Continuing Legal Education Online Courses with MCLEZ are for Alabama attorneys who want to make the most of their time and money. Easily earn Alabama Online CLE credit through courses which have been produced in a variety of legal subjects that matter to you.
If you are new to MCLEZ, try a course for free before you make your purchase with our Free CLE program. To easily fulfill all of your allowable online CLE hours, see our Alabama Bundles page under State CLE Bundles.
This basic lecture helps attorneys understand the components and roles of the different types of technology available or present in the law office, what to look for as far as stats and performance is concern
Russell Jackman, Esq. is owner of Calmputer Consulting Services in Marin County, California. He is a Past President of the California State Bar's Law Practice Management and Technology Section.
Pro bono legal representation is more critical now than ever with the issues that are with us in the challenges of the economy and Covid 19. This lecture discusses the ethical requirements of providing pro bono representation for under represented clients and why it makes such a big difference to the image and performance of the legal profession.
Course Agenda
Pro Bono: Definition
The need for Pro Bono
CASES
How to get involved
Conclusions
Course Credit per State
AK - Ethics: 1.0 Credits AL - Ethics: 1.0 Credits AZ - Professional Responsibility: 1.0 Credits CA - Ethics: 1.0 Credits FL - Ethics: 1.0 Credits IL - Professional Responsibility: 1.0 Credits KY - Ethics: 1.0 Credits NH - Ethics: 1.0 Credits NJ - Ethics: 1.3 Credits NY - Ethics: 1.0 Credits PA - Ethics: 1.0 Credits SC - Ethics: 1.08 Credits
Course Presenter(s)
Russell Jackman, Esq.
Russell Jackman, Esq. is owner of Calmputer Consulting Services in Marin County, California. He is a Past President of the California State Bar's Law Practice Management and Technology Section.
FOIA: Freedom of Information Act - 2021 Update Details
Price:
$29.99
Course Description
Presentation Goals: To help attorneys - in all fields of practice - learn how to more successfully navigate the FOIA process to better support their clients
Course Agenda
The phases/steps of the FOIA process
Background and Purpose of FOIA
Practical tips to increase the success of a FOIA request
Provide practical tips for the administrative appeal and judicial review phases
Increase the likelihood of a reasonable attorneys? fees shift award
Course Credit per State
AL - On-Demand: 2.0 Credits AZ - General: 2.0 Credits CA - General: 2.0 Credits FL - General: 2.5 Credits GA - Self Study: 2.0 Credits IL - General: 2.0 Credits KY - General: 2.0 Credits MT - Self Study: 2.0 Credits NC - General: 2.0 Credits ND - Self Study: 2.0 Credits NH - General: 2.0 Credits NJ - General: 2.5 Credits NY - General: 2.0 Credits PA - Distance Learning: 2.0 Credits TX - General: 2.0 Credits
Course Presenter(s)
Pete Sorenson
With more than 30 years as an attorney, lawyer and advocate, I am licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia and the State of Oregon. I specialize in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) law and help journalists, authors, nonprofits, for profit businesses, and others to access federal government records. I assist clients with FOIA Requests, Administrative Appeals, Judicial Reviews and FOIA litigation.
In addition to assisting clients, I speak and lecture on FOIA, most recently at the Appalachian Public Interest Environmental Law (APIEL) Conference in Tennessee, University of Georgia School of Law, and at University of Tennessee College of Law.
Public and civic service is a cornerstone, with earlier careers working for a member of Congress and as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Agriculture. I am currently serving my 24th year as an elected Commissioner on the Lane County Board of Commissioners in Eugene, Oregon. Prior to that, I served in the Oregon State Senate. My political and civic experience adds a depth and understanding to my FOIA work that is unique among lawyers.
RECENT FOIA CASES: (2016 ? Present)
Food and Drug Administration: assisted journalist in obtaining the calendar of a crucial FDA official
Central Intelligence Agency: obtained records for a journalist writing on the activities of a prominent CIA official, used in questioning President's nominee for CIA Director
Environmental Protection Agency: made request for client; assisted company in obtaining a report of a competitor's product performance
Central Intelligence Agency: made request, filed administrative appeal and judicial review; assisted in obtaining records of a client's father's service in the CIA
Bureau of Land Management: on behalf of a nonprofit organization, filed judicial review, obtained records and then obtained significant judgment for attorneys' fees for that work
Agricultural Marketing Service: filed judicial review; assisted nonprofit organization in obtaining records and then obtained judgment for attorneys' fees for that work February 6, 2020
Federal Bureau of Investigation: filed request and administrative appeal on behalf of an individual seeking DNA evidence in criminal matter; obtained records; matter pending
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: assisting client in obtaining records held by CMS (in progress)
Environmental Protection Agency: filed judicial review, obtained records, and obtained settlement of attorneys' fees for engineering firm needing data and reports
CURRENT WORK:
1997 ? Present Elected County Commissioner, Lane County Board, Eugene, Oregon
1982 ? Present Attorney and Owner, Sorenson Law Office, Eugene, Oregon
PAST EXPERIENCE:
2005 ? 2006 Adjunct Professor, School of Law, University of Oregon
1993 ? 1997 Oregon State Senator (Member of Judiciary Committee), Salem, Oregon
1984 ? 1985 Visiting Professor, Department of Geography, University of Oregon
1983 ? 1984 Instructor, Dept. of Planning, Public Policy and Management, University of Oregon
1981 ? 1982 Volunteer Prosecutor, Lane County District Attorney's Office, Eugene, Oregon
1979 ? 1982 Law Clerk, Dwyer Simpson and Wold, Attorneys, Eugene, Oregon
1977 ? 1979 Special Assistant, Office of the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, DC
1974 ? 1977 Legislative Assistant, Congressman Jim Weaver (Oregon), Washington, DC
EDUCATION:
1996 ? Certificate of Completion, Program for America's Emerging Political Leaders, Darden School, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
1982 ? J.D. University of Oregon School of Law, Eugene, Oregon
1979 ? M.A. University of Oregon Geography Department, Eugene, Oregon
1973 ? B.A. University of Oregon Geography Department, Eugene, Oregon
1972 ? A.A. Southwestern Oregon Community College, Coos Bay, Oregon
BAR MEMBERSHIPS:
1994 United States District Court for the District of Columbia
1993 United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
1993 District of Columbia Court of Appeals
1991 Supreme Court of the United States of America
1984 United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
1983 United States District Court for the District of Oregon
One of the most important copyright and fair use cases of our time has been Google LLC v.
Oracle America, Inc. This case has worked its way through many levels of courts while
examining two key concepts: Are Application Programming Interfaces copyrightable and if they
are, is copying them fair use? This course looks at these two concepts in detail and provides
arguments from Oracle's and Google's advocates on both key topics.
Course Agenda
Background and Technical Context
Two important issues
Arguments that APIs are copyrightable
Arguments that APIs are not copyrightable
Fair Use Doctrine
Arguments that Android using the API was fair use
Arguments that Android using the API was not fair use
Michael W. Carroll is a Professor of Law and Director of the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property at American University's Washington College of Law.[1][2] Carroll is one of the founding Board Members of Creative Commons, a not-for-profit organization devoted to expanding the range of creative work available for others to legally build upon and share.[1] He also is a member of the Board of Directors of the Public Library of Science PLOS and served on the National Academy of Sciences' Board on Research Data and Information from 2008 to 2013.
In this engaging session, led by Rob Christopher, AV Preeminent rated litigation attorney, General Counsel, and entrepreneur, you will learn when and how you can use an innovative approach to address limited stakes legal disputes in a way that is cost-effective for clients.
The approach, Neutral-Driven (Nonadversarial) Dispute Resolution (NDR) provides attorneys and their clients with an alternative to litigation, arbitration, or mediation for resolving cases in which potential legal and related costs threaten to consume the amount at stake.
Based on his 40+ year career as a successful litigator, businessperson, and now General Counsel, Rob uses thoughtful analysis and real world examples to demonstrate both ethical reasons to consider NDR and long-term practical value to incorporating this approach into your practice.
The program covers what NDR is, how it works, where it comes from, how it differs from arbitration and mediation, and where it fits and doesn?t fit. In the process, Rob gives hands-on demonstrations of assessment tools you can use to determine if NDR makes sense in a particular case. The program concludes with clear takeaways on when and how you can use Neutral-Driven Dispute Resolution for real and lasting wins with your clients.
Rob's entertaining style and innovative and ethical approach to addressing limited stakes disputes make this a must-take session for all client-centric attorneys.
Course Agenda
Why an innovative approach is needed for limited stakes cases
The growing gap these cases cause in American civil justice
The Neutral-Driven Dispute Resolution Process
How NDR delivers value to client and attorney
Estimating the total costs of litigation for your case
When and how to access NDR to win with your clients
Rob Christopher is an AV Preeminent rated litigation and trial attorney who served as Northern California Managing Partner of international law firm Coudert Brothers and later litigation Counsel with Bay Area law firm Hopkins & Carley. Currently he is General Counsel of his family?s farming business, Christopher Ranch LLC, and Founder and Managing Director of independent neutral service Just Resolve LLC.
Rob earned his JD at the University of California at Davis, and an AB with Honors in Economics at Stanford University. He has also been a mediator, arbitrator, and settlement judge in California superior courts and is admitted to practice before numerous federal district and appellate courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court. 41 years married and now a grandfather of 4, over the last decade Rob has developed and now champions a new approach to delivering cost-effective justice in common limited-stakes legal disputes using a neutral-driven nonadversarial resolution process (NDR). Learn more at www.justresolve.com..
Changes in the composition of the National Labor Relations Board have led to changes in workplace law. The scope of employees? protected activity as well as employers? rights to set policy and to manage the workforce are in flux. More change is anticipated as the NLRB looks at setting new standards for union organizing, workplace access of union representatives, use of electronic communications, and the scope of protected employee dissent. In case rulings, guidance memos, and proposed regulations, this is a time of change labor and employment law practitioners need to follow.
Course Agenda
The National Labor Relations Act vests employees with rights under Section 7 to engage in activities relating to unions, mutual aid and protection on wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment, or to refrain from such activity.
The NLRB has two principal functions pursuant to the NLRA:
enforcing laws to ensure that workers may freely exercise their rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (the Act) without any interference from employers or unions, and
holding secret ballot elections at which workers can choose whether to have a union represent them.
Course Credit per State
AK - Voluntary: 1.0 Credits AL - On-Demand: 1.0 Credits CA - General: 1.0 Credits CT - General: 1.0 Credits FL - General: 1.0 Credits IL - General: 1.0 Credits MO - Self Study: 1.3 Credits MT - Self Study: 1.0 Credits NY - General: 1.0 Credits SC - General: 1.11 Credits
Course Presenter(s)
Thomas A. Lenz
Experience
Thomas A. Lenz is a Partner in Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo, (AALRR), a leading full-service firm with over 180 attorneys in 9 offices in California. Mr. Lenz handles all aspects of labor and employment law issues and heads the firm's traditional labor and National Labor Relations Board practices. He works with employers in all major industries across California and the West. Mr. Lenz served as Chair of the Labor and Employment Section for the California Lawyers Association (formerly the State Bar of California) during the 2017-2018 term. He serves as a Lecturer in Law, teaching at the USC Gould School of Law.
Education
Tom received his undergraduate degree from Marquette University and his law degree from the Louisiana State University Law Center. Tom studied in Spain during college (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) and in France during law school (Universite d'Aix‐en‐Provence).
Memberships
Tom sits on a variety of boards and committees, including San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership (Board Member), International Institute of Los Angeles (Secretary), State Bar of California Labor and Employment Section (Executive Committee Officer), Associated Builders and Contractors (National Legislative Committee Member), National Club Association (Board Member), Orange County Labor and Employment Relations Association/OC LERA (Past President and current Board Member), and Marquette University Alumni Club of Southern California (Past President and current Board Member).
Awards and Recognitions
Tom has been named to the Top One Hundred Labor Attorneys in the United States by Labor Relations Institute, Inc., a leading industry information source.
Changes in the composition of the National Labor Relations Board have led to changes in workplace law. The scope of employees? protected activity as well as employers? rights to set policy and to manage the workforce are in flux. More change is anticipated as the NLRB looks at setting new standards for union organizing, workplace access of union representatives, use of electronic communications, and the scope of protected employee dissent. In case rulings, guidance memos, and proposed regulations, this is a time of change labor and employment law practitioners need to follow.
Course Agenda
The National Labor Relations Act vests employees with rights under Section 7 to engage in activities relating to unions, mutual aid and protection on wages, hours, and terms and conditions of employment, or to refrain from such activity.
The NLRB has two principal functions pursuant to the NLRA:
enforcing laws to ensure that workers may freely exercise their rights under Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (the Act) without any interference from employers or unions, and
holding secret ballot elections at which workers can choose whether to have a union represent them.
Course Credit per State
AK - Voluntary: 1.0 Credits AL - On-Demand: 1.0 Credits CA - General: 1.0 Credits CT - General: 1.0 Credits FL - General: 1.0 Credits IL - General: 1.0 Credits MO - Self Study: 1.3 Credits MT - Self Study: 1.0 Credits NY - General: 1.0 Credits SC - General: 1.11 Credits
Course Presenter(s)
Thomas A. Lenz
Experience
Thomas A. Lenz is a Partner in Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo, (AALRR), a leading full-service firm with over 180 attorneys in 9 offices in California. Mr. Lenz handles all aspects of labor and employment law issues and heads the firm's traditional labor and National Labor Relations Board practices. He works with employers in all major industries across California and the West. Mr. Lenz served as Chair of the Labor and Employment Section for the California Lawyers Association (formerly the State Bar of California) during the 2017-2018 term. He serves as a Lecturer in Law, teaching at the USC Gould School of Law.
Education
Tom received his undergraduate degree from Marquette University and his law degree from the Louisiana State University Law Center. Tom studied in Spain during college (Universidad Complutense de Madrid) and in France during law school (Universite d'Aix‐en‐Provence).
Memberships
Tom sits on a variety of boards and committees, including San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership (Board Member), International Institute of Los Angeles (Secretary), State Bar of California Labor and Employment Section (Executive Committee Officer), Associated Builders and Contractors (National Legislative Committee Member), National Club Association (Board Member), Orange County Labor and Employment Relations Association/OC LERA (Past President and current Board Member), and Marquette University Alumni Club of Southern California (Past President and current Board Member).
Awards and Recognitions
Tom has been named to the Top One Hundred Labor Attorneys in the United States by Labor Relations Institute, Inc., a leading industry information source.
This course is designed to provide information for all attorneys with a general interest in
Patent Law as well as those with clients who may have an idea with patent
implications which they might like to explore. Although many areas of Patent Law
do not often change, with advances in technology, medicine and other areas, along
with general updates in rules and regulations specific to Patent Law Practice, this program addresses developments in those areas. Patent Law is a dynamic practice area and Mr. Nielsen's program discusses basic issues and concepts in an easy to understand and enjoyable fashion
Course Agenda
Goals of This Presentation
Understand:
1. What is a patent?
2. What might be patentable in 2021?
3. Important deadlines
4. What patent work you may perform?
5. What patent work (or patent punishment) is reserved for registered patent attorneys?
Based in Larkspur, California, Steven A. Nielsen is a U.S. registered patent attorney with many years of experience in patent procurement and in achieving favorable results in federal court in the field of intellectual properly litigation. Mr. Nielsen is the past chairperson of the Intellectual Property Section of the Marin County Bar Association. Mr. Nielsen received his J.D. in 1987 from Boalt Hall, University of California at Berkeley and also holds a B.A. in Computer Science.
He may be contacted at steve@nielsenpatents.com, on his website, nielsenpatents.com or via his LinkedIn page.
Course Price:
$19.99
Security and Confidentiality for Providing Legal Services Remotely
Security and Confidentiality for Providing Legal Services Remotely Details
Price:
$19.99
Course Description
For lawyers, securing client information is of paramount importance and there can be severe risks that come from not doing so. However, most law firms are not adequately prepared in terms of cybersecurity because they do not invest in the tools necessary to prevent the inadvertent disclosure of, or unauthorized access to, client data. Failure to do so can be devastating for any law firm and the shift to working remotely due to COVID-19 has exacerbated the probability of these problems occurring. This program aims to elucidate the importance of cybersecurity for attorneys who are providing legal services from home and how to protect that legal data from potential cyberattacks.
Joshua Lenon is an attorney admitted to the New York Bar. He studied law at St. Louis University School of Law, obtaining a J.D. degree and a certificate in international and comparative law. During this time, Joshua clerked for the Missouri Attorney General, helping prosecute discrimination claims on behalf of Missouri citizens. He also studied European union law at the University of Georgia School of Law's Brussels Legal Seminar. Joshua has since helped legal practitioners improve their services, working for Thomson Reuters' publishing departments in both the United States and Canada. He currently serves as lawyer-in-residence for Clio, providing legal scholarship and research skills to the leading cloud-based practice management platform.
Course Price:
$19.99
Technology and Bias - Spreading it and Stopping it
Technology and Bias - Spreading it and Stopping it Details
Price:
$19.99
Course Description
This lecture deals with how technology both spreads and helps eliminate conscious and unconscious bias in the legal profession, and what can be done to continue to use technology to identify and eliminate patterns of bias while being aware of how the wrong use of technology can unfortunately help spread it.
Course Agenda
Conscious vs Unconscious Bias
UCSF Study
AI & Its role in determining bias
Using technology to fight bias
Bias for not using technology
Technology & Age Bias
Sexual Bias
Economic Bias
Cultural Bias
Solutions?
Course Credit per State
AL - On-Demand: 1.0 Credits AZ - General: 1.0 Credits CA - Elimination of Bias: 1.0 Credits FL - Technology: 1.0 Credits GA - Self Study: 1.0 Credits IL - General: 1.0 Credits IN - Distance Education: 1.0 Credits KY - General: 1.0 Credits MT - Self Study: 1.0 Credits NJ - Diversity Inclusion Elimination of Bias: 1.4 Credits NY - Diversity and Inclusion: 1.0 Credits PA - Distance Learning: 1.0 Credits SC - General: 1.13 Credits
Course Presenter(s)
Russell Jackman, Esq.
Russell Jackman, Esq. is owner of Calmputer Consulting Services in Marin County, California. He is a Past President of the California State Bar's Law Practice Management and Technology Section.
Through the Smoke: Legal Trends and Gun Violence Details
Price:
$19.99
Course Description
We are experiencing an epidemic of gun violence in this country.
The parents of a student killed in the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stone-man Douglas High School, in Parkland, Florida, the deadliest high school shooting in United States history, set up and tricked a former president of the National Rifle Association into giving a high school graduation speech defending gun rights in front of 3,044 empty chairs, one chair for each student who couldn?t graduate because they were killed by gun violence.
A political stunt? Perhaps, yet it effectively illustrates the severity of the problem. It further invites us to examine the legislative solutions we ap-ply to those societal problems that impact us most. We are living through a stress test exposing flaws inherent to our system of justice. (We look to the law to fix the flaws!)
With our time together today, we will examine contemporary legal trends in regard to the 1) problem related to Gun Violence, and 2) Legislative solutions in response to those problems, 3) Impacting the rights and remedies of so many, 4) Conclude: Take Away Observations) re: Impact on Practitioners.
Course Agenda
Legal trends regarding gun violence
The history of gun violence in the U.S.
The trajectory of gun legislation
Factors contributing to gun violence such as mental health, domes-tic violence, etc.
Greg Woods received his Doctor of Jurisprudence from San Francisco Law School and holds a Bachelor of Arts from San Jose State University. At San Francisco Law School Greg was a recipient of the Bernard Witkin Award for academic excellence in Contracts Writing and was an editorial staff member with the San Francisco Law Review. He served as a Certified Legal Intern with the Office of the District Attorney in San Francisco.
Greg Woods presently serves as Lecturer with the Department of Criminal Justice Studies at San Francisco State University and was recently named Lecturer of Justice Studies at San Jose State University and at the Department of Criminology Studies at Sonoma State University.
As an educator, constitutional scholar, law enforcement/legal trend watcher and student of history, Greg constantly seeks and receives information from a wide variety of sources and is in the forefront as a commentator on topical issues in Criminal Law.
Outside the classroom, Greg has been acknowledged by former students at the annual San Francisco State Scholar Athlete Reception as a faculty member who ?made a valuable impact on their academic life.?
The unauthorized practice of law, (UPL), is "engaging in the practice of law by persons or entities not authorized to practice law" and the State needs to control who holds themselves out as an attorney to give value to the licensing and ethics control entities such as the Bar Associations and Court systems. Tensions arise when consumers need certain services which they may believe are too costly if performed by a bona fide lawyer or firm. This course outlines those tensions, the balancing factors which certain states have used to address these issues and takes a close look at several situations in which the non-lawyer entities may pose a risk to the public, and where lawsuits have been necessary to limit or curtail these non-lawyer entities.
Course Agenda
What is UPL?
The Wills Crisis and UPL
LegalZoom & UPI
Cases
The Florida Bar v. Moses, 380 So. 2d 412 (Fla. 1980)
Peters Production, Inc. v. Desnick Broadcasting Company
Ginger v. Cohn (Cite 426 F.2d 1385)
Bay County Bar Association v. Finance System, Inc.
State v. Despain, 319 S.C. 317, 460 S.E.2d 576 (1995),
Franklin v. Chavis, 371 S.C. 527, 640 S.E.2d 873 (2007)
Kone v. Wilson,630 S.E.2d 744, 272 Virginia 59 (2006)
House Counsel
Punishments for Violations: Examples
Conclusions
Course Credit per State
AK - Ethics: 1.0 Credits AL - On-Demand: 1.0 Credits AZ - Professional Responsibility: 1.0 Credits CA - Ethics: 1.0 Credits FL - Professionalism: 1.0 Credits IL - Professional Responsibility: 1.0 Credits KY - Ethics: 1.0 Credits ND - Ethics: 1.0 Credits NJ - Ethics: 1.2 Credits NV - General: 1.0 Credits NY - Ethics: 1.0 Credits
Course Presenter(s)
Russell Jackman, Esq.
Russell Jackman, Esq. is owner of Calmputer Consulting Services in Marin County, California. He is a Past President of the California State Bar's Law Practice Management and Technology Section.