CLE Program

Retired Judge Vedica Puri pulls back the curtain on Law and Motion practice, offering candid insights on what she wishes she’d known as a litigator. With experience on both sides of the bench, Judge Puri will highlight how credibility is built—or lost—in written and oral advocacy. From understanding the near-finality of tentative rulings to mastering ex parte procedures, she will walk attorneys through best practices that truly help the court help you. Learn the significance of and how to sharpen your papers, present stronger arguments more persuasively, and navigate the nuances between direct calendar and law and motion departments. Attendees will leave with practical tools, examples, and a cheat sheet of deadlines to improve outcomes in every motion.

Soak up summertime fun with a getaway to the mountains. Earn MCLE, including specialty credits. Spend time with your family and friends, hiking through the wildflowers, swimming in the pools or at the lake, and enjoy camaraderie with your fellow ADC colleagues. This is a “Do Not Miss” opportunity.

Join Phyllis W. Cheng, Esq. for a timely and in-depth CLE presentation on the evolving dynamics between federal and state employment laws under the current administration. This session explores the sweeping shifts in executive orders, agency priorities, and case law at the federal level—and California’s robust legislative and regulatory responses. Attendees will gain practical insights into how these developments impact civil rights, workplace compliance, and the resolution of employment disputes through mediation. Ideal for attorneys, HR professionals, and neutrals who need to stay ahead in a rapidly changing legal environment.

Please join us for the Fourth Annual CLA Litigation Section Judicial Advisors Roundtable. This program will offer attendees a chance to hear directly from judicial officers to learn substantive practice pointers and more. This program will feature the following high-profile judicial officers who serve as judicial advisors to the CLA Litigation Section.

Valuing a business in divorce is rarely straightforward—and the stakes are high. This program brings together the perspectives of a seasoned valuation expert and two retired judges—now respected mediators and private judges—to unpack the legal, practical, and strategic complexities of business valuation in family law.

Valuation expert Jennifer Magnes will provide an overview of the 3 valuation approaches, the cost / asset-based approach, market approach, and the income approach, and explain how to select the best method within the approaches based on the nature of the business. Judges Pulido and Landau will offer practical insights drawn from the bench and the settlement table, exploring how courts assess goodwill, determine valuation dates, and guard against double-counting in property division and support.

Experts can make or break a mediation—but only if used strategically. John D. Hanover and Robert S. Mann explore how to engage, prepare, and deploy experts to clarify technical issues, build risk models, and support realistic negotiations without overpowering the process. This program covers selective disclosure, joint expert sessions, and the potential role of neutral experts, offering practical strategies to ensure experts enhance—rather than hinder—the path to resolution.

Join #1 New York Times bestseller Ezra Klein and a panel of sensational experts for a special discussion about the abundance agenda for California’s economy, policy reform and dispute resolution. Are you interested in building what California needs, political governance and current affairs? This lunchtime webcast is for you.
This complimentary CLE program is presented by ADR Services, Inc., and co-sponsored by CA FWD, Kearns & West, and Hanson Bridgett.

The Pinto decision upended long-standing assumptions in California insurance litigation, directly challenging the validity of CACI 2334 and setting off a wave of change across bad faith failure-to-settle claims. In response, courts and legislators acted—producing two significant published opinions and ushering in Code of Civil Procedure § 999, which now governs pre-litigation settlement demands.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing how legal professionals draft, research, and strategize. But how can attorneys use these tools effectively—and ethically?

In this engaging and practical CLE program, Dan Garrison, CEO of OpenWallet and adjunct professor at the University of Utah College of Law, and Judge Victoria Wood (Ret.), a seasoned neutral and retired judge, explore how generative AI tools like ChatGPT can be used to enhance legal work product without compromising professional obligations.

The program will demonstrate a hands-on exercise for using AI to optimize (not replace!) human work product —showing how attorneys can train AI to improve outputs through structured prompting, context building, and iterative feedback. Through real examples and interactive discussion, the speakers will highlight best practices for leveraging AI tools in tasks like legal drafting, oral argument preparation, and brief analysis.

Interwoven throughout the presentation will be key ethical considerations under the California Rules of Professional Conduct, including duties of competence, confidentiality, candor to the tribunal, and oversight of non-lawyer (and now, non-human) assistance.

Attendees will leave with practical takeaways, sample prompts, and an adaptable framework for integrating AI tools into their legal practice—safely, ethically, and effectively.

This program will examine the legal frameworks and practical challenges of subrogation litigation in auto, workers’ compensation, and property disputes, emphasizing strategies to maximize the effectiveness of mediation in reaching durable, cost effective outcomes.

When family members are named trustee, what could go wrong? A lot, as most trust and estate litigators know all too well. This advanced-level CLE program explores the emotional, legal, and strategic challenges that arise when siblings, step-relatives, or other family members take on fiduciary roles—and the inevitable disputes that follow.
Led by Carmen Alberio and Bette Epstein, two seasoned trust and estate mediators, this program offers practical guidance for attorneys navigating these volatile dynamics. Topics include managing client expectations, bringing a realistic perspective to accounting and real property disputes, dealing with unrepresented or unreasonable beneficiaries, and leveraging mediation to reach creative resolutions. With real-world examples and insights from the settlement table, attendees will leave better equipped to counsel clients, reduce litigation, and achieve durable outcomes—even when family conflict runs deep.

Save the Date! Details to come at https://marinbar.org/events/?type=event&id=662