CLEs You Actually Want to Hear

Substance use disorder affects attorneys at rates significantly higher than the general population, yet most managing and supervisory lawyers remain unaware of the concrete ethical duties the Rules of Professional Conduct impose when a colleague is impaired. Under California RPC Rules 1.3, 1.16, 5.1, and 8.3, analyzed through the framework of ABA Formal Opinion 03-429, partners and supervisory attorneys bear affirmative obligations to recognize impairment, implement reasonable organizational protocols, and take appropriate action. That starts with knowing what to look for. Audio versions of Beverly Hills Bar Association programs are eligible for Self-Study CLE credit in California. Visit www.bhba.org/podcasts for more...

As renewable energy projects continue to expand, so do the complex disputes that arise from their development, construction, financing, and operation. From power purchase agreements and construction defects to investor conflicts, intellectual property issues, and regulatory challenges, energy disputes often involve significant technical complexity and high litigation costs. Join Zela "Zee" Claiborne for a practical discussion on how arbitration can provide an efficient and flexible framework for resolving sophisticated energy disputes. Drawing on current industry trends and real-world examples, Zee will explore strategies for designing an arbitration process that controls costs, streamlines discovery, effectively manages expert testimony, and keeps complex...

California's Unruh Civil Rights Act reaches nearly every business open to the public, and its guarantee of full and equal access keeps driving litigation across the state. This half hour walks through the essentials of the statute, the categories it protects, the conduct it prohibits, and the way it interacts with the Americans with Disabilities Act and other access laws. Kristina M. Launey, Partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP and Managing Partner of its Sacramento office, draws on her disability access defense experience to explain how the Act works in practice, where the risks lie, and recent developments. Audio versions of...

This program equips entertainment attorneys and studio executives with a practical, deal-facing understanding of entertainment insurance across the production lifecycle—from development through distribution—covering core coverages and how they intersect with contractual risk allocation. Dylan J. Price, Sheppard, will break down the purpose, scope, and common exclusions of Errors & Omissions (E&O), commercial general liability (CGL), and production/package policies, with an emphasis on how insurance requirements are drafted, negotiated, and operationalized. The program will also discuss and delve into the nuances of waivers of subrogation, “additional insured” language, primary/noncontributory provisions, cross-liability/separation of insureds, notice/consent requirements, deductib...

Cognitive bias shapes how attorneys evaluate evidence, advise clients, and make decisions at every stage of a case, often without any awareness that it is happening. Scott B. Cohen and Michael P. Rolland of Engelman Berger examine six bias patterns with direct consequences for legal practice: confirmation bias, narrative fallacy, binary thinking, attribution bias, loss aversion, and experience bias. Drawing on documented cases including the Exonerated Five, the program connects each bias to specific legal settings, from evidence evaluation and case theory development to mediation and attorney-client advising. Attendees will leave with practical debiasing strategies, including structured deliberation, premortems, and...

A client calls to say a $24 million mechanic's lien has appeared on their property from a contractor they never hired, and escrow closes in three weeks. Real estate litigator Pooja S. Nair, Partner at Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP, walks through the statutory framework and the deadlines that determine which remedies are still on the table. Attorneys will leave knowing how to evaluate a petition to release under Civil Code section 8480, when a section 8424 release bond makes sense, what supports a slander of title claim, and how to pursue criminal referral under Penal Code section 115. Audio versions of Beverly Hills Bar...

Credits: 1.00 Hours. Credit Type: General. Specialty Area: None. Original Air Date: 10/08/2026. Program Materials: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I7bUK1twM5ive_f66Bh_5tCkjQ_yQHsY/view?usp=sharing Audio versions of Beverly Hills Bar Association programs are eligible for Self-Study CLE credit in California. Visit www.bhba.org/podcasts for more information.

Apportionment is one of the most litigated and closely scrutinized issues in California workers' compensation today. Once an injured worker establishes that a permanent impairment exists, the burden shifts to the defense to prove that a portion of that impairment is properly apportioned to non-industrial causes. John Ajayi, Ajayi Law Group, walks attorneys through this framework from the ground up, covering what substantial medical evidence actually requires, how apportionment opinions are evaluated, and where defense medical evidence commonly falls short. The rules are concrete, but the process is easy to get wrong, and attendees will leave with practical strategies for...

Many lawyers struggle with feeling constantly “on”, being at the beck and call of clients, and distracted by work matters when trying to be present with loved ones. Vacations, weekends, evenings, and even special events are overshadowed by a constant running to-do-list, demands and worries. This program is for you if you’d like to reclaim your time, energy and focus. You want to enjoy a meal with loved ones without mental distractions, complete tasks quickly, and unplug so you can rest and return to work refreshed. First, we’ll talk about what anxiety does to the brain and how to move...

As our dependency and use of technology increases, we rely on electronic devices to complete many daily activities. Unfortunately, these same technologies are being seen more and more in family law cases where offenders have identified ways to exploit them in order to facilitate harm towards their victims and co-parents alike. In this interactive workshop, Steven Bradley will explore the risks and benefits of technology, not only for the clients we serve, but also for you in your personal and professional lives. Attendees will learn safety planning and evidence collection strategies for phone technology, location apps, social media, and more...

California has reset the ground rules for what happens when a rideshare trip ends in serious injury. New legislation reshapes medical lien treatment and the liability balance among platforms, drivers, and the people they injure. Practitioners who handle these claims need to understand the framework before it starts driving outcomes. This program breaks down what changed, why it changed, and how it affects the valuation and resolution of Uber and Lyft injury cases going forward. Guiding the discussion is Doris Cheng of Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger, who traces the layered, period-based insurance structure that makes these claims uniquely complex, examines...

A practical look at the tax treatment of losses from pig-butchering schemes, fraudulent crypto platforms, rug pulls, hacks, and other scams, including when those losses may be deductible and the substantiation required. Audio versions of Beverly Hills Bar Association programs are eligible for Self-Study CLE credit in California. Visit www.bhba.org/podcasts for more information.

Space Law 101 (https://bhba.org/cle/space-law-101-what-attorneys-need-to-know-about-the-legal-framework-governing/) provided a foundational overview of the international and domestic legal frameworks governing outer space activity. This program, led by Mary-Christine (M.C.) Sungaila, a partner in the Complex Appellate Litigation Group and Space Law & Policy professor at LMU Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, focuses on space related litigation and arbitration, providing an overview of past, current, and potential future disputes — from international courts and arbitration to U.S. based challenges to agency action, environmental actions, contractual and intellectual property disputes. Audio versions of Beverly Hills Bar Association programs are eligible for Se...

The legal profession produces attorneys conditioned to suppress emotion and defer to rules, and that conditioning does not disappear at graduation. Professor Beau Baez, Ohio Northern University College of Law, examines the Rule Follower archetype and its documented role in the mental health crisis among attorneys, drawing on Jungian concepts of the personal and collective unconscious to identify the roots of the problem rather than its symptoms. The profession's emphasis on detached objectivity, while professionally valued, can leave attorneys without healthy emotional outlets, creating pathways to alcoholism, depression, and other impairment. Attendees will explore how the Rule Follower pattern manifests...

The next wave of privacy lawsuits is here. Matt Kenefick and Michael Gold of Jeffer Mangels & Mitchell LLP break down defense tactics and strategies to prevent, defend, and dismiss privacy claims in this rapidly evolving area of the law. Audio versions of Beverly Hills Bar Association programs are eligible for Self-Study CLE credit in California. Visit www.bhba.org/podcasts for more information.

Litigation requires lawyers to make difficult judgment calls where advocacy, civility, and ethical conduct often intersect. Through realistic hypotheticals, Hon. Wendy L. Wilcox (Ret.) of Signature Resolution, John F. Ramey of ACTS LAW, Michelle Watkins of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, Grace Parrish of Loyola Law School, and Rupa Patel of MG+M The Law Firm examine where those lines are drawn and why they matter. The discussion focuses on the impact those lines have on clients, opposing counsel, and the court. Audio versions of Beverly Hills Bar Association programs are eligible for Self-Study CLE credit in California. Visit www.bhba...

As online bullying and digital abuse become more prevalent, attorneys are increasingly being tasked with advising victims and litigating claims involving anonymous perpetrators, impersonation, cyberstalking, revenge porn, and other forms of digital abuse. This program examines the current legal landscape governing online bullying and digital harassment, with an emphasis on practical litigation strategies under California and federal law.

Discovery is where cases are most often won or lost on process, and a single misstep can lead to spoliation findings, waived privilege, sanctions, or a confidentiality breach. Hon. Susan L. Greenberg (Ret.) of Signature Resolution draws on years of managing discovery from the bench to show litigators how to spot and reduce those risks before they materialize. She walks through the most common exposure points and the practical steps that keep each one in check, plus how to build a process that is repeatable, well documented, and defensible if challenged. Attendees leave better equipped to protect their clients, their...

We'll be diving into the various hoops that professionals in the sports and entertainment industry have to jump through to obtain work authorization in the U.S., covering both the immigration side and the corporate/contract side of the business. Audio versions of Beverly Hills Bar Association programs are eligible for Self-Study CLE credit in California. Visit www.bhba.org/podcasts for more information.

In ‘Just a Sip of Ethics’ Ian Friedman will lead a candid discussion addressing all those attorney-ethics missteps that attorneys make on a daily basis, but are too embarrassed to share! This is a ‘never have I ever’- legal ethics style! Audio versions of Beverly Hills Bar Association programs are eligible for Self-Study CLE credit in California. Visit www.bhba.org/podcasts for more information.

Technical excellence gets you in the door, but authentic relationships drive long-term career momentum. Designed for legal professionals navigating their next pivot or leadership leap, this session offers a foundational mindset shift on how career growth truly unfolds—not through greater technical excellence and transactional networking, but through genuine, trust-based connections. Led by executive coach and mediator Ellen Kim, this event explores how to invite constructive feedback, build relationships with champions who believe in your work, and gain actionable insights to become a process expert for the path you aspire to create. Learn how to reflect on your career trajectory, en...

The practice of law is highly demanding, requiring intellectual acuity, rigor, hard work, and composure under pressure. Research has long shown that humor and play strengthen mental well-being, sharpen learning, and support professional growth, all of which are critical to meeting the demands of legal practice and advancing in the profession. Lawyers and executive coaches Karen Morris and Kathy Morris will show how humor and play help defuse tension, lighten the mood in difficult conversations with clients, colleagues, opposing counsel, and others, ease the isolation and stress that contribute to attorney burnout, and serve as an effective tool in career...

Song-Beverly cases stall because each side sees a different case. Plaintiff's counsel counts days out of service and lost confidence in the vehicle. Defense counsel counts mileage driven, causation, and whether the repair ultimately worked. Jacob Cutler of Cutler Mediation Group, spent twelve years litigating lemon law claims before moving to the mediator's chair. He covers when a case is ready to mediate, including the early mediation requirement under AB 1755, and how to value one using actual damages, mileage offset, civil penalties, and attorney fee exposure. The session closes with a hypothetical repurchase dispute for both sides to work through. ...

USC Gould School of Law Dean Franita Tolson’s new book explores how Congress quietly shaped American elections for more than a century, using its authority under the Elections Clause, the Guarantee Clause, and later, the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, to combat voter suppression, reimagine representation, and determine who could (and could not) participate in American democracy. Even as Jim Crow laws disenfranchised millions, Congress continued to review and sometimes overturn the elections of its own members, refusing to cede complete control to the states. Join Dean Erwin Chemerinsky of Berkeley Law as he moderates this BHBA Book Talk with De...

This program examines the unique professional obligations for associates and their supervising attorneys when using AI in legal practice. We’ll address supervisory responsibilities under ABA Model Rules, how to establish AI protocols and best practices, and implementation of quality control systems to maintain ethical compliance. The program will also provide practical tools and recommendations to associates for responsible and transparent AI use. Audio versions of Beverly Hills Bar Association programs are eligible for Self-Study CLE credit in California. Visit www.bhba.org/podcasts for more information.

As research and commerce move into orbit, familiar intellectual property rules become far less predictable. Ed Koellner, Franklin Pierce School of Law, uses a multinational space-research hypothetical to examine who owns inventions created aboard commercial spacecraft and how spacecraft registration and mission architecture affect patent jurisdiction. The effects when AI-assisted discoveries qualify for protection, and why data, telemetry, software, and trade secrets may be more valuable than the patent itself. Attendees will receive practical guidance for drafting space-ready licenses, allocating ownership and improvement rights, documenting human inventorship, preserving orbital evidence, and preparing for enforcement beyond Earth. Audio versions of Beverly...

Most IP disputes are won—or lost—long before trial. The decisions made in the first 100 days shape leverage, control costs, drive settlement opportunities, and position a case for success. Join Rebecca B. Horton and Manny J. Caixeiro of Venable LLP as they share a strategic playbook for the critical first moves in an IP dispute. Drawing on high-stakes technology and entertainment matters, attendees will gain practical insight on how to assess risk quickly, build early leverage, align litigation strategy with business objectives, and maximize the value of outside counsel from day one. Audio versions of Beverly Hills Bar Association prog...

This one-hour General CLE credit presentation will cover the evidentiary standards established by People v. Sanchez (2016), examples of prohibited case-specific hearsay, how to prepare your case to avoid Sanchez objections, and subsequent case law distinguishing Sanchez. Audio versions of Beverly Hills Bar Association programs are eligible for Self-Study CLE credit in California. Visit www.bhba.org/podcasts for more information.

The legal framework governing creative content is shifting fast, and entertainment practitioners are navigating questions the law has not fully answered. Generative AI adds a new layer of analysis to every stage of production, from clearance and chain of title to questions of authorship and ownership in works that never existed before. Lisa Callif, Donaldson Callif Perez, examines where this area of law has been, where it stands today, and where it is headed, tracing the practical realities of clearance, including fair use, and content creation in modern entertainment. Attendees will leave with a clearer framework for spotting clearance issues...

California's court reporter shortage has left more than a million civil, family, and probate proceedings a year with no means of creating an official transcript in Los Angeles County alone. In Family Violence Appellate Project v. Superior Court, the California Supreme Court held that a superior court has a duty to provide an official verbatim record to a litigant in all cases in all proceedings when the litigant cannot afford a private reporter. That includes electronic recording when no official reporter is available notwithstanding the Government Code’s prohibition to the contrary. The Honorable Lawrence P. Riff, Supervising Judge of Ci...

Workplace discrimination doesn't work the way it used to. Much of it now runs on implicit bias and structural patterns rather than open hostility, but the law hasn’t kept pace. Title VII's burden-of-proof framework still expects employees to come forward with direct evidence of discriminatory intent. The mismatch is the problem, and it's a problem that the science on how bias actually operates makes hard to ignore. In this program, Dave Hall University of Tennessee College of Law, digs into the gap between Title VII's evidentiary framework and the psychology of implicit bias, and propose shifting the burden of pr...

Permanent disability ratings can make or break a workers' compensation case, yet the process of translating a medical impairment into a dollar figure trips up even experienced practitioners. This program provides a robust general overview of permanent disability rating in California, and then breaks down the relationship between impairment and disability. Erik Wochna, of Albert & Mackenzie, LLP, walks through applying the AMA Guides 5th Edition under California’s Permanent Disability Rating Schedule, and shows attendees how to calculate a permanent disability rating from start to finish. Participants will also learn to spot the rating disputes, substantial evidence problems, and other co...

Anna Liu and Olivia Dopler of LDY Law, PC again bring us the prior year’s most important and notable California court decisions affecting real estate. This program walks through the published opinions that matter most and explain what each one means for day-to-day practice, breaking down the rulings and the reasoning behind them. Real Estate Section Co-Chair Elizabeth Dryden of Glaser Weil moderates. Audio versions of Beverly Hills Bar Association programs are eligible for Self-Study CLE credit in California. Visit www.bhba.org/podcasts for more information.

Jeffrey Hunt, Ph.D., P.E., Principal Engineer at Exponent, and Saj Salam, Ph.D., P.E., Managing Engineer at Exponent, explore the intersection of engineering and construction law. They examine how technical issues influence construction litigation involving differing site conditions, design errors, construction defects, and unsatisfactory project performance. Participants will gain an overview of the forensic engineering investigation process, including determining failure mechanisms, identifying root and contributing causes, and developing engineering opinions supported by technical evidence. Through representative case studies, the program will illustrate the parties commonly involved in construction disputes, the engineering evidence relied upon during litigation, and...

What do experienced PAGA litigators actually do — and why? This program focuses on the practical realities of handling Private Attorneys General Act cases from initial evaluation through trial. A retired superior court judge, plaintiff's counsel, and defense counsel share their approaches to filing decisions, settlement strategy, trial evidence presentation, monetary penalties, and attorney fee awards. No case law survey — just real-world practice. Audio versions of Beverly Hills Bar Association programs are eligible for Self-Study CLE credit in California. Visit www.bhba.org/podcasts for more information.

A single campaign contribution can now disqualify a client from a government contract or force an official off a proceeding entirely. SB 1439 extended the Levine Act's pay to play restrictions to city councils and boards of supervisors, and the 2025 amendments raised the stakes further with a higher contribution threshold, new contract exclusions, and an outright ban on contributions by agents, a category that includes the attorneys representing parties in covered proceedings. Amber R. Maltbie, Nossaman LLP, breaks down who is covered, what triggers disqualification, and how the rules reach matters pending before Los Angeles city and county bodies. Attendees will...

Client conversations are where trust is built, relationships are strengthened, and business is won. Increasingly, these conversations are attended by a third party: the AI notetaker. This program goes beyond whether attorneys can use AI in client conversations and tackles how certain AI technology can be used responsibly to support these critical moments of legal practice. Attendees will learn how to: - Identify AI tools designed to support client conversations - Navigate the legal and ethical considerations surrounding their use by California attorneys - Conduct meaningful vendor due diligence (of any AI technology); and - Implement the technology responsibly within...

Brands face increasing global pressure and risks around sustainability claims. Greenwashing has emerged as one of the most actively litigated areas of environmental policy. As companies face growing pressure from investors, consumers, and regulators to demonstrate their environmental credentials, the risk of making false, misleading, or unsubstantiated sustainability claims has never been higher. At the same time, the regulatory and enforcement landscape governing those claims has grown increasingly complex and politically charged. Sam Houshower and Jennifer King, Freshfields, provide an overview of the regulatory and enforcement landscape in the United States, discuss the latest litigation, and highlight emerging cross-border considerations...

The Supreme Court's 2025-2026 term produced a series of critical decisions with far-reaching consequences for health care and public health law. James G. Hodge, Jr., JD, LLM, Peter Kiewit Foundation Professor of Law at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, examines the term's most consequential rulings for practitioners. Topics include the scope and limits of presidential emergency authority, First Amendment constraints on state regulation of medical professionals and vaccination mandates, prospective impacts and limits among LGBTQ+ populations; Second Amendment rights and limitations; and federal preemption of state product liability claims in health-related contexts. Attendees will leave with a practical...

California HOA law is shifting fast, and the past year has opened new fronts in the conflict between homeowners and their boards. This session cuts straight to the fights that matter right now, covering hot emerging issues alongside the recurring board tactics every homeowner-side practitioner needs to know. Michael B. Kushner of MBK Chapman, one of California's most experienced and widely respected homeowner-side HOA attorneys, breaks down several fast emerging topics from the homeowner's side of the table. These include HOA use of flock cameras, or automated license plate readers, e-bikes and e-scooters, and other new battlegrounds where boards are...