The Chattanooga Bar Association will offer member and nonmember attorneys a chance to update their knowledge of specific areas of the law and earn up to four Continuing Legal Education credits when it hosts two seminars on October 4. The first session is titled “Florida Law Update and Durable Power of Attorney/Homestead & Trust.”
The second session will cover a topic of great importance to every lawyer: avoiding legal malpractice. There is a separate fee for each seminar.
Florida law update
Topics to be covered during the first session include revised execution requirements for power of attorney, acceptability of out-of-state powers of attorney, use of multiple of successor agents under a single document, new limited gifting authority, mandatory and default rules for all agents, the new “Opinion of Counsel” rule, and acceptance procedures and timelines by financial institutions. Robert Morgan, managing partner of Robert M. Morgan & Associates in Jacksonville, Fla., will be the speaker. Morgan devoted himself to the practice of elder law when his grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. To find the best care for her, he meticulously studied Medicaid and Medicare, and quickly learned that understanding each law and service program, along with its impact, is critical.
As Morgan mastered the nuances of elder law, he realized there were countless families who were lost, scared and confused, so he decided to devote his life to helping others through the practice of elder law, special needs, estate planning and related issues.
“Elder law is a misnomer. It’s estate planning – wills, trusts, probate and guardianship – with a bent toward health care, government benefits for long term and at-home care, and disability law. Also, it’s an area where you must be an expert at special needs trusts, which most tax lawyers and estate planning lawyers are not,” he says. A recognized author and speaker on elder law, estate planning and real property issues, Morgan brings a wealth of experience and expertise to helping his clients with a wide range of needs.
Morgan remains active in the Jacksonville Bar Association and the Elder Law Section of the Florida Bar. He’s served as chairperson of the Jackson Bar’s Probate and Trust Law section and the Real Property, Trust & Probate Law section. In addition, he’s a member of the Florida Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Finally, he’s a member of the AARP Legal Services Network and an adjunct professor in elder and real estate law at Florida Coastal School of Law.
Morgan holds an undergraduate degree from Arizona State University and earned his Juris Doctor, with distinction, at Mississippi College. The “Florida Law Update” seminar will begin at 8 a.m. with breakfast and registration at The Walden Club in the Republic Centre, located at 633 Chestnut Street. The seminar will take place at the same location from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. The class will provide two general CLE credits in Tennessee. The cost is $55 for members, $90 for nonmembers and $25 for legal support staff.
How to avoid legal malpractice
Topics in the second seminar include client interviews, housekeeping issues when representing litigation clients, the importance of preserving client confidences, how to avoid waiver, lawsuits to acquire fees, ten practice tips to avoid malpractice, what a lawyer should do if he or she has a claim, what a lawyer should not do if he or she has a claim, and the effective termination of an attorney-client relationship.
Henry Hetzel from Birmingham, Ala., will speak. Hetzel is president of Attorneys Insurance Mutual of the South, Risk Retention Group, where he acts as claims counsel. He maintains a limited law practice on a part-time basis. Hetzel received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Alabama and his Juris Doctorate from Cumberland School of Law. He’s a former chairperson of the Alabama State Bar’s Insurance Programs Committee, and past president and current member of the board of directors of the National Association of Bar-Related Insurance Companies.
Hetzel lectures on ethics topics and avoiding legal malpractice at local bar associations, the state of Alabama’s Department of Insurance, the University of Alabama’s ABICLE program, Cumberland CLE seminars, Cumberland School of Law and Jones School of Law. He’s published articles on appellate practice. The malpractice seminar will begin at 10:45 a.m. with registration at The Walden Club. The seminar and lunch will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The class will provide two dual CLE hours in Tennessee. The cost is $55 for members, $90 for nonmembers and $25 for legal support staff.
To register online using Visa or MasterCard, visit the Chattanooga Bar Association Web site at www.chattbar.org. The Bar has scheduled eight more CLE seminars this fall. The Hamilton County Herald is a sponsor of each one.