Report from the Depositions Bootcamp, 7/11

Depositions Bootcamp & Ethics Minefield

Karen Kim, co-chair of the Litigation Committee, reports on that Committee’s recent CLE program on deposition basics:

On July 11, 2012, the Litigation Committee presented a “Depositions Bootcamp + Ethics Minefield” CLE with the following panel of senior litigators:  Vincent T. Chang (Partner at Wollmuth Maher & Deutsch), James P. Chou (Senior Counsel at Akin Gump Hauer Strauss & Feld LLP), Tristan C. Loanzon (Principal at Loanzon Sheikh LLC), Concepcion A. Montoya (Partner at Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP), James S. Yu (Partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP) and Yang Chen (Executive Director of AABANY).  The panel was moderated by AABANY Litigation Committee co-chair William Wang (Partner at Lee Anav Chung LLP).  Winston & Strawn LLP did an exceptional job hosting the event, with the assistance of Louis A. Russo, an associate at Winston & Strawn LLP and the staff, taking the event to the next level.

The CLE was well attended and a great success, thanks to the wonderful panelists who explained the basics of depositions, how to prep a witness for deposition, and the nuances of ethics while also doing a demonstration of what not to do in a deposition.  CLE materials were provided, which included resources attendees can reference for guidance, articles, PowerPoint slides and caselaw on important developments and aspects of depositions.  Overall, the attendees found the CLE informative and comprehensive and “one of the best CLEs” with a “very knowledgeable panel."  With the help of Francis Chin from the Professional Development Committee, attendees left with certificates for 3 CLE credits, including one hour in Ethics credit.

Stay tuned to the LC because in October, the committee is planning a depositions workshop where attendees will actually get to take mock depositions and receive critique from this (tentatively scheduled to appear) panel of distinguished litigators.

Upcoming Ethics CLEs

Get those elusive Ethics CLE credits at our upcoming programs – and it’s free for AABANY members (fee charged to non-members).

The IP Committee presents: Intellectual Property Ethics for In-House Counsel (1.5 Ethics), May 17. RSVP here.

Government & Public Sector Committee presents: Everyday Ethics for the Government and Public Sector Attorney (2.0 Ethics), May 23. RSVP here.

Solo & Small Firm, Real Estate and Immigration committees co-sponsor two programs,  each about ethical lawyer marketing and sustaining your practice (each 1 Ethics + 1 Law Practice Management) May 23rd (RSVP here)  and June 6th (RSVP here).

You can fulfill your ethics CLE requirements this year with these great AABANY programs!

Advanced registration for our CLE programs is required at our website www.aabany.org .

AABANY ED Speaks at “Bridge the Gap” CLE Orientation Program

On Wednesday, April 25, AABANY Executive Director Yang Chen was a panelist at a CLE Orientation Program presented by the First Department’s Committee on Character and Fitness for a group of about 250 new attorneys who were going to be sworn in to the New York State bar that day.  The program took place at NYCLA from 9 am to 11 am, and Mr. Chen provided an overview of ethical issues confronting the new practitioner.  Mr. Chen spoke from his perspective as a practitioner for nearly 20 years working on complex commercial litigation and antitrust matters.  The other panelists included Meredith Heller, who spoke on seeking and getting help through Lawyers’ Assistance Programs, Jeremy Feinberg, who spoke on civility, professionalism and pro bono service, and Norma Lopez, who gave an overview of the disciplinary process and how to avoid getting caught up in it.  Maria Matos, Executive Secretary of the Committee on Character and Fitness and former President of the Puerto Rican Bar Association, organized the event, which is held every few weeks throughout the year.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965: Where Do We Go From Here?

Rutgers-Newark Law Review is holding an upcoming Symposium – “The Voting Rights Act of 1965: Where Do We Go From Here?”, to be held on Friday, April 13, 2012, from 9:15AM to 5:00PM at the State House on 125 West State Street in Trenton, New Jersey.
 
This symposium will examine the effects of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 nearly fifty years after its passage. Distinguished speakers will discuss whether the Act has fulfilled its charter and should now be repealed or whether it is still required today.

For those seeking CLE credits, six CLE credits are being offered for the NY and NJ Bars and five for the PA Bar.  Attendance is free for everyone – including those who are seeking CLE credits.

REGISTER HERE  For more information contact Eric Ng, Vice President of the Rutgers-Newark APALSA.

My name is Amelia Clark, and I serve as the tournament director for the Yale Mock Trial Association. It is my pleasure to invite you to join us at the 2012 New Haven Regional Mock Trial Tournament, to be held Saturday and Sunday, February 11th and 12th at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

Mock trial is an undergraduate student organization in which competitors from around the nation prepare and present a fictional case to attorney judges such as you. Past judges have reported it to be an engaging and rewarding experience, and are frequently impressed by the level of competition. In fact, many of our past judges choose to return year after year. This tournament, hosted by Yale University, serves as the first round of competition leading to the American Mock Trial Association’s National Championship Tournament, held in April.

Furthermore, as a law-related student organization, we are a certified provider of CLE credits to attorneys in New York and Connecticut. For just a few hours of your time, you would be able to earn 3 CLE credits free of charge. No mock trial experience is necessary. The success of this and all our tournaments depends on the generosity of legal professionals such as yourself who donate their time and energy each year. This year, the rounds will be as follows:

Saturday, February 11th

9:00 am: Complimentary Breakfast
9:45 am: Judge’s meeting
10:30 am – 1:30 pm: Round 1

*Complimentary Lunch after Round 1

2:45 pm: Judge’s meeting
3:30 pm – 6:30 pm: Round 2

Sunday, February 12th

8:00 am: Complimentary Breakfast
8:45 am: Judge’s meeting
9:30 am – 12:30 pm: Round 3

*Complimentary Lunch after Round 3

1:45 pm: Judge’s meeting
2:30 pm – 5:50 pm: Round 4

** We are particularly looking for people who are available to judge on Sunday, as we tend to have far fewer registrations for those rounds. Note that we are only certified to offer 3 CLE credits, even to those judges who choose to judge in multiple rounds. However, we do encourage judging multiple rounds, and in the past, many of our judges have chosen to evaluate both rounds in a given day.

To register, please fill out the form located on our website, http://www.yale.edu/mocktrial/judges.html. Upon registration, you will receive more information regarding event logistics.

If you have questions not answered on our website, please do not hesitate to contact me! Feel free to forward this information to any interested colleagues. The Yale Mock Trial Association depends on the generosity of volunteers like you for the success of this event, and we would greatly appreciate any help you could provide.

Thank you!

Amelia Clark

Yale University ‘14

Tournament Director

[email protected]

347-782-6546

Yale Mock Trial Association

PO Box 200440

New Haven, CT 06520

www.yale.edu/mocktrial

Assuming you’re a fully paid-up member of the Asian American Bar Association of New York, I invite you to register for our new eight-week, sixteen-hour continuing legal education course on real estate bankruptcy. As usual, tuition is free (in part due to the support of the ABA’s Real Property Trust and Estate Law Section and First American Title Insurance Company of New York).

We start on Monday evening, January 9, 2012 at 6:30 PM. We’ll continue on Monday evenings from 6:30 PM through 8:55 PM, but we won’t meet on January 16, 2012 (Dr. M. L. King Day) or February 20, 2012 (Presidents’ Day).

The course is designed to help you open the door to new opportunities. If you think you’re not ready to represent owners and tenants of distressed property and lenders holding mortgages on distressed property, we’d like to help you get there. With foreclosed properties proliferating in New York’s diverse communities, the need for lawyers with a working knowledge of real estate as well as the Bankruptcy Code is bound to expand. Yet, despite the impact of bad economic times, many of you have told me that you shy away from bankruptcy-related matters. By teaching you the basic tools you need to get started, we hope to help you build your practice and serve the communities.

I urge you to reserve a seat quickly. Our last five courses were oversubscribed in one week. So, if you’re ready to commit yourself to attend at least six of our eight sessions, please act quickly. All you need to do is send me an e-mail message ([email protected]) with your contact info.

If you attend all eight sessions, we anticipate that you’ll earn 19.2 CLE credits.

Our classroom will be the Village Room at First American Title Insurance Company of New York. The address is 633 Third Avenue. It’s between 40th and 41st Streets.

Here’s table listing the sessions and the topic for each.

Session/Date/Topic
1) January 9, 2012 The Structure of the Bankruptcy Code
2) January 23, 2012 Pre-Bankruptcy Planning and Commencement of a Case
3) January 30, 2012 Rights of Mortgagors and Mortgagees Under Chapter 7
4) February 6, 2012 How Chapter 13 Works
5) February 13, 2012 Rights of Mortgagors and Mortgagees Under Chapter 11
6) February 27, 2012 Avoidance Actions and Bankruptcy Remote Structuring
7) March 5, 2012 Unexpired Leases and Executory Contracts
8) March 12, 2012 Wrap-Up, Review, and Student Panel

Each session will include a networking coffee break to allow you to meet and get to know your fellow students. We’ll use this time to eat, gossip, and exchange business cards. By the way, the coffee and snacks are free also. We will provide written materials for each session (without charge) and send them to you by e-mail. Reading them before class will enhance your knowledge and enjoyment.

From our good friend Emanuel Halper.  Thanks to the ABA’s Real Property Trust and Estate Law Section and First American Title Insurance Company of New York for helping to make this FREE CLE program possible.  Current AABANY members should contact Manny directly to register.

Citizenship Clinic on 9/17 Presented by MinKwon Center and AABANY

Citizenship Clinic on 9/17 Presented by MinKwon Center and AABANY

NYCLA CLE: Affidavits in Lieu of Testimony on 9/20

For Immediate Release

CONTACT: Anita Aboulafia 212 267-6646 ext. 225 [email protected]

First-of-Its-Kind CLE Program on Using Affidavits in Lieu of Direct Testimony at Trial on September 20

August 23, 2011 – New York, NY – The New York State–Federal Judicial Council, the Second Circuit Judicial Council and the New York County Lawyers’ Association (NYCLA) are co-sponsoring a first-of-its-kind CLE program on the use of affidavits in lieu of direct testimony at (bench) trial. The program takes place on September 20 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Ceremonial Courtroom of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse at 500 Pearl Street, New York, New York, 9th Floor. Please note that due to the (very) large number of registrants to date, a live feed of the panel discussion will also be viewable in the jury assembly room on the ground floor at 500 Pearl St., and if necessary, also in Courtrooms 9A and 9B in the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Courthouse at 500 Pearl Street. CLE credit will be awarded for those who attend in any of these venues.

The program is free for attorneys who are admitted to practice in the State of New York; participants will receive two Professional Practice credits. Because space is limited, please register no later than September 8 (by 2:00 p.m.) on the Second Circuit Judicial Council’s website, http://ww2.ca2.uscourts.gov/cle/Login.aspx.

The practice of substituting affidavits for direct testimony at bench trials is becoming more widespread in courtrooms across the country. NYCLA recently recommended that this practice be implemented in New York’s intensely busy Family Court; it is already in place in the Commercial Division of the New York State Supreme Court and it is prevalent in federal courts. Lawyers who attend this CLE event—the first ever to discuss the use of affidavits in lieu of direct testimony—will gain valuable insight into this practice from a distinguished group of judges and practitioners.

Professor Jane Spinak of Columbia Law School will moderate. Panelists include: the Honorable Richard M. Berman, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York; the Honorable Laura E. Drager, New York State Supreme Court, Civil Branch, New York County; the Honorable Douglas E. Hoffman, New York State Family Court (Manhattan); Susan Bender, Esq., of Bender Rosenthal Isaacs & Richter LLP and past President of the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York; and John J. Kerr, Esq., of Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP.

Light refreshments will be served at the event.

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