partner Engineering and Science, Inc
Ewelina Mutkowska |Rincon Consultants
Richard Beck |Michael Baker International
Brent G. Cheney |Parker, Milliken, Clark, O’Hara & Samuelian

* To learn more about the Southern California legal community’s response to the recent Los Angeles wildfires, please visit LACBA’s Library of Legal Resources and Emergency Services Related to the Fires, which can be accessed via LACBA’s homepage. 

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
Please join us to learn from appellate attorney and author Myron Moskovitz:

• How to explain your case clearly to appellate Justices who know nothing about it.
• How to create a theme of injustice would result from a ruling against your client.
• How to keep your briefs short and concise.
• How to use oral argument to increase your chance of success on appeal.

SPEAKERS:
Myron Moskovitz | Moskovitz Appellate Team
Julia Shear Kushner (Moderator)

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
LACBA’s Healthcare Law Section will be hosting a panel of speakers to discuss key legal considerations for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in health care settings. The panelists will discuss evolving health AI and ML technologies and provide an overview of U.S. and California laws regulating AI in healthcare settings, including recent and upcoming policy developments. The panelists will also provide insight into how providers, payers, and other healthcare organizations can support ethical use and regulatory compliance when using health AI systems and technologies.

SPEAKERS:
Jodi Daniel | Crowell & Moring LLP
Lindsay Blohm | Amazon Web Services

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
Think International Cases Don’t Apply to You? Think Again! No matter your practice area—Family Law, Litigation, Patents & Trademarks, Probate, Business Law, Real Property, or beyond—sooner or later, you'll encounter a case involving a party located outside the United States. Are you ready?

Join us for a practical and informative webinar designed to demystify the complexities of serving foreign defendants. We’ll break down this intricate legal topic into clear, manageable parts, so you leave feeling confident and prepared.

Topics include:

• When and how international service of process becomes relevant to your case
• Key differences between the Hague Service Convention, Letters Rogatory, service by publication, and private process servers
• Real-world strategies for navigating cross-border legal challenges
• A look at proposed updates to the Code of Civil Procedure and why they matter

Don’t wait until an international element surprises your case—equip yourself with the tools and knowledge now.

SPEAKERS:
Nelson Tucker | Process Service Network
Henna Pithia (Moderator)

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
Confidentiality is a hallmark of conducting proper workplace investigations.  However, over the years, two federal agencies (the EEOC and NLRB) have been battling over the degree to which witnesses in a workplace investigation can be told (if at all) that they must keep the investigation confidential.  This has left workplace investigators in a quandary – should they follow directives from the EEOC, from the NLRB, or none at all? 

On May 22, 2025, please join LACBA’s Labor & Employment Law Section in hearing from a panel of highly distinguished workplace investigators, and the labor & employment attorneys who work with them, regarding their insights into this ever-critical aspect of workplace law.

This can’t-miss Webinar will feature discussion by esteemed Workplace Investigators/Experts Michael A. Robbins (JD, AWI-CH), President of EXTTI Incorporated, and Daphne Pierre Bishop (JD, AWI-CH), Managing Partner, Los Angeles, at Van Dermyden Makus, with experienced practitioner perspectives and analysis provided by Thomas A. Lenz, Partner - Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo (Employer / Management-Side), and Joseph L. Paller, Jr., Partner - Gilbert & Sackman (Employee / Union-Side).

SPEAKERS:
Michael A. Robbins, J.D., AWI-CH | EXTTI, Incorporated
Thomas A. Lenz | Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo
Joseph L. Paller, Jr. | Gilbert & Sackman, a Law Corporation
Daphne Pierre Bishop | J.D., AWI-CH, Van Dermyden Makus Law Corporation

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

PANEL ONE (1 hour) - "Ethics Highlights of 2024"

Keeping up to date on the most recent developments from 2024, our program will highlight important California judicial decisions and recent ethics opinions providing guidance to the profession on legal ethics, professional responsibility and the law of lawyering, from a practical perspective.

SPEAKERS:                  
John W. Amberg | Partner & Ethics Committee Chair,
Bryan Cave Leighton | Paisner LLP and former chair of LACBA PREC
Carol Buckner, Wilson Elser

*****

PANEL TWO (1 hour) - "Let’s Play Nice: Civility Rules in the Legal Profession"

An overview of the new State Bar Civility Guidelines for attorneys.

SPEAKERS:
Ellen Pansky

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

PANEL ONE (1 hour) - "Rule 8.3: When to Tattle"

A discussion of Rule 8.3 and when to report attorney misconduct.

SPEAKERS:                  
Joel Osman | Parker Shaffie LLP 
Clare Pastore | USC Gould School of Law
Neil Wertlieb | Wertlieb Law Corp

*****

PANEL TWO (1 hour) - "AI & Technological Competence for Lawyers"

A look at Artificial Intelligence and technological competence in the legal profession.

SPEAKERS:
Erin Joyce, Erin Joyce Law 
Sydney Mehringer, Office of the City Attorney