*Please note all times are in Central Time. Subject to change.
To learn about each speaker, view the Speaker Biographies page, or click their names below. To view the entire Annual Meeting agenda, view the Schedule page.
Thursday, November 7
8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
Opening Remarks
9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
Religious and Cultural Considerations in Crafting Parenting Plans
Alexandra Leichter, Partner, Leichter Leichter-Maroko LLP
Sandra L. Mayberry, Esq., Lead Attorney, Cage & Miles, LLP
Elisha D. Roy. Partner, Sasser, Cestero & Roy, P.A.
This lecture will focus on a variety of different cultural and religious provisions in parenting plans. It will include a discussion of Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Kwanzaa and Christian holidays and how to address them in a parenting plan. The lecture will also include information regarding emergency and military situations. Materials will include language for parenting plans for all these religious holidays as well as suggested language for special needs cases.
9:45 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Interesting and Exotic Claims that Complicate Divorce
Mark A Chinn, Managing Partner, Chinn & Associates, PLLC
Elizabeth A. Rosenbaum, Partner, Heidman Law Firm
Arlene M. Zipp, Member-Manager, Roberson Haworth Reece, PLLC
Justin's and Jessica's attorneys will engage in a fast-paced debate regarding the claims that complicate their contentious divorce. Hear two family law experts discuss claims that are often overlooked but shouldn’t be. Alienation of affection, revenge porn and invasion of privacy are just a few of the claims that will be explored.
10:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Name Image and Likeness and the Intersection of Family Law
Ronique Bastine Robinson, Sr. Partner, Bastine Law Group
Nadine Dabaja, Esq., Attorney and Sports Agent, Valiant Management Group
Courtney Altemus, Managing Partner, Advance NIL
Gregory Moore, Esq., Attorney and Former NCAA Conference Commissioner
This panel discussion will feature sports and family law attorneys who will discuss the intersection of family law issues and the NIL compensation of amateur athletes. The discussion will center around the impact of child support, property division for young marriages, the potential creation of trusts for minor children, including the athlete, the potential of compensating minor athletes and the management of the services and earning of the child.
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
AAML Keynote Speaker
The Art of Perception
Amy Herman, Attorney, Art Historian, and Expert on Visual Intelligence
In this highly engaging workshop tailored for matrimonial attorneys, works of art are used as tools to reconsider assumptions and related ethical issues in negotiation, mediation and litigation. Interactive exercises enable participants to identify and dismantle biases that can impede best practices in decision making and problem solving. Fast moving, thought provoking and intellectually challenging, The Art of Perception reveals what we are missing and what needs to be seen.
Click the session title to view Amy's session preview video!
Friday, November 8
8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
AAML Remarks
9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
Navigating High-Conflict Parenting Disputes for Special Needs Children
Rod Firoozye, Managing Partner, Law Offices of Rod Firoozye
Rebekah A, Frye, CFLS
Lara A. Duda, Duda Law Group LLC
This discussion will feature a presentation by a parent of a special needs child involved in a high-conflict custody dispute. Following the presentation, there will be an analysis and discussion with a family law specialist on how to handle similar cases, including practice pointers in family court. Additionally, a probate specialist will discuss litigated issues that may arise once the disabled child reaches the age of majority and how probate courts may address these matters and practice points for the probate proceedings.
9:45 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
The Role of Alternative Dispute Resolution in International Child Custody and Abduction Cases
Richard Min, Partner, Green Kaminer Min & Rockmore LLP
As international child custody and abduction cases increase globally, the use of ADR in these cases has also risen. ADR gives parties greater control over their future, helps limit the costs and time associated with lengthy litigation, mitigates the risk of uncertain outcomes by a trial judge and provides privacy for the parties and their families. Adding an international component to a custody battle increases the complexity of a case and thus also the risks and costs making ADR a potential alternative to litigation.
10:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Valuation Landmines in Family Law: The 409(a) Valuation and Great Expectations
Kiilu Davis, Esq., kdlaw, P.C.
Marie Ebersbacher, Senior Managing Director, CBIZ Forensic Consulting Group LLC
Judith L. Poller, Co-Chair, Pryor Cashman LLP
David S. Coaxum, Member, Gordon Feinblatt, LLC
Jim Godbout, Partner, Marcum LLP
In nearly every case, a judicial officer will at a minimum be interested in valuations that were previously performed of the subject company. It is up to you (and your expert) to distinguish these valuations and understand the assumptions that drive the conclusion.
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
AAML Foundation - Joanne Ross Wilder Speaker
No Visible Bruises: What We Don't Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us
Rachel Louise Snyder, Author, Journalist and Domestic Violence Advocate
We call it domestic violence. We call it private violence. Sometimes we call it intimate terrorism. But whatever we call it, we generally do not believe it has anything at all to do with us, despite the World Health Organization deeming it a “global epidemic of epic proportions.” In America, domestic violence accounts for 15 percent of all violent crime, and yet it remains locked in silence, even as its tendrils reach unseen into so many of our most pressing national issues, from our economy to our education system, from mass shootings to mass incarceration to #MeToo. We still have not taken the true measure of this problem.
In her talk, journalist Rachel Louise Snyder provides crucial context for what we don't know we're seeing. As she lays out in her award-winning book No Visible Bruises, the scale of domestic violence in our country is obscured by commonly held myths: that if things were bad enough, victims would just leave; that a violent person cannot become nonviolent; that shelter is an adequate response; and most insidiously that violence inside the home is a private matter, sealed from the public sphere and disconnected from other forms of violence.
Saturday, November 9
8:45 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.
AAML Remarks
9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
The Company is the Collateral: A Road Map
Helen Davis, Senior Member, The Cavanagh Law Firm
Andrew C. Mallor, Attorney, Mallor Groder LLP
Robert J. Itri, Shareholder, Milligan Lawless PC
Ken Pia, Partner and National Matrimonial Service Leader, Marcum LLP
Have you settled a case in which the company is the only meaningful collateral? This CLE, presented by a business lawyer, family lawyer and financial expert, will guide you through the ins and outs of how to prepare yourself and protect your client in either a settlement or litigation scenario.
9:45 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Avoiding QDRO Nightmares
Emily Widmann McBurney, Emily W. McBurney, PC
Dividing retirement assets often causes confusion, frustration and fear for family law attorneys. But it doesn’t have to be this way! QDRO expert and popular speaker Emily McBurney will explain the secrets to problem-free QDROs – from settlement agreement through implementation. Even experienced family lawyers will learn new tricks to avoid malpractice and reduce QDRO aggravation in this entertaining and fun (really!) presentation.
10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.
Representation Matters: The Pipeline to the Legal Profession And What That Means for Family Law Attorneys
Leonard M. Baynes, Dean, Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Chair, and Professor of Law, University of Houston Law Center
During this session, UH Law Dean Baynes will discuss how representation matters in matrimonial matters as well as other types of legal cases. First, the Rules of Professional Responsibility provide that “A lawyer, as a member of the legal profession, is a representative of clients, an officer of the legal system and a public citizen having special responsibility for the quality of justice.” Second, the Rules provide that “A lawyer shall provide competent representation to a client. Competent representation requires the legal knowledge, skill, thoroughness, and preparation reasonably necessary for the representation.” Lastly, the rules provide that “Competent handling of a particular matter includes inquiry into and analysis of the factual and legal elements of the problem, and use of methods and procedures meeting the standards of competent practitioners.”
Being a competent lawyer in a matrimonial setting, a lawyer must be competent in the legal doctrine but also needs to be competent in representing the client including in the individual ascertainment of the needs of the client which could involve their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or LGBTQ+ status. In this discussion, Dean Baynes will explore the current underrepresentation of lawyers from a wide range of backgrounds in the legal profession leading to a mismatch in effective representation. Given this mismatch, the lawyer may not be aware of the unique needs or expectations of members of communities whom the lawyer is representing. He will also explore ways that this can legally be done in a post-SFAA v. Harvard world.
11:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
AAML Remarks