Meet representatives from suppliers who tailor their products and services to the legal community. Be sure to have your drawing card signed by the exhibitors so you can enter to win prizes, including the Grand Prize!

NOTE: The Legal Expo is intended for registered lawyer attendees and their office administrative staff. We regret that children unaccompanied by a parent cannot be admitted to the Legal Expo.

Burnout in the legal profession has occurred at record numbers over the past year. Pre-pandemic, lawyers were already navigating demanding workloads. New, unprecedented challenges have created additional layers of stress, leaving many lawyers feeling unsure about how to navigate their careers moving forward. In this presentation, participants will hear stories from lawyers who have first-hand experience with burnout. Participants will also glean additional insight as they learn about ways burnout has “shown up” and affected lawyers at all ages and stages in their careers. A focus will be on teaching participants how to notice, manage, and prevent burnout as they move forward and help them realize and pursue new opportunities that have developed as a result the pandemic.

The panel of four experienced trial lawyers will discuss trial tips from both the plaintiff’s and the defendant’s perspective.

This program will provide you with essential knowledge every attorney should know to identify and address employment and labor issues from defense and plaintiff standpoints and highlight key statutes, regulations, and caselaw applicable in Alabama.

Chris De Santis is an independent consultant specializing in the design and delivery of management and organization development interventions. He brings
with him 37 years of experience in training and development, graduate degrees in organization development and marketing, and work experience in manufacturing, service, and not-for-profit environments. his client base includes multiple first-tier consulting, accounting, financial services, technology, and law firms.
Chris assists individuals and groups in identifying obstacles to effectiveness and subsequently works with them to create user-friendly solutions aligned with the firm’s strategic initiatives. He has special expertise in dealing with generational dynamics in the workplace, gender socialization at work, developing mentoring relationships, giving and receiving feedback, embracing one’s lopsidedness, and applying the principles of emotional intelligence to leading, developing, and building long-term relationships.

He has an undergraduate degree in business from the University of Notre Dame, an MBA from the University of Denver, and an MA in organization development from Loyola University. For more information about Chris and the assistance he can provide, visit cpdesantis.com.

Jeremy Richter is a shareholder with Webster Henry in Birmingham. His civil defense practice focuses on general business liability, transportation litigation, and insurance coverage questions. Jeremy is the author of Building a Better Law Practice, Stop Putting Out Fires, and most recently, Level Up Your Law Practice. He also hosts the “Lawyerpreneur” podcast and writes about litigation and law practice management topics at jeremywrichter.com.

Specializing in cellular location analysis at Envista Forensics, Eric Grabski has experience in utilizing pen register trap and trace devices, historical call detail record analysis, social media records analysis, IP address analysis, and mobile phone device forensics to assist local and federal agencies on major cases. He has provided expert testimony of cellular location analysis in both state and federal courts.

What makes an appellate argument truly stand out–for good or ill–to an appellate court? In this panel discussion and short but entertaining mock oral argument, members of the state and federal appellate courts, and experienced appellate litigators, share often-forgotten tips (and warnings) designed to help ensure that your argument is presented well–and is memorable for the right reasons.

The Life and Times of an American Hero: Question and Answer with Fred Gray.

Michael Floyd is a founding partner in QVerity and a NY Times best-selling co-author of Spy the Lie: Former CIA Officers Teach You How to Detect Deception and Get the Truth: Former CIA Officers Teach You How to Persuade Anyone to Tell All. Michael provides training, employment screening, and consulting services for local, state, and federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies; high net-worth families; and large corporations and firms throughout north America, Europe, and Asia. He is widely recognized as a leading authority on interviewing, detection of deception, and elicitation in cases involving criminal activity, personnel screening, and national security issues.

A panel discussion on the current state of the practice as we emerge into the post-COVID era.

A lot of statutory changes have occurred at the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles since 2019. The agency has a new mission focused on reducing recidivism and improving legal reentry and rehabilitation efforts for those formerly incarcerated. The discussion will revolve around those changes, as well as new programing for those on parole.

The session is ideal for lawyers and mediators. In the post-pandemic world, with courtroom access potentially curtailed and delays in civil cases, mediation plays a more critical role than ever in providing access to justice for disputants. Our panelists will share information on mediation since the pandemic and how mediation can assist litigants and our courts. They will also share their insights on what makes mediations successful.

A panel discussion on the
legacy of John Lewis (featuring
Sheyann Webb-Christburg, writer, civil rights activist, and Congressman Lewis’s lifelong friend) and highlighting how Legal Services Alabama is honoring his vision of a more just future.

Children can enjoy a kids’ meal and a movie while their parents attend law school receptions.

Meet representatives from suppliers who tailor their products and services to the legal community. Be sure to have your drawing card signed by the exhibitors so you can enter to win prizes, including the Grand Prize!

NOTE: The Legal Expo is intended for registered lawyer attendees and their office administrative staff. We regret that children unaccompanied by a parent cannot be admitted to the Legal Expo.

Companies all over the world are being breached, so how can you keep your firm cyber-safe? Awareness and education are the best practices for keeping your firm proactive in the digital age. In this session with Heather Meadows of Dynamic Quest, we will review the critical mistakes and the impacts on some well-established companies, we will examine some of the malicious tactics used by cybercriminals, and we will discuss entry-level steps and policies for mitigating these losses on your company’s front lines.

An introduction to the Small Business Reorganization Act of 2019 (SRBA), which was enacted to provide a more accessible and streamlined path for small businesses to restructure their debts.

How prepared are you to avoid becoming the victim of violence?
Walk through Sharon Muse’s experience of being kidnapped by a former client, and learn to recognize the red flags that might one day save your life. Discover the importance of situational awareness, mindset, and tactics to aid your defense. Analyze when–and when not–to trust your instincts and delve into the brain’s reaction to a traumatic situation, which may cause you to hesitate when you need to take action. conclude with an assessment to determine your current self-protection IQ and suggestions for preparation of your own safety plan.

This session will provide thoughts and strategies on creating a brand and reputation that will cultivate client relationships. Successful lawyers and firms are those that build a distinguishable brand and sell that brand to the market, commit to client communication, and position themselves to find opportunities.

America faces a crisis of confidence in our elections. This crisis of confidence became all too clear during the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, but it did not begin only after the 2020 election. The Georgia Secretary of State’s office has been at the center of that controversy and targeted by both sides of the political aisle. Ryan Germany, general counsel for the Georgia Secretary of State, will explore the overlap between political rhetoric about “voter fraud” and “voter suppression” and how that rhetoric creates disinformation that is used to undermine confidence in our elections.

Former lawyers Dickie
Scruggs and his son,
Zach, are changing the
lives of their fellow Mississippians. Dickie is best
known as the architect of the litigation that resulted in the multi-billion-dollar Tobacco Settlement. Dickie and Zach, prominent attorneys and working side by side, spent time in federal prison for their role in a judicial corruption scandal. In prison, they helped their fellow inmates prepare for the GED. In doing so, they found purpose. Upon their release, they created 2nd Chance MS. Their nonprofit provides vital support to lower-income adult students who are working to earn their high school diploma and an employable workforce certification. Since inception in 2016, 2nd Chance MS has provided direct support to over 1,000 adults, helping 306 obtain their high school equivalency and 302 obtain an employable workforce credential. Their journey from prominence to purpose was a difficult road. But their story is a testament to receiving and giving second chances.

A panel discussion regarding recent themes in leadership and career development, centering on the value of mentors, sponsors, and allies throughout your legal career. Emphasis will be placed on viewing your legal career on a timeline so that at all points you are serving as a mentor/sponsor/ally while simultaneously receiving the benefit of being a mentee/ protegee/ally.

Join a panel of experts in the fields of Real Property, Probate, and Trusts to discuss common questions of practitioners in these fields. There will be time for Q & A at the end of the session.

In this meeting, the Alabama Law Institute council and membership will hear about the results of the ALI and sponsoring legislators’ efforts in the just-completed 2021 regular session of the legislature and upcoming projects.
Also, the leadership of the Senate and House Judiciary committees will share their observations about this session’s accomplishments.
The institute will also be conferring the status of “Fellow of the Alabama lLaw Institute” upon a member of the institute.

This CLE introduces the audience to key guiding principles of administrative law and practice, with a focus on matters governed by the Alabama Administrative Procedure Act (AAPA). Topics include how the Alabama Rules of Evidence and Civil Procedure apply (or do not apply) under the AAPA, due process in the administrative law context, the rule-making process under the AAPA, dealing with state agencies and their counsel, and tips for practitioners new to the field.

Workplace racial discrimination has evolved in the years since the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 from blatant discrimination to a subtler, more insidious discrimination that includes
racial microaggressions. Lawyers and legal workplaces are not immune from racial microaggressions or the harm they cause. This CLE will explain what microaggressions are, how attorneys of color experience them, and how they destroy motivation and relationships, using the words of the participants of a research study published by the presenter. Solutions will be offered for how attorneys and firms can begin to eliminate microaggressions from their workplaces.

This presentation by Civils Mediation LLC of Alabama workers’ compensation trivia will be in a question-and-answer format. How well do you know your workers’ compensation law? The attendees will be divided into teams and choose their questions from various categories. There will be verbal interaction on the questions, and we can keep score. Very fast-paced!

(No ticket required)

Come bid on fabulous items at incredible prices!

Join us as we say thank you to Bob Methvin for his leadership this past year as the 145th president of the Alabama State Bar. He has planned an evening of fun and fellowship with food and music from the “Big Night Dynamite” band. “Big Night Dynamite” gets their name honestly because their performance is dynamite and makes for a big night! They play a wide variety of music from Motown, ’90s, and Top 40. There is something for everyone, so bring your dancing shoes!