Vermont CLE Course Catalog

In the next installment of this popular series, Peter Afrasiabi takes a fun look at what the Constitution – as well as the criminal and tort law – have to say about sex, including those who choose to record it or lie about it. This program includes an overview of laws regulating sexual behavior (e.g., adultery, incest, obscenity), voyeurism (e.g., pornography, revenge porn, peeping Tom laws) and lying about sex (e.g., right to lie, perjury).

Peter Afrasiabi, an experienced intellectual property lawyer and litigator, gives a comprehensive overview of intellectual property rights and how the four key legal frameworks – copyright, trademark, patent and trade secrets – are relevant to all lawyers. At the end of the presentation, you’ll not only be able to spot intellectual property issues when they arise in your practice but have a good sense of how to deal with them, and also when you may want to bring in an expert to provide additional advice or assistance.

Mr. Afrasiabi deftly guides lawyers through the rules and the key cases related to bias, disqualification and race-based bias charges, while at the same time offering practical advice to lawyers to help them avoid the pitfalls that could get them in trouble with the courts, the state bar and their clients. He also weaves in a bit of legal history as he recounts the fascinating tale of labor leader Harry Bridges, whose deportation proceedings sparked the most bitter court battle ever over the disqualification of the federal judge presiding over Mr. Bridges’ case.

Whether you’ve won or lost in the trial court, winning your case on appeal requires an entirely different approach in terms of your strategy and the mechanics of presenting your case to the appellate court. Pivoting successfully from trial court to appellate litigator can make the difference between losing and winning your appeal. Peter Afrasiabi, Co-Director of the Appellate Practice Clinic at the UC Irvine School of Law and the Appellate Practice Chair at One LLP, provides sage advice on how to prepare for and present your oral argument to an appellate court to help you win your next appeal.

The world’s best advocates – starting with Cicero and carrying forward to the most skilled orators of today – use storytelling and credibility to make arguments that persuade and move their audiences. Because law schools and many law firms don’t teach or reward these polestars of advocacy, many lawyers lack these critical skills. This program in advanced advocacy teaches you how to become a gifted and credible storyteller capable of crafting truly compelling arguments on behalf of your clients.

Everyone knows that the First Amendment safeguards freedom of speech from government intervention, but does that protection extend to speech that is hateful, offensive or incites violence? Peter Afrasiabi reviews the history of free speech protections in the United States — from famous cases involving flag burning, Nazi marches and anti-war protests — and carries it through to present day controversies including cyberstalkers who send messages threating violence and former President Donald Trump who made statements targeting protesters at a campaign rally.

From polygamy and abolitionism in the 1800’s, to socialist and anti-war movements in the 1900’s to same-sex marriage in the 2000’s, the First Amendment is the vehicle through which social issues of the day become test cases. While content and viewpoint limits generally fail to pass constitutional muster, other types of speech such as obscenity, fighting words and defamation receive less protection and may be restricted by the government under certain conditions. 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.

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 this unique installment of this popular series, Mark Wooster is joined by Magician, Anthropologist, Cybersecurity Expert and Keynote Speaker Paul Draper. Paul teaches you what you need to know about cybersecurity, privacy and data protection, all the while keeping you entertained with some awesome magic tricks. From the basic steps you and your firm need to take right now to prevent being hacked by someone who dabbles in hacking to more advanced measures you need to consider if you might become a target of a more sophisticated ransomware attack, Paul gives you the benefit of his decades of practical experience working and consulting in cybersecurity for Fortune 100 companies. Reserve your seat today and we’ll waive the two-drink minimum!

What happens when a client sorta, kinda lies? Is it really even a lie? And what’s a lawyer to do about it? Well, it depends. ...is it in a tribunal or a negotiation? ...is it a statement of fact or law? In this program we’re going to try to help you keep your head afloat by explaining it all.