BACK TO SCHOOL

"School days, school days...." In September, students of all ages return to educational pursuits -- including lawyers who are devotees of continuing legal education.

The Academy presents four important CLE seminars this September. At least one is sure to be essential to your area of practice.

The month begins with a program that responds to the recent change to New York's Domestic Relations Law. Entitled "Addressing the Rights & Obligations of Same Sex Couples under the Marriage Equality Act," the program covers issues related to marriage and family law, estate planning, and taxation. The date is Wednesday, September 14, 2011; 6:00 to 9:00 p.m., with sign-in and light supper from 6:00. Presenters are Suffolk Surrogate John M. Czyger, Jr. and attorneys Mitchell Cooper, Diane Caroll, and Joseph Milizio. Ralph Randazzo is the chair and moderator.

Then on Tuesday, September 20, Professor David Siegel presents his Annual New York Civil Practice Update. The program will be held at the Hyatt Regency Wind Watch Hotel in Hauppauge and runs from 6:3-0 to 9:30 p.m., with a deli buffet from 6:00 p.m. Professor Siegel states that many new and important topics are on the agenda this year.

A new-age seminar for lawyers who handle wills and estates is scheduled for Thursday, September 22 (6:00 to 9:00 p.m. light supper from 5:30). Four skillsed practitioners -- Robert Harper, Peter Kelly, Bill Parkas and Frank Santoro -- will discuss "Preparing for and Litigating the Issue of Status." Topics will include spousal inheritance rights, inheritance rights of non-marital children, and inheritance rights of children conceived following the decedent's death.

An E-Discovery Bootcamp is the fourth seminar scheduled for September. Attorney Debbie Lanin and techies Yalkin Demirkaya and Sal Llanera join Hon. James Flanagan in a detailed presentation on how to build an electronic data discovery process that holds up in court. Emphasis will be on practical tips and instruction. The program is scheduled for Monday, September 26, and runs from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. (light supper from 5:30).

For more information or to register, call the Academy at 631-234-5588.

FUNDAMENTAL CLEs HELP GROW YOUR PRACTICE

"Fundamental" as an adjective means "affecting or serving as a base or foundation." As a noun, it refers to a principle. Both definitions apply to the Academy's Summer FUNDAMENTALS Series. These courses -- 15 in all -- review the principles of given practice areas and provide foundations for greater professional comfort.

Our constituents seem to be really liking these focused, information-packed lunch 'n learn programs, as evinced by returned evaluation forms and informal "exit polls." At this writing, only five programs in the series remain: Rule 125 Adjournments (August 9); Objections: Don't Be a Potted Plant (August 10); Medicaid Applications (August 11); 1404 Examinations (August 16), and Collecting Child Support When One Party Lives Out-of-State or Overseas (Agust 18).

If you can't attend an upcoming program that interests you or wish you'd attended one of the past offerings, they're all available on-line (initially as live webcasts, then as video-replays.)

Previously presented topics were: Commercial Leases; How to Properly Execute a Power of Attorney; Illegal Rentals; Reverse Mortgages; Handling BWI (Boating While Intoxicated Cases); Negotiating Shareholders' Agreements; Leave Issues in the Workplace; Computing Maintenance & Child Support after No Fault; and Solving Last Second Snafus at a Residential Real Estate Closing.

To access Academy webcasts or video replays, click the blue oval on the SCBA website entitled "Internet CLE." Then follow the easy instructions.