Virginia Live CLE Bundle 2021

Notice can be tricky to establish, and a client’s testimony can trigger a fatal summary judgment motion. Attorneys must have different strategies as no two clients or cases are the same. This program provides a guide for attorneys when conducting depositions in premises liability cases and other ways to improve advocacy.

Attorneys will learn what types of defective conditions are more likely to lead to a finding that Defendants had notice of a defective condition and how to depose a Defendant and prep their Plaintiff for a premises liability deposition. This will include how different defects require different strategies. Attendees will also learn how to prepare for meetings with clients, along with practical tips for handling difficult clients.

This course is designed for attorneys with some experience. Any attorneys who practice in civil litigation are encouraged to attend this program.

Learning Objectives:

1. Assess how to prepare a client.
2. Examine how to conduct a Defendant’s Premises EBT.
3. Explore what speaks to “notice” in various types of defects.

Course Time Schedule:

Eastern Time: 7:15 PM - 8:15 PM
Central Time: 6:15 PM - 7:15 PM
Mountain Time: 5:15 PM - 6:15 PM
Pacific Time: 4:15 PM - 5:15 PM
Alaska Time: 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM
Hawaii-Aleutian Time: 2:15 PM - 3:15 PM

This course is also being presented on the following dates:

Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Wednesday, March 25, 2026

There are many different strategies litigation attorneys use in order to win cases. One such tactic is known as “reptile tactics,” which appeals to jurors' sense of fear and survival. This course aims to help plaintiffs' attorneys effectively raise a sense of urgency and need for just verdicts, as well as defense attorneys looking to counter this tactic.

Attendees will learn how utilizing a danger to the community as a whole can lead to successful Plaintiff’s verdicts and high judgments. This will include learning what reptile tactics are, how attorneys use these tactics, and different ways to counter reptile tactics. Cases discussing reptile tactics and how courts treat them will also be covered.

This course is designed for attorneys with some experience. Civil litigators, especially those who practice in personal injury, are encouraged to attend.

Learning Objectives:

1. Examine what defines the reptile tactic.
2. Assess how to appeal to a jury as a Plaintiff’s Personal Injury attorney in a motor vehicle case.
3. Explore the pitfalls of using reptile tactics 
4. Evaluate the ways to counteract reptile tactics.

Course Time Schedule:

Eastern Time: 8:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Central Time: 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM
Mountain Time: 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Pacific Time: 5:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Alaska Time: 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Hawaii-Aleutian Time: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

This course is also being presented on the following dates:

Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Wednesday, March 25, 2026

Alcohol and substance abuse continue to be severe and pervasive issues within the legal profession, affecting attorneys at significantly higher rates than the general population. These challenges not only compromise personal well-being but also raise critical ethical concerns that can impact clients, colleagues, and the integrity of the profession.

This program will explore the unique factors that make attorneys more susceptible to addiction, including stress, workload, and cultural norms within the legal field. It will also provide practical guidance on recognizing the warning signs of substance abuse and applying ethical principles to respond effectively, whether in yourself, a colleague, or within the broader professional environment.

All attorneys are encouraged to attend, as substance abuse is not limited to any specific practice area or stage of a legal career. Addressing this issue begins with awareness, education, and a shared commitment to ethical responsibility.

Learning Objectives:

1. Examine why attorneys are more likely to have problems with alcohol and substance abuse.
2. Evaluate ways to help address this problem among colleagues and what to look out for.
3. Recognize the problem with “punishing” an addiction.
4. Evaluate how personal moral approbations can guide attorneys when dealing with substance and alcohol abuse.

Course Time Schedule:

Eastern Time: 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Central Time: 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Mountain Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Pacific Time: 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Alaska Time: 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Hawaii-Aleutian Time: 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

This course is also being presented on the following dates:

Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Wednesday, March 25, 2026

This program will refresh knowledge of the evolution of the legal profession, legal ethics standards, civil liability standards, and modes of enforcement of such standards, all of which make the legal profession uniquely distinguishable from all other professions or occupations.

Attendees will learn (or be reminded of) the extent to which) legal-ethics standards gradually changed from being case-law-based to a uniform state-by-state set of "canons" and then uniform state-by-state codes, which gradually lost uniformity among the states. This program will also discuss the least-uniform standards in the form of the current set of Rules of Professional Conduct.

The format of this program combines the lecture method with the Socratic method, fostering extensive interactive participation and critical analysis of a broad range of issues relevant to the seminar's subject matter. This approach goes beyond merely chronological descriptions of specific topics and subtopics. The content of each workshop (and the order and extent of emphasis upon particular topics and subtopics) will be substantially influenced by the nature and extent of interactive participation regarding specific aspects thereof. Depending on the number of participants in a particular seminar, the format typically results in most, if not all, participants engaging in conversational-style, interactive discussions and analyses of specific topics during the seminar, and also permits interruptions, questions, challenges, and other contributions throughout the seminar. This program employs a form of learning that involves thinking while interactively participating, rather than learning solely by listening (the latter of which is the lecture method).

This course is designed for any attorney desiring to learn, or reacquire an in-depth understanding of what makes the legal profession uniquely vital to democracy, which is designed to protect liberty writ large.

Learning Objectives:

1. Refresh what should be every lawyer's common knowledge of unique aspects of our profession in contrast to all other professions, occupations, etc.: It's the effect of our Constitution's (and each state constitution's) vesting of "the judicial power" of the sovereign in its "Supreme Court" and its thereby incorporation of the evolutionary nature of the judiciary's common law inherent judicial power (i.e., sui generis power) to define, prescribe, and enforce educational, moral, ethical and civil standards for the practice of law and the status of lawyers as officers of the courts.
2. Evaluate how the interpretation and enforcement of legal ethics standards have become more dynamic, making it vital for lawyers to not only keep abreast of changes in the law in their fields of practice but also changes in the ethical regulation of our profession.
3. Explore how the judiciary generally encourages lawyers to participate actively in the regulatory control over our profession and the conduct of lawyers individually. Therefore, each of us as a lawyer must keep abreast of such disciplinary and regulatory activities and, as much as possible, actively participate (pro bono, of course) in and support such activities.
4. Assess how to maximize one's objectivity in the process of seeking a thorough analysis of all relevant and material facts, issues, and laws in determining how to solve an ethics problem or dilemma.
5. Evaluate intrinsic conflicts between "justice" (or what's "morally right") on the one hand and our ethical duties on the other, and then analyze them to determine when we must, or sometimes must not, implement an ethically correct solution that is a polar opposite of "justice." 
6. Analyze the best way to prevent self-interest in desiring to avoid damage to the legal professional's standing in solving an ethics problem, and an attorney’s professional responsibility to derive an ethically proper solution.

Course Time Schedule:

Eastern Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Central Time: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Mountain Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Pacific Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Alaska Time: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Hawaii-Aleutian Time: 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM

This course is also being presented on the following dates:

Wednesday, January 21, 2026
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
Wednesday, February 11, 2026
Wednesday, February 18, 2026