New York CLE Course Catalog

More than 5,000 class action lawsuits are filed each year in the state and federal courts in the United States, which means that thousands of lawyers just like you will face the unhappy task of dealing with a class action. Thankfully, there are steps we can take as lawyers to make sure our companies are not easy targets, and to deal effectively and efficiently with a class action lawsuit if and when one is filed. Is arbitration right for your company in agreements with its customers and employees? If it is, how do you craft an enforceable arbitration clause that includes a waiver of the right to assert claims on behalf of a class? This program tells you what you need to know -- and factors you must consider -- when thinking about including arbitration and class action waivers in your contracts.

These days, manufacturers of nearly every consumer product under the sun are catching false advertising claims. If you make a consumer-facing product, the odds are, litigation like this is not a matter of if but when, which means, false advertising litigation is just another business risk to be managed, mitigated, and optimized. This program takes a closer look at the landscape, and offers some practical advice and key considerations for how a business might implement some systems to manage this risk. Social media can be a powerful tool for companies to help build relationships with their customers and employees. However, with the benefits of this tool come corresponding risks. If your company distributes content on-line, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act can be your best friend -- and your worst enemy -- often at the same time. This program gives you the advice you need to prosecute or defend on-line copyright infringement claims.

Experts differ on whether lawyers are more prone to depression than others who work in equally high-stress occupations such as doctors. But one thing is clear: the stigma associated with depression is one of the reasons lawyers may not get help when they need it. Is an ancient virus the reason humans are susceptible to substance use disorders? How has modern medicine changed the way we treat substance use disorders? This program answers these important questions so that today's lawyers have the tools they need to help themselves or a colleague.

There are few things senior executives fear more than criminal prosecution, and that's with good reason because being prosecuted can ruin lives, reputations, finances -- both corporate and personal -- marriages, and families. This program provides practical advice for counsel on how their companies can seek to avoid triggering a criminal investigation and what to do if you're faced with one. With whistleblower complaints skyrocketing, how can companies conduct internal investigations that will be defensible to the SEC and other regulators? This program shares five key lessons for in-house lawyers as they are considering launching, managing and reporting the results of internal investigations.

In this program, you'll learn the lessons of some data breach cases that can help you protect your company when facing a data breach. This program also provides timely, actionable advice that includes the 5 things you can start doing today to help prevent data breaches and better prepare your company to respond to them if they do occur, focusing on the healthcare space where data breaches can include disclosure of personal health information regulated by state and federal laws including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

In this installment of our Double Play series, our two, thirty-minute programs cover five ethical traps in defending class actions and ethical issues in multijurisdictional practice. Can your company offer customers a discount on future purchases in exchange for a waiver of claims after a class has been certified? Can you ethically obtain declarations from putative class members to help oppose class certification? This program considers these and other important ethical issues that often arise in class actions. How well do you know the rules that govern your ability to perform legal services in a state where you are not licensed or the sanctions for violating them? This program gives you the guidance you need to avoid engaging in the unauthorized practice of law.

What would your company do if it ran out of water? For many reasons -- including climate change and population growth -- this is not merely a hypothetical but a real risk that your company needs to assess and manage. This program provides the guidance you need to evaluate and address the water risks your company faces while suggesting ways your company may be able to transform water risks into business opportunities. In the United States, cannabis is growing faster than any other industry and is expected to generate over $20 billion by 2020. But investing in cannabis, or doing business with companies involved in cannabis production or distribution, comes with substantial legal and other risks. This program offers practical advice to avoid the most common pitfalls when companies choose to invest in cannabis or do business with companies in that industry.

We all know that CLE programs are boring and a chore to watch. But we’re breaking the rules – a CLE program that’s intentionally funny and (gasp) entertaining, yet somehow still informative. In the latest installment of this popular series, actor, writer, producer and recovering lawyer, Mark Wooster, presents a humorous take on what lawyers should not do in the service of their clients. Using clips from some recent television shows and a recent feature film, Mark will illustrate the ethics rules that apply to lawyers who can’t seem to behave themselves like ethical human beings much less ethical lawyers. Reserve your seat today and we’ll waive the two-drink minimum!

How well do you know the scope of the Sixth Amendment’s fundamental guarantees of the rights to trial, counsel, an impartial jury and ability to confront the witnesses against you? In the latest installment of “The Curious Lawyer” series, Peter Afrasiabi takes a deep dive into each of the ten amendments in the Bill of Rights, reminding us what each amendment protects and illustrating its impact on the other constitutional protections we enjoy. Whether you are a budding constitutional scholar or simply looking for interesting facts to share at a cocktail party, the Bill of Rights series is for you.