Choose this option to register for one seminar. Lunch is optional and an additional cost.

Choose this option to register for two seminar. Lunch is optional and an additional cost.

Choose this option to register for three or four seminars. Lunch is optional and an additional cost.

Lunch is not included in registration fees.

There are many nearby restaurants for you to enjoy lunch on your own, or an optional boxed lunch can be purchased for an additional cost.

Choose this option if you wish to purchase the optional boxed lunch.

All lunches must be purchased in advance; no boxed lunches will be available for purchase at the event.

At this time, I am looking for volunteers to serve as proctors. We cannot run this conference without volunteers and we need your help. Proctors are responsible for introducing the speaker, reading some brief announcements, passing out handouts and evaluation forms, overseeing the sign-in/sign-out process, distributing CLE certificates, and thanking the speaker. It is very simple to do, but so very important. If you would like to proctor any of the seminars that you are attending, please indicate here.

By now, it is a well-known fact that social media is discoverable in court. In fact, over 45% of corporations have used publicly available social media content in litigation and fraud investigations, according to a study conducted in 2015 on social media analytics and eDiscovery. This presentation will take a deeper dive into the application of industry best practices including recent case law, challenges law firms and corporations face with social media in court, corporate data collection processes and best practices, social media guidelines for employees, mitigating account ownership and authentication issues, and how to pull data from social media accounts for a case.

Bruce Malter, CEDS, Director of Client Engagement, eTERA Consulting, LLC

The path to trial often comes with forks in the road. Preparing for an electronic trial shouldn’t make your life harder. Come learn how to spot the many pitfalls in trial preparation and turn your pain into productivity. From basic war room techniques to advanced trial presentation strategies – we will cover much ground and get you on the path to a successful trial.

Robert A. Rosenberg, President, Rosenberg Consulting Services, Inc.

In April, 2016, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (“PTO”) filed a petition for a writ of certiorari to the Federal Circuit seeking Supreme Court review of that Court’s decision in In re Tam, 117 USPQ2d 1001 (Fed. Cir. 2016), holding the disparagement provision of Section 2(a) of the Lanham Act, 15 USC §1052(a), to be facially unconstitutional as a violation of the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment. The disparagement provision of the Lanham Act has drawn renewed attention since it was used in June 2014 to revoke the Washington Redskins’ trademark registrations. This petition for certiorari sets the stage for the Supreme Court to review the legality of Section 2(a). 15 U.S.C. § 1052(a) states in part: “No trademark by which the goods of the applicant may be distinguished from the goods of others shall be refused registration on the Principal Register on account of its nature unless it – Consists of or comprises immoral, deceptive, or scandalous matter; or matter which may disparage or falsely suggest a connection with persons, living or dead, institutions, beliefs, or national symbols, or bring them into contempt, or disrepute…” . Mr. Meyers will explore the case history by which the definition of “immoral” has been determined, the differences between “immoral” and “scandalous” brands and evidence used to establish that a candidate brand may disparage and whom it may disparage, and whether the disparage provisions of the Act are invalid under the Free Speech amendment of the U.S. Constitution. He will lead a discussion and Q & A session as well following his presentation.

Fred Meyers, IP Solved, LLP

The Illinois legislature enacted the Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (UFADAA) to allow fiduciaries access to the principal’s digital assets. In this session we will obtain an update on this statute and discuss planning issues related to digital assets such as privacy and ownership, and realize the issues created under the Terms of Service Agreements. We will also identify the important issues in family planning including Assisted Reproductive Technology and genetic material such as eggs, sperm, embryos, and umbilical cord blood.

Jonathan D. Morton, Esq., Golan Christie Taglia

This session will be a basic overview of effective tools for legal research, focusing on attorney expectations. We will also discuss some effective alternatives to the standard Westlaw Next and Lexis Advanced providers.

Margarite Primozich Loew, MA, JD, Professor, Robert Morris University

Jump into cyberspace as we explore the various Secretary of State Websites and find out which ones you can count on for up to date, accurate information. In this seminar, we will be presenting a clear account of the websites you can trust and the ones you should be leery of. We will provide you with an in-depth analysis of which Secretary of State Websites you can count on for correct status information and which are delayed in updating status. In this “do-it-yourself” age, we will educate you on which databases are deemed reliable and which can be misleading.

Lindsay Gates, President/CEO, Service Partners Information Co.

In this session we will discuss hot topics before the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and in employment law, generally. Topics will be selected from Seyfarth Shaw’s law blogs, published in the Workplace Safety and Environmental Law Alert blog, and the Employment Law Lookout: Insights for Management blog. The topics will include primarily blogs prepared at least partially by the speaker, and discussion will include “Blogging as a Paralegal - The Paralegal’s Role”.

Craig B. Simonsen, Paralegal, Seyfarth Shaw LLP

This seminar will introduce the basic concepts of land surveying, including definitions of the most commonly used surveying and legal terminology. We will discuss the many and varied tasks that a Professional Land Surveyor must accomplish in order to provide a Plat of Survey.

Mike Vanderwalker, Vanderwalker Land Surveyors and Susan Leo Vanderwalker, Senior Patent Paralegal, Baker & McKenzie LLP

Are you still redacting confidential information with a black Sharpie marker? Still applying stickers at the bottom of each page to Bates number your documents? Save time and learn to do these automatically. This intermediate class on Acrobat Adobe XI Professional will focus on tasks that are used daily in the legal industry such as: editing PDF files, adding annotations and bookmarks, Bates numbering, redacting PDFs and creating PDF portfolios. Come sharpen your paralegal ninja skills!

Susan L. Schafer, IT Trainer, McDermott Will & Emery LLP

Legal writing is a skill that can be learned, like any other. This session breaks legal writing into a series of concrete steps and presents them in logical order. Learn tips and techniques you can use to improve your writing, from inception through final edit.

Elizabeth McGuan, Esq., Law Offices of Elizabeth McGuan

Keeping up to date in the ever-changing world of employment laws and regulations can seem daunting. This session will provide an overview of recent changes and updates to laws relating to restrictive covenant agreements (confidentiality and non-compete agreements), class action waiver provisions, paid leave policies (including sick leave and family leave), and privacy and technology policies (including social media policies).

Ashley L. Orler, Esq., Golan Christie Taglia

Did you hear the one about how VW’s in-house attorneys messed up a litigation hold? It does not matter if you work at a litigious company or not – legal holds can be tricky. Join us for a panel discussion on the legal hold process, preservation of data, and document collection from the unique perspectives of the corporation, the law firm, and the service provider. Learn best practices on how to create a methodical legal hold process in-house by identifying requirements, interviewing key stakeholders, and collecting electronic and paper files from multiple company repositories. You will get practical advice on how to identify trouble spots and how to use your resources. We will also discuss the importance of becoming your employer’s technology paralegal.

Diane Diaz, Senior Paralegal, McDonald's Corporation; Tisha Delgado, E-Litigation Paralegal, Golan Christie Taglia; Patricia Flanagan, D4, LLC

This session will cover pertinent medical malpractice topics including evaluating medical records to determine if the case is meritorious or defensible and how to screen cases effectively and efficiently. Practical strategies will be discussed regarding obtaining and applying Standards of Care and specific tips when requesting policies and procedures from a healthcare facility. The participant will have a better understanding of the development of the medical malpractice case as well as the components of the litigation process timeline.

Susan V. Haibeck RN MS CLNC, Haibeck and Associates Legal Nurse Consulting

Every paralegal, no matter what area of law, should know these features. Join us to gain the skills to solve common problems and confidently navigate in Excel. In this intermediate Excel class, you will learn how to use advanced formulas and formatting options, how to sort and filter data, and pivot table basics. Excel 2010 will be presented and attendees should have a basic understanding or working knowledge of Excel. Go back to work with some new tools for your paralegal toolbox!

Susan L. Schafer, IT Trainer, McDermott Will & Emery LLP

This seminar will guide you through the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure from a paralegal prospective. Learn to be proactive in a federal matter as you assist in preparing the complaint, completing proper service, working with the client in preparing discovery, interviewing witnesses, surviving summary judgment and getting ready for trial. We will also discuss the rule changes in the last few years.

Caren Mansfield, CLA, ILAP, Paralegal, Baker, Baker & Krajewski LLC

Extensive revisions to the Illinois Limited Liability Company Act will take effect on July 1, 2017. The changes are based in part on the Revised Uniform Liability Company Act. Some of the changes include: expanding the definition of “Operating Agreement” to include oral agreements; providing a default rule that an LLC is “member-managed,” unless the Operating Agreement specifically states otherwise; stating that a member of the LLC is not automatically an agent of the LLC; and revising the rules for converting from one form of business entity to another (e.g. converting from a corporation to an LLC). In this session, we will explore the Act’s numerous revisions and discuss how these changes will affect existing limited liability companies.

Ronald Austin, Jr., Esq. Grant Law, LLC

Analytics and new ways to interact with and visualize data promise to revolutionize traditional legal processes. From review in litigation and investigations to automating contracts and other upstream processes, some are predicting that the role of the legal professional will be radically different in the next 5-10 years. Join us for this thought provoking seminar and learn:

• What are the differences in analytics tools from email threading to conceptual clustering to TAR and beyond
• How you can employ analytics today to make a difference in your work…and your career
• What are the courts saying about these new technologies and why
• The impact on ethical obligations and future tech trends


Doug Kaminski, Director of Major Accounts, kCura and Adrienne Knight, Major Account Manager, kCura

A broad overview of the operations and priorities of the Illinois Department of Human Rights and treatment of hate crimes under Illinois law.

Ngozi C. Okorafor, Esq., Chief Legal Counsel/Ethics Officer, Illinois Department of Human Rights

There are many avenues available to obtaining legal permanent residency. A wide range of variables can affect the method and the requirements needed to successfully acquire legal status in the United States. In this session we will discuss the most common ways one can obtain legal permanent residency. Current events and issues affecting visa and greencard holders will be highlighted including the rights and the obligations of each. Finally, requirements to obtaining citizenship will be discussed.

Mario A. Godoy, Esq., Godoy Law Office

Join us for a fun and informative discussion of paralegal ethics. We will explore the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, the IPA Code of Ethics, and we will discuss how they can be utilized in the daily work of paralegals. Learn how to identify conflicts, deflect potential ethical dilemmas and maximize productivity by learning what substantive legal duties paralegals can perform and the issues they may face. This session will also discuss the pitfalls of social media to the paralegal.

Sharon Patterson, Legal Assistant Supervisor, Goldberg Kohn Ltd. and Caren Mansfield, CLA, ILAP, Baker, Baker & Krajewski LLC