Agenda

Webinar instructions will be emailed before the date of the webinar.

Please log into the webinar 15 – 30 minutes before the start time.

Monday, December 16, 2024 
8:30 am – 3:30 pm EST

 

Georgia Case Law Update
Presented by: Brianna Spann Tucker

  • Jurisdiction
  • Pretrial practice
  • Trial practice
  • Damages and appeal

Current Ethical Issues in Litigation Practice
Presented by: Ilena Alvarez

  • Conflicts of interest
  • Confidentiality
  • Ex-parte communications
  • Avoiding the unauthorized practice of law
  • Working with clients, courts and opposing counsel

Litigation Roundtable:
Current Issues in Georgia Practice
Presented by: Amber O’Connell & Joshua Smith

  • Negligent security
  • Georgia direct action statutes
  • Pre-suit time-limited demands
  • Bad faith and attorney’s fees

Use of Discovery for a Litigation Practice
Presented by: Savannah N. Steele

  • Use of requests for admissions
  • Third party discovery
    (subpoenas, open records requests, and more)
  • You have missed the discovery window. Now what?
  • Discovery in enforcement actions/Post-judgment actions

Navigating the Superior and 
State Court Appellate Practice Act
Presented by: Katie Taylor

  • Farewell, Writ of Certiorari to Superior Court (1799 – 2023)
  • Overview of petition for review process and procedures
  • Best practices for litigating petitions
    for review of local government decisions
  • Case review and other considerations

  

Webinar Instructions
All attendees must log-on through their own email – attendees may not watch together if they wish to earn continuing education credit. HalfMoon Education Inc. must be able to prove attendance if either the attendee or HalfMoon Education Inc. is audited.

Certificates of completion can be downloaded in PDF form upon passing a short quiz. A link to the quiz will be sent to each qualifying attendee immediately after the webinar. The certificate can be downloaded from the Results page of the quiz upon scoring 80% or higher.

Webinars are presented via GoToWebinar, an easy-to-use application that can be run on most systems and tablets. Instructions and login information will be provided in an email sent close to the date of the webinar. It is highly recommended that you download, install and test the application before the webinar begins by clicking on the link in the email.

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Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Microsoft Edge
Internet Explorer v11 (or later) with Flash enabled.

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Credits

Attorneys
6.0 CLE Hours (Incl. 1.0 Ethics Hour, 3.0 Trial Hours)

 

Continuing Education Credit Information

This webinar is open to the public and is designed to qualify for 6.0 CLE hours for attorneys licensed in Georgia. 

This webinar has been approved by the Georgia Commission on Continuing Lawyer Competency for 6.0 total CLE hours, which includes 1.0 ethics hour and 3.0 trial hours. 

Attendance will be monitored, and attendance certificates will be available after the webinar for those who attend the entire course and score a minimum 80% on the quiz that follows the course (multiple attempts allowed). 

*On-Demand Credits* 

 The preceding credit information only applies to the live presentation. This course in an on-demand format is not pre-approved by any licensing boards and does not qualify for the same credit. 

Speakers

Ilena Alvarez, Esq.

Managing Partner at The Law Firm of Ilena Alvarez, P.A.

Ms. Alvarez graduated from Thomas M. Cooley Law at Western Michigan University with a J.D. degree and an LL.M. degree in Taxation. Her focus of practice consists of estate planning, business planning, guardianships, and probate. Ms. Alvarez manages her own firm, while teaching paralegals and business majors. She teaches Probate and Introduction to Law in the Paralegal Program at Florida Atlantic University.

Amber O’Connell

Attorney with Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers, LLP

Ms. O’Connell defends commercial and institutional clients, as well as auto insurers, across a wide variety of matters, including those related to construction defects, auto and trucking accidents, negligence and premises liability cases. She approaches litigation with an abundance of care, recognizing that lawsuits can present a great deal of stress for those involved. With experience counseling a large restaurant chain on an array of matters, including premises liability and high-exposure shooting and negligent security cases, she knows the importance of prioritizing transparency and keeping clients well informed throughout all steps of the case. Ms. O’Connell is committed to understanding her clients’ objectives and devises strategies unique to each client to achieve those objectives in an efficient manner.

Joshua Smith

Associate Attorney in Swift Currie’s Atlanta Office

Mr. Smith focuses his practice on defending insurers and their insureds in matters pertaining to bad faith litigation, commercial litigation, insurance coverage, premises liability, products liability and sexual abuse/assault. Prior to joining Swift Currie, he gained experience as a commercial litigator at an elite firm in New York. Mr. Smith has previously handled matters pertaining to data breach responses, which helped strengthen his ability to handle the many moving pieces of a matter at once. From these experiences, he learned the importance of close collaboration with colleagues and clients, hard work and exceptional organization. He earned his J.D. from Rutgers Law School. Mr. Smith received his B.A. from Georgia State University.

Brianna Spann Tucker

Attorney with Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers, LLP

Ms. Tucker practices in the firm’s civil litigation section defending businesses in premises liability matters, car accidents and uninsured motorists claims. Her clients primarily include retailers and insurance companies. Ms. Tucker’s foremost priority is to protect clients’ legal interests in all matters. Her strategic planning and her balanced, disciplined approach lead to successful outcomes. Before joining Swift Currie, Ms. Tucker was the staff attorney for the Honorable Philip C. Smith in the Superior Court of Forsyth County. She lived in Spain and taught English there for a brief period. Ms. Tucker loves traveling, particularly to Spain, and is an avid runner.

Savannah N. Steele, Esq.

Attorney with Lennon, Giovinazzo & Steele

Ms. Steele is a graduate of Florida State University where she received a B.A. degree in Communications and a B.A. degree in Psychology. She graduated from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University earning her J.D. degree and a Graduate Diploma in Comparative Law, being trained in both the civil and common law. Following graduation, Ms. Steele moved to Atlanta and worked for a general practice litigation firm, where she specialized in family law practice and eventually grew into an all-family practice. She now works at the boutique (and all female!) family law firm of Kaye, Lembeck, Hitt & French Family Law. Ms. Steele has served as an Emerging Leader for the American Bar Association and is privileged to continue her service to the American Bar Association.

Kathleen (Katie) Taylor

Attorney with Freeman Mathis and Gary, LLP

Ms. Taylor is an Associate in Freeman Mathis & Gary’s Atlanta office as part of the Government Law, Commercial Litigation, and Professional Liability practice groups. Before joining FMG, she practiced at a small firm specializing in local government law. At FMG, Ms. Taylor continues to represent local governments in constitutional rights litigation involving zoning, land use, nuisance and inverse condemnation, and law enforcement use of force cases in federal and state court. Her experience in local government runs the gamut from condemnations, contract law, and constitutional law issues, and extends to magistrate court prosecutions and advising city and county officials in a wide array of matters. Ms. Taylor is also a member of FMG’s Commercial Litigation practice group where she represents FMG’s commercial clients in various business and contract disputes.

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