CLE Program

Join us for an enlightening panel discussion where experienced attorneys from both sides, along with a neutral expert, offer a comprehensive primer on the intricate ethics and bias issues facing employment law practitioners today. This engaging session aims to equip you with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate these challenges with confidence.

Key Takeaways:

• Review the essential professional guidelines designed to eliminate bias, promoting fairness and equality in our practice.
• Refresh Ethical Principles: Reinforce your understanding of key ethical rules through real-world examples and practical illustrations.

Unlock the strategic benefits of using discovery referees to streamline civil litigation. In this program, retired judges Hon. James Lambden and Hon. Victoria Wood guide attorneys through the flexible authority of referees, breaking down obstacles like discovery disputes, stonewalling, and misbehaving counsel. Explore how referees can expedite pre-trial procedures, save costs, and manage complex motions. Learn practical tools, from appointing a referee to sharing real-world examples and forms, and gain a clear path to faster, more efficient discovery practices.

In your DVRO cases, are you ready to deal with (a) unconsented-to recordings and (b) children's testimony obtained in chambers? Don’t get caught flat-footed! This unconventional DVRO evidence can be critical to outcome and you need to be ready. In this webinar, our panel will explore the law, the ethics and the practicalities of getting this evidence in or keeping this evidence out.

Our panel consists of sitting Los Angeles County Judge  Lawrence Riff, family law practitioner Michael Hanasab, and mediator and Temporary Judge Hon. Susan Lopez Giss (ret.). These panelists return from their earlier, well-received ADRS presentation on Family Code section 6309 DVRO discovery.

This program explores implicit bias in the legal profession and its impact on decision-making, advocacy, and access to justice. Participants will delve into the origins and types of bias, including affinity bias and unconscious categorization. Through self-awareness exercises and actionable strategies, attendees will learn how to identify and reduce unintended biases in their professional roles. The course emphasizes understanding bias as a natural but manageable aspect of human behavior and provides tools to enhance fairness and integrity in the legal system. Topics include the implications of bias in rulings, client relations, and professional ethics, with insights from the California jury instructions and judicial best practices. 

An impactful mediation brief can set the stage for a successful resolution. This CLE webinar explores the essential elements of writing mediation briefs, including tailoring your brief to your audience, understanding the mediation privilege, and deciding between confidential and shared briefs. Our panelists will delve into the interplay between pre-mediation calls and briefs, emphasize key issues for various types of mediations, and provide practical guidance on preparing attachments and addressing disputed facts effectively.

California courts publish around 500 new civil decisions every year, and many of them make significant changes to existing law. In this one-hour seminar Monty McIntyre and Mike Roberts will discuss many important case civil case decisions published in 2024 by the California Supreme Court and the Courts of Appeal.

The Honorable Judge Marshall Whitley and Bette Epstein Esq., with ADR Services will present key strategies they utilize when mediating trust and estate cases that are inherently complex and involve not only accounting/tax issues but also highly charged emotional dynamics between the interested parties.

This program addresses the critical importance of wellness in the legal profession, exploring data on attorney burnout, the toll of incivility, and the ethical and professional risks tied to neglecting health and well-being. Beginning with a guided breathing exercise, participants will learn about resilience through the lens of five key pillars—physical, emotional, spiritual, social, and mental health—while gaining practical tools to manage stress and maintain balance. The session aims to equip attorneys with simple yet effective techniques for enhancing focus and reducing stress.

Ethical pitfalls in mediation and settlement negotiations can have lasting consequences for attorneys and their clients. This MCLE webinar brings together retired Judge and mediator Steve Austin, mediator and UC Law adjunct professor Debra Bogaards, and UC Law adjunct professor of negotiation John Dean to explore critical issues in legal ethics. Topics include confidentiality in mediation, ethical drafting of binding settlement agreements (including mediator’s proposals and global settlements), and the risks of coercive tactics. The discussion will also cover the evolving challenges of client confidentiality in the digital age, including cloud storage, AI, and the ethical responsibilities of supervising staff and vendors. Attendees will gain essential insights into navigating ethical obligations while ensuring compliance with professional standards.

Actuarial case valuation integrates probability theory and actuarial principles to create a settlement range based on each party’s own valuation. This approach shifts mediation from positional bargaining to data-driven analysis, fostering collaboration, breaking deadlocks, and guiding realistic settlement discussions. Participants will learn how this method promotes trust, adjusts for litigation costs, and enhances resolution in complex disputes.

Popular Annual Review of The United States Supreme Court, Federal Ninth Circuit, and California cases and legislation involving ADR

Join us for an Earth Day-themed webinar to learn from expert lawyers and consultants on how to facilitate and negotiate resolution of property contamination disputes.  The panelists will present a mixed-use housing hypothetical and then discuss best practices to handle public participation, neighbors and communication of environmental risk, assembling a team to deal with regulatory and property development issues, and strategies for resolving multi-party environmental litigation with a special focus on insurance coverage.