8:55 Welcome and Introductions
9:00 How to Work Smarter and Be Happier Using Technology‡
Ernest "Ernie" Svenson, Law Firm Autopilot, New Orleans, LA
Most lawyers want to work less but need to earn more. They also want to have more time for family, hobbies and other things that make life worth living. It might seem like these things are incompatible, but they are not — if you learn to work smarter. Learn how technology can help you work smarter and discover how everything can be done faster, more easily and with much less stress.
10:00 Delegation Basics: You Can't Do It All Yourself
Catherine Sanders Reach, North Carolina Bar Association, Cary
Delegation can make you a more effective and productive lawyer. This session walks through when to delegate, what tasks to delegate and tools you can use for more efficient delegations.
11:01 Break
11:11 Collaborative Law Techniques for Use in Daily Practice
John L. Sarratt, Harris Sarratt & Hodges LLP, Raleigh
Danae C. Woodward, Woodward & Woodward PLLC, Charlotte
Collaborative law allows parties to find practical solutions to their problems, with a focus on transparency and reducing the adversarial process. Explore how to apply the techniques used in collaborative law to your daily general practice in order to improve the outcome for your client and reduce the stress on you, the attorney.
12:10 Contract Issues During and After COVID-19
Paige C. Kurtz, Kurtz Law PLLC, Raleigh
The pandemic has changed how we handle contracts. This session examines contracting issues occurring during the pandemic, as well as those we may experience long after the pandemic has ended. Topics include how best to advise clients when drafting contracts, enforceability issues such as the eviction moratorium and lease forgiveness, and changes to master agreements beyond force majeure.
1:10 Adjourn
‡ Indicates portion providing Technology Training credit
Thank you for joining us for Re-emerging From the COVID Lockdown (2021 Small Firm & Technology Section Program).
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed how we practice law. Those practicing in a solo or small-firm setting are perhaps some of the most affected practitioners. An effective and efficient use of technology is vital as we plan to re-emerge from the lockdown.
R. Lynn Coleman practices law as a solo in Business Law and Real Estate Law in Coleman Legal, PLLC, 2500 Regency Pkwy, Cary, NC 27518. She has been helping small business owners with legal issues since 1980 and has handled real estate transactions in approximately a third of North Carolina counties.
Lynn graduated from UNC Chapel Hill with a BS in Industrial Relations and Campbell Law when it was still located in Buies Creek. Her passion for involvement in the community results in helping with Lawyer on the Line, the 4ALL annual call-in campaign, Wills for Heroes, Campbell Law Mentor program, Hospice and Safe Haven for Cats.
Lynn's daughter, Kelsey, lives in Denver, CO where the two enjoy hiking together.
Click here for more information about Lynn.
Paige C. Kurtz is a partner in the law firm of Kurtz Law, PLLC in Raleigh, North Carolina. Ms. Kurtz represents businesses and individuals in litigation matters, with a focus on general business litigation, creditors' rights, construction law and commercial collections. Ms. Kurtz primarily represents businesses in commercial transactions, but also advocates for individuals in contract and civil litigation disputes. Ms. Kurtz has a statewide practice and in addition to appearing in many counties across the state, has also represented clients in the appellate courts of North Carolina. She represents creditors in all districts of the bankruptcy courts in North Carolina, the North Carolina Federal District Courts, as well as, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Ms. Kurtz regularly presents seminars on contracts, credit, business law and bankruptcy issues and has been active in local credit management associations.
Ms. Kurtz earned her B.A. degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her J.D. degree from Campbell University.
Click here for more information about Ms. Kurtz.
Catherine Sanders Reach is Director for the Center for Practice Management at the North Carolina Bar Association, providing practice technology and management assistance to lawyers and legal professionals. Formerly she was Director, Law Practice Management and Technology for the Chicago Bar Association and the Director at the American Bar Association's Legal Technology Resource Center.
Prior to her work at the NCBA, CBA and ABA she worked in library and information science environments for a number of years, working at Ross and Hardies as a librarian. She received a master's degree in Library and Information Studies from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa in 1997.
Catherine's professional activities include articles published in Law Practice magazine, Law Technology News and GPSolo Magazine, as well as numerous other publications. She has given presentations on the use of technology in law firms for national bar conferences, state and local bar associations and organizations such as the National Association of Bar Council and the Association of American Law Schools. In 2011 she was selected to be one of the inaugural Fastcase 50, celebrating fifty innovators, techies, visionaries, and leaders in the field of law and in 2013 became a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management. She served on the ABA TECHSHOW Board from 2007-2009, 2014-2016 and is co-vice chair in 2019.
Click here for more information about Catherine. Connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn.
John L. Sarratt is the founding president of the North Carolina Civil Collaborative Law Association and continues to serve on its Board of Directors. John is currently president of the Global Collaborative Law Council and co-chair of the Collaborative Law Committee of the NCBA Dispute Resolution Section. He is a Certified Mediator and has served as an American Arbitration Association panel arbitrator. John is a past member of the NCBA Board of Governors, LANC Board of Governors, General Statutes Commission and Chief Justice's Commission on Professionalism. He has been an adjunct professor of law at both the Wake Forest School of Law and Campbell Law School teaching courses on Collaborative Law. He has been recognized in the area of business litigation by Business North Carolina Magazine's Legal Elite, Best Lawyers in America, and North Carolina Super Lawyers.
John is a retired partner at Harris, Sarratt & Hodges, LLP in Raleigh. He earned his undergraduate degree summa cum laude from UNC-CH and his J.D. cum laude from Harvard.
Click here for more information about John.
Ernest "Ernie" Svenson handled complex commercial litigation matters for 18 years in a big New Orleans firm for 18 years. His practice was frustrating and hard to manage because of the massive amounts of paper, mind-boggling overhead, and soul-crushing billable hour quotas.
Then Ernie discovered how to create a paperless practice. That enabled him to automate key workflows— instead of begging paralegals to push paper and then stay on top of them to make sure they did it right.
Ernie also learned that having a low-cost weblog was a powerful way to build trust online, from which then came a steady flow of great new clients. These discoveries allowed him to create a fulfilling solo practice. One that was Ninja-efficient, easy to manage, and financially lucrative.
Now, Ernie helps fellow lawyers use technology to modernize their own practices. He is a nationally recognized speaker and author on various topics such as paperless lawyering, email efficiency, document automation, and online marketing.
Click here for more information about Ernie.
Danae C. Woodward is a mediator, facilitator, and collaborative employment lawyer with Woodward & Woodward PLLC in Charlotte, North Carolina. Danae has experience representing large, publicly traded companies, local governments, labor unions, and individuals in all aspects of employment and compensation matters. She has been a mediator since 2006 and mediates employment cases virtually and in person throughout the United States.
Danae's legal practice is currently focused on representing employers and assisting executives and professionals in negotiating employment, compensation, and exit packages. She is a former Chair of the North Carolina Bar Association's Dispute Resolution Section, a founding and current board member of the North Carolina Civil Collaborative Law Association (NCCCLA), and a Global Civil Collaborative Law Council member. In addition, Danae is a frequent speaker on employment law, mediation, and collaborative topics.
Click here for more information about Danae.