Section News

Gear Up for Annual Meeting!
The ABA Section of Family Law Annual Meeting will take place July 31-August 2, 2009, in Chicago. The CLE agenda includes our popular (and helpful!) Hot Tips program, as well as "How Solo, Small Firm & Family Law Practice Owners Can Build a More Effective Dream Law Business...That Clients Love...While Working Half the Time," a special program the Section is producing in cooperation with the ABA General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Division. This program provides you with the blueprint to help you transform your business and become the lawyer you've always wanted to be!

The Section is also proud to co-sponsor a number of other programs, including "The Best Program for Real Lawyers," produced by GP Solo; "Representing Clients with Diminished Capacity: Ethical Challenges and Strategies in an Age of Elder Abuse," produced by the Section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities; and "Bankruptcy for Non-Bankruptcy Attorneys: What Every Family Law, Criminal Law, Real Estate and Litigation Attorney Should Know If a Party Files Bankruptcy," produced by GP Solo.

Other co-sponsored programs can be found on our website, linked below.

Besides providing CLE, we'll start our 51st year by taking a look back at our achievements during our Annual Awards Luncheon. (We'll also begin planning for the upcoming Association year.) And don't miss out on our Annual Section Dinner at Greek Islands in Greektown. Both the luncheon and dinner are ticketed events; you can purchase tickets when you register. (Each ticket is $60.)

The ABA early-bird deadline to register for Annual is Friday, May 29th.

For more information, please visit our Annual Meeting website.

2009 Trial Advocacy Institute a Success!
The Memorial Day weekend is not only the unofficial beginning of summer, but also caps off the annual ABA Family Law Trial Advocacy Institute (TAI). Both students and faculty gave high marks to the weeklong 'boot camp' at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Students cited the tailored feedback as one of the most helpful aspects of the Institute. The Section of Family Law would like to thank all of the faculty for their participation (and wisdom), and all of the students who set out to become the best trial lawyers they can be. To read more about the TAI program, visit the TAI website.

Committee Corner

LPM/Technology: "Twitter for Lawyers" Teleconference
Are social networking sites mere diversions, or are they important forums to attract new clients and expand family law practices? The Section's Law Practice Management/Legal Technology Committee answered this question during its free virtual "brown bag" telephone seminar on May 12, 2009. The topic was the use of Twitter as a marketing and social networking tool in a family law practice. Melissa Brown, our own Twitter queen, gave a presentation on the nuts and bolts of incorporating Twitter into a family law practice. Melissa believes that Twitter is an important way to help lawyers gain exposure and recognition. She helped participants understand the basics of opening and using a Twitter account, how to sign up and get started, doing searches on Twitter, and some of the ethical issues that confront lawyers using the site.

After her presentation, participants were able to ask questions and discuss their own experiences with the site. Committee Vice-Chair Bill Biviano moderated the discussion. Melissa's materials are posted on our website and they are available to all members of the Section. Don't miss hearing Melissa speak in detail on the utility of social networking sites at the Fall Family Law CLE Conference in Montreal.

The Family Law Section LPM/Technology Committee plans to present a series of similar telephone seminars throughout the year on practical subjects confronting all of us in our day-to-day practice. We have access to some of the most creative and management savvy lawyers in the country and all members should rely on this resource. Some of the topics we hope to cover include receivable management, case management systems, effective use of associates and a variety of other topics of interest.

--Steven N. Peskind, Chair, LPM/Technology Committee

Read the "Twitter for Lawyers" article and outline on the LPM/Technology Committee website

Publications

Collaborative Law: Achieving Effective Resolution in Divorce without Litigation, Second Edition
Updated and Greatly Expanded
Pauline H. Tesler


Product Code 5130160

Now substantially revised and significantly expanded, Collaborative Law serves as the most comprehensive and state-of-the-art resource for collaborative family law practice. This new edition covers the advances that have been made in the field since publication of the first edition and features significant additional information on topics such as ethics, marketing, and public education, as well as new forms for use in a collaborative law practice.

Includes cd-rom. More information

To order today, call the ABA Service Center at 800-285-2221 and request Product Code 5130160 or order online.

Best of the List Serve

This month's Best of the FamLawEsq includes an informational item about the 2009 American Psychological Association Guidelines for the Evaluation of Child; issues surrounding UIFSA; and domestic violence safety plans. Read more about this month's topics. (You will need to log in to the ABA website.)

Not on the list? All of our lawyer members are encouraged to join this popular discussion list. Read more about How to Join FamLawEsq in the Members Only section of our website.

CLE Calendar

Get CLE Credit on Wednesday, June 17 (see below)

Teleconferences
June 17, 2009
Down and Out in Beverly Hills: How Current Economic Issues Impact Divorce

Initially presented at the Family Law Spring 2009 CLE Conference in Baltimore, this program will address the tax impact of market losses and the new rules relating to foreclosed properties. It will also suggest ideas for maximizing returns, minimizing losses, and dividing a negative marital estate.

Register today!

Keep an eye out for these teleconferences:

July 1, 2009
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Assets—Forensic Accounting Techniques & Methodologies

August 5, 2009
Ten Ways That Attorneys Kill Their Own Experts at Deposition

September 2, 2009
How to Develop an Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Practice

ABA Section of Family Law Annual Meeting
July 31-August 2, 2009
Westin Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL

Don't forget to spend part of your summer with us in Chicago! See column at left for more information, and register for the ABA Annual Meeting now.

Fall CLE Conference
October 7-10, 2009
Hilton Montreal Bonaventure
Montreal, Canada

Passports required for travel to Canada!

The ABA Section of Family Law Fall CLE Meeting will take place in Montreal, Canada, October 7-10, 2009. Our top-notch CLE programming will include a special plenary, "Today's Celebrity and High Net Worth Client, The Media, Transparency, and Today's World," as well as courses on adoption, assisted reproductive technology, third-party custody, and immigration, to name just a few. With so much to learn, explore, and do in Montreal, you'll want to start making plans now. Visit the Fall 2009 CLE Conference website for more information.

40-Hour Family Mediation Training
November 9-13, 2009
Boston, MA

Are you a seasoned family law practitioner or a new attorney who's interested in mediation? If so...

The 40-Hour Family Mediation Training program is designed to provide you with an overview of the mediation process, including the various types of mediation and mediators, as well as strategies and skills you might consider using. You'll learn how mediation is used to address a variety of family law issues, including divorce, post-divorce modification, asset division, and custody and parenting arrangements.

This training will involve active participation in addition to lectures and multimedia presentations. Training and role-play coaching will be provided by experienced practitioners and mediators.

ABA Section of Family Law members get discounted registration. Early-bird deadline is 8/31/09.

This program is presented by the ABA Section of Family Law and Boston Law Collaborative, LLC. For more information or to register for the program, please visit the Mediation Training website.

Stay up-to-date on CLE offerings with our CLE Calendar.

Unable to attend a teleconference or a Section CLE conference? Not to worry, you can learn on your own time when you purchase the CLE materials.
See a listing of available CLE materials

AICPA Corner

A column by members of the AICPA's Forensic and Valuation Services Section
This month's column, "A Primer on Annuities in Divorce" is from William B. Stewart, Jr., CPA/ABV/CFF, CVA, CFE BStewartCPA@aol.com

Read this month's AICPA Corner: A Primer on Annuities in Divorce (You will need to log in to the ABA website.)

Tech Corner

Beginning Blogging

In February we focused on family lawyers that blog in the Directory of Family Law Blogs. This month we’ve prepared a collection of blogging resources to get you started.

A Blog (short for web log) is an Internet based journal that can be updated as frequently as you like with what are called posts or postings. Blawg, a sometimes controversial term widely attributed to lawyer and blogger Denise Howell, simply refers to web blogs by lawyers, law students or law professors that focus on commentary about the law or legal matters.

New Hampshire family lawyer Kysa Crusco started blogging as a way to market herself and her practice and along the way has made the New Hampshire Family Law Blog a place to showcase her expertise as well as the go-to source for New Hampshire residents on a variety of issues. She discusses her blogging experiences in an interview with Kevin O'Keefe of "Real Lawyers Have Blogs."

In 5 Law Firm Marketing Must-Do's, LegallyMinded blogger and former trial lawyer Gyi Tsakalakis suggests spending at least one hour per week blogging and another hour reviewing the blogs of others. Whether you can spare an hour a week or an hour a day, decide up front how much time you have to devote to blogging and how often you’ll post to the blog. During a recent interview family lawyer and Mac user Ben Stevens of South Carolina advocates "three C's (commitment, content, and consistency) for the blog to be a success."

Prior to launch, it is a good idea to set aside or stockpile articles in order to have an inventory of material to post and keep the blog fresh. Another option is to rotate blogging responsibilities among several lawyers. This will share the burden of establishing and maintaining a schedule that keeps the blog updated with new content while preventing bloggers from getting burned out.

Resources

FYI: Blogs from the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center (LTRC)

FYI: Feature Comparison - Major Blog Providers from the ABA Legal Technology Resource Center (LTRC)

YourABA: Blog Technology 101 - August 2008

YourABA: Is a blog right for you—-or your firm? - December 2008

Blogging Best Practices – from ABA Legally Minded

JournalSpace and Blogging Backups: A Cautionary Tale from ABA Site-tation

The ABA General Practice, Solo & Small Firm Division hosts the "Blawgs" Web site page

What Are the Most Common Mistakes a New Legal Blogger Makes? Dennis Kennedy for Law Practice Today, February 2005

Blogging and Podcasting: Challenges, Legal Issues, and Lawyer Advertising (Downloadable Article, fee incurred)
Originally published in SciTech Lawyer, Volume 3, No. 3 Winter 2007 ©

Blogging: Ethical Considerations for the Lawyer Legal Implications for the Client (Online Course, fee incurred)

   —Tonya Johnson, ABA Legal Technology Resource Center

Ask Us! Have you found a great technology deal somewhere? Is there a technology question that's been on your mind? Tell us or ask us about it! We may feature your info or answer your question in a future edition of the eNewsletter. If there's some other technology you would like us to investigate, just e-mail glazerh@staff.abanet.org. Keep the Tech Corner working for you!

Advertise in the eNews!

Have a program or product you'd like ABA Section of Family Law members to know about? Advertising in the ABA Section of Family Law eNewsletter is a great way to for you to get the kind of targeted exposure you need, and at a very affordable price, too.

For more information, please contact Hilary Glazer.

*Please note that advertising in the ABA Section of Family Law eNewsletter does not constitute an endorsement of the featured program/product.