September CLEs Will Discuss COVID-19’s Impact on the Law, Voting Rights and Emerging Tech

September CLEs Will Discuss COVID-19’s Impact on the Law, Voting Rights and Emerging Tech

9.9.2020

By Brendan Kennedy

As the country grows more accustomed to virtual happy hours and virtual conferences, the New York State Bar Association is continuing to provide high-quality Continuing Legal Education for members and the general public.

This month, NYSBA will host dozens of CLE programs on a variety of topics including COVID-19’s impact on the law, Apple vs. Android, voting rights and voter suppression, Title IX and the New York SHIELD Act.

As a reminder, in March the New York State Court System’s CLE Board implemented changes to allow for attorneys admitted for two years or less to earn skills CLE credits via webconferencing, teleconferencing, and videoconferencing.

Interactive Programs

An Evening with the Commercial Division Judges
September 17, 5 p.m.
Commercial & Federal Litigation Section
3.0 Professional Practice Credits

Co-sponsored along with the Nassau and Suffolk County Bar associations, this three-hour program will give members a chance to hear from several Nassau and Suffolk county judges and attorneys about the courts’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This program will discuss:

• Issues surrounding the opening of the courts and remote proceedings
• How the judges envision cases in the future
• The procedures that the judges have been following
• How judges are handling their calendars and remote conferences

COVID-19 Programs

The Impact of the Pandemic On Nonprofit Corporate Governance
September 15, 12 p.m.
Business Law Section
1.0 Professional Practice Credit

This hour-long program will feature a discussion on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nonprofit corporate governance, including Executive Orders, legislation and the NY Attorney General ‘Charities Bureau Guidance.’

The discussion will also cover these hot topics:

• What has changed permanently
• What has been adjusted temporarily
• What should I focus on
• Traps for the unwary
• Procedural requirements
• Fiduciary duties of Nonprofit Directors

COVID-19’s Impact on Franchising
September 17, 12 p.m.
Business Law Section
1.0 Professional Practice Credit

This program will cover everything from the new item 19 amendment requirements to the need to amend Franchise Disclosure Documents if the basic structure of a business has been changed due to the pandemic or if a substantial number of units have closed. The hour-long program will also discuss the business adaptations franchisers have used to respond to the pandemic and franchisee bankruptcy issues.

Employment Handbooks: Updating and Addressing COVID-19
September 23, 1 p.m.
Committee on Law Practice Management
1.0 Law Practice Management Credit

This one-hour program will allow members to gain important tools and information for updating your employee handbook in light of COVID-19.

The program will discuss the following policies and procedures:

• Sick leave under state legislation
• Vacation and travel policies
• Remote work or teleworking policies
• Disaster preparedness and contingency plans
• Office logistics

Technology Related Programs

Biometrics, Facial Recognition & Autonomous Vehicles
September 23, 12 p.m.
1.0 Ethics and Professionalism Credit

As biometrics and facial recognition technology become more prevalent, concerns about privacy and security of the data have increased, as have calls for government regulation and legislation. The use of autonomous vehicles is also expected to increase in the coming years and more attention is being focused on the significant amount of geolocation and other sensitive data associated with this technology.

This hour-long program will discuss:

• What data is being collected by these emerging technologies
• The state of the law and regulations applicable to them
• Cybersecurity guidance
• Best practices

Apple vs. Android: What Works Best in Your Law Practice
September 24, 12 p.m.
Committee on Law Practice Management
1.0 Law Practice Management Credit

The program will give members a broad overview of the electronic ecosystems you might employ when operating a practice. The panel will compare the Apple ecosystem to one run on a PC with Android and Chrome operating systems and address the pros and cons of each option.

Hot Topics

Voting Rights & Voter Suppression: 100 Years After The 19th Amendment
September 10, 12 p.m.
Women in Law Section, Labor & Employment Law Section
1.5 Professional Practice Credits

One hundred years ago, the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote. Fifty-five years ago, the Voting Rights Act, designed to protect Black Americans’ right to vote, was enacted. After the Supreme Court in Shelby County v. Holder (2013) invalidated part of the Voting Rights Act, states with a history of discrimination no longer needed federal approval to change their voting laws and many states took advantage of this and passed voter ID laws, redrew districts, closed polling places and took other less conspicuous measures that made it more difficult for voters to cast their ballots.

This program will address many issues raised in the documentary film, Capturing the Flag, including the ongoing efforts to erode the right to vote and how attorney advocates can legally fight back to protect voters.

A New Era For Title IX: An Overview Of The Department Of Education’s New Regulations
September 29, 12 p.m.
Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, Committee on LGBTQ People and the Law
1.0 Professional Practice Credit

This program will provide an overview of the new Title IX regulations that were enacted in May 2020 and highlight the key differences with how Title IX has been enforced since the 2011 Dear Colleague Letter. This program will benefit attorneys that represent students, teachers and faculty, administrators and educational institutions at the K-12 level and institutions of higher education.

The New York SHIELD ACT: Ethics, Requirements, & Technology Compliance For New York Lawyers
September 29, 12 p.m.
Committee on Technology and The Legal Profession
1.0 Ethics and Professionalism Credit

The Stop Hacks and Improve Electronic Data Security Act (SHIELD Act) information security provisions, governing the storage, use, protection, disposal and data breach notification of New York resident’s private information, became effective on March 21, 2020. This program provides an overview of the scope of the SHIELD ACT, the new information security requirements, penalties for breach, applicable legal ethical principles and types of products available to the legal sector to assist in compliance with the SHIELD Act’s reasonable security requirement.