Bar Happenings: September 2008

September 2008
By Kathryn Alfisi

Illustration by Mick Wiggins Section Luncheon Explores TOPA
On September 12 the D.C. Bar Real Estate, Housing and Land Use Section will present a luncheon program on the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA).

“TOPA: A Quandary—Is It a Complete Success or Abject Failure?” is a resumption of a presentation held on May 23 on the legislation. This course will explore case law examining the stakeholders’ perspectives on the administration of TOPA, benefits and drawbacks for the community, and implications on title and marketability of real estate.

Speakers include Mark Griffin, partner at Griffin & Murphy, LLP and former member of the District of Columbia Real Estate Commission; Lauren Pair, rental conversion and sale administrator for the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development; and Jonathan Tycko, partner at Tycko & Zavareei LLP.

S. Kathryn Allen, who served as chair of the Mayoral D.C. Rental Housing Conversion and Sale Task Force in 2007, will moderate the program. Allen, who previously was commissioner of the Department of Banking and Financial Institutions for the District of Columbia, is copresident of Answer Title, a full- service escrow, settlement, and title firm.

The program will take place from 12:30 to 2 p.m. at the D.C. Bar Conference Center, 1250 H Street NW, B-1 level.

For more information, contact the Sections Office at 202-626-3463 or e-mail sections@dcbar.org.

Women’s Bar Association Networks Through Annual Stars of the Bar
The Women’s Bar Association (WBA) of the District of Columbia will hold its annual Stars of the Bar fall networking reception on September 23 in the atrium of the Homer Building, 601 13th Street NW.

This reception, which runs from 6 to 8 p.m. and is free to attend, offers an opportunity to network and learn more about the WBA while honoring women in the legal community for their accomplishments. The reception kicks off the year for the WBA and offers a setting where more than 500 judges, attorneys, and law students can assemble to learn about the WBA’s history, mission, and plans.

For more information on this reception, contact the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia at 202-639-8880, or admin@wbadc.org, or visit www.wbadc.org.

Just the Beginning Foundation Continues to ‘Reach and Lift’
The Just the Beginning Foundation (JTBF) will hold its eighth biennial conference, September 25 to 28, at the JW Marriott Hotel, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.

Featuring the theme “Reaching Back and Lifting Up,” the JTBF will convene a diverse group of federal and state judges, lawyers, law professors, law students, college students, and high school and middle school students to interact with judges and participate in panel discussions on contemporary legal issues.

Featured seminar topics will include fixing racial inequalities in education, hot topics for corporate counsel, the impact of the media on the quality of justice, a preview of the 2008–2009 Supreme Court term, and courting youths who want to become lawyers.

JTBF is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that seeks to increase racial diversity in the legal profession by developing and nurturing interest in the law among young people. The conference is cosponsored by a local consortium of federal and state bar associations from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.

For more information on the Just the Beginning Foundation, visit www.jtbf.org. or e-mail info@jtbf.org.

September CLE Courses Explore Workplace Privacy, Supreme Court
An overview of workplace privacy issues and a look at the Supreme Court’s past and future terms are among the September offerings of the D.C. Bar Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Program.

“Supreme Court Review and Preview 2008,” which takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. on September 11, features a panel of experienced Supreme Court practitioners and jurists who will discuss highlights of the 2007–2008 term and examine the issues and cases the Court most likely will consider in 2008–2009.

Faculty includes Beth Brinkmann, partner at Morrison & Foerster LLP; Michael Dreeben, deputy solicitor general in the Office of the Solicitor General, United States Department of Justice; and Thomas Goldstein, partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.

This course is cosponsored by the D.C. Bar Administrative Law and Agency Practice Section; Computer and Telecommunications Law Section; Corporation, Finance and Securities Law Section; Courts, Lawyers and the Administration of Justice Section; Criminal Law and Individual Rights Section; Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Section; Family Law Section; Health Law Section; International Law Section; Labor and Employment Law Section; Litigation Section; and Real Estate, Housing and Land Use Section.

On September 23 the “Privacy in Today’s Workplace” course will provide an overview of the laws that affect workplace privacy, focusing on topics such as employee monitoring, searching the electronic and physical workplace, employee privacy rights, investigations of applicants and employees, international data flows, and potential liability for improper release of personnel information.

Faculty includes Charles Henter of HenterLaw PLC and Gerard Stegmaier, an associate with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati P.C.

The course, which takes place from 6 to 9:15 p.m., is cosponsored by the Computer and Telecommunications Law Section; Corporation, Finance and Securities Law Section; Criminal Law and Individual Rights Section; Health Law Section; Intellectual Property Law Section; Labor and Employment Law Section; Law Practice Management Section; and Litigation Section.

Both courses take place at the D.C. Bar Conference Center, 1250 H Street NW, B-1 level.

For more information or a complete list of Continuing Legal Education Program courses in September, contact the CLE Office at 202-626-3488 or visit www.dcbar.org/cle.

How to Write Well
The D.C. Bar Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Program will offer a comprehensive mix of writing courses in September, with the first, “Advanced Effective Writing for Lawyers,” taking place from 9:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. on September 5.

This course is designed for attorneys who want to move beyond the basics and increase the effectiveness of their writing. It is suitable for attorneys who previously have taken the “Introduction to Effective Writing for Lawyers” course or “Effective Writing for Lawyers Workshop.”

The instructor, Jody Beck of Writewell, will show participants how to address organizational and grammatical problems that appear in legal writing, as well as teach skills such as opening with clear and compelling language to engage your audience, choosing the right words to convey precise meaning, using topic sentences and transitions to guide readers, and using rhythm and tone to enhance your writing.

This course is limited to 20 registrants, and participants must bring samples of their writing to edit.

On September 26 Writewell’s Kate Sylvester will lead the “Effective Writing for Lawyers Workshop,” which will coach participants to recognize and correct common writing problems and make dull and bureaucratic language clear and concise. Sylvester will share 10 tips for turning ordinary writing into crisp, sharp, and convincing prose.

This course, which takes place from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., also is limited to 20 registrants and includes information taught in “Introduction to Effective Writing for Lawyers.” Students should not take both classes.

Both courses are cosponsored by all 21 D.C. Bar sections and will take place at the D.C. Bar Conference Center, 1250 H Street NW, B-1 level.

For more information or a complete list of Continuing Legal Education Program courses in September, contact the CLE Office at 202-626-3488 or visit www.dcbar.org/cle.

Litigating Real Estate Cases
On September 10 and 17 the D.C. Bar Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Program will offer the course “Issues You Need to Consider in Litigating and Trying Real Estate Cases Series,” which will guide participants from the preliminary through the concluding stages of complex real estate cases.

Part one, on September 10, will cover issues posed by cases involving competing claims of title, specific performance, adverse possession, rights of first refusal, boundary disputes, easements, restrictive covenants, and other factually intricate real property lawsuits.

Faculty also will address such subjects as initial case evaluation, pretrial discovery and investigation techniques, sources, legal research, client remedies and objectives, and ethical considerations.

Part two, on September 17, will explore discovery needs and strategies in greater detail and in the context of pretrial preparation as well as local procedures governing pretrial conferences and other pretrial procedures.

Participants will learn about trial techniques and specific strategies for conveying complicated law and facts to a court or jury, the use of demonstrative evidence and other exhibits, making a record for appeal, and the use of witnesses and other trial-tested formulae for dealing successfully with complex real estate issues.

This two-part course, taught by Stephen O. Hessler of Hessler & Associates and Vernon W. Johnson III of Nixon Peabody LLP, is cosponsored by the D.C. Bar Litigation Section and Real Estate, Housing and Land Use Section.

Both parts will take place from 6 to 9:15 p.m. at the D.C. Bar Conference Center, 1250 H Street NW, B-1 level.

For more information or a complete list of Continuing Legal Education Program courses in September, contact the CLE Office at 202-626-3488 or visit www.dcbar.org/cle.

Sections Luncheon Features House of Representatives Counsel
Irvin Nathan, general counsel of the United States House of Representatives, will speak at a brown bag program on September 22 as part of a general counsel series sponsored by the Legislative Practice Committee of the D.C. Bar Administrative Law and Agency Practice Section.

Committee chair Michael Stern will moderate the program, which is cosponsored by the D.C. Bar Corporation, Finance and Securities Law Section; Criminal Law and Individual Rights Section; Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Section; Government Contracts and Litigation Section; Health Law Section; International Law Section; and Litigation Section.

The program will take place from 12 to 2 p.m. at the D.C. Bar Conference Center, 1250 H Street NW, B-1 level.

For more information, contact the Sections Office at 202-626-3463 or e-mail sections@dcbar.org.

September Offers Sampling of Estates, Trusts, and Probate Help
In September the D.C. Bar Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Program will tackle estates, trusts, and probate law, starting with “Practical Ethics Issues in Estate Planning,” which takes place from 6 to 8:15 p.m. on September 9.

This course will teach participants how to identify and deal with legal ethics pitfalls that arise in the estate planning context. It will highlight trouble spots raised in the American Bar Association Model Rules of Professional Conduct as well as the ethics rules and disciplinary procedures of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.

Faculty Virginia A. McArthur, founder of the Law Office of Virginia A. McArthur, will address issues such as conflicts of interest, marginally competent clients, management of client assets, agreeing to serve as fiduciary, termination of representation, fee collections for trusts and estates practice, and unauthorized practices.

This course is cosponsored by the D.C. Bar Estates, Trusts and Probate Law Section and Taxation Section.

Estate and tax attorneys would also benefit from “The Practical Guide to Federal and State Estate Tax Returns for D.C.-Area Estates,” which runs from 6 to 9:15 p.m. on September 25.

Participants will gain practical insights and tips on how to properly prepare federal and state estate tax returns for estates in the Washington metropolitan area. The class also will learn about federal and D.C. estate tax returns and the differences in estate tax returns in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.

The course also will address overarching tax issues such as reporting, includability, deductability, valuation and elections with specifics on filing, payments and penalties, amending returns and claims for refunds, disclaimers and postmortem elections, information that must be included with returns and individual schedules, and closing letters.

Kate M. H. Kilberg of the Law Office of Virginia A. McArthur and Sarah M. Johnson of Venable LLP, both associates at their respective firms, will lead this course.

This course is cosponsored by the D.C. Bar Estates, Trusts and Probate Law Section.

Both offerings take place at the D.C. Bar Conference Center, 1250 H Street NW, B-1 level.

For more information or a complete list of Continuing Legal Education Program courses in September, contact the CLE Office at 202-626-3488 or visit www.dcbar.org/cle.

Reach staff writer Kathryn Alfisi at kalfisi@dcbar.org.