The American Bar Association has an on-demand video library, which includes 500+ past CLE webinars.
Charitable Giving Planning in Trusts and Estates
April 4 & 5/10:00–11:00 AM (each day)
Audio webcast
Charitable giving can be a major portion of clients’ trust estate planning and introduce substantial complexity. Charitable giving may be motivated less by a desire for tax savings and more by a desire to have an impact on a specific charity or a community. Clients may also want to retain some measure of control during their lifetimes over the property they are donating and retain income from the property. Though there is a vast array of vehicles and planning techniques to achieve these goals, working through the alternatives is daunting. This program will provide you with a practical guide to the range of charitable giving vehicles, planning techniques to achieve client goals, tax and non-tax tradeoffs, and integrating charitable giving with overall estate plans.
Day 1:
- Charitable giving vehicles and techniques & advantages and disadvantages of each
- Integrating charitable giving into overall estate plans
- Use of Charitable Remainder Trusts and Charitable Lead Trusts to achieve client goals
- Donating life insurance policies and proceeds and related trust issues
- How to restructure restricted charitable gifts
- Tax pitfalls of charitable giving
- Post-mortem charitable giving techniques
Day 2:
- Advantages and disadvantages of using private foundations, supporting organizations, and donor-advised funds
- Structuring funds to provide maximum flexibility to the endowment and satisfy donor demands for control
- Donating illiquid and difficult-to-value assets to charity – real estate, interests in closely held businesses, works of art
- Review of faith-based giving initiatives and related legal issues
Fundamentals of Licensing Technology
April 10 & 11/10:00–11:00 AM (each day)
Audio webcast
Licenses are complex agreements governing the use of software, technology and other inventions. Most companies depend on technology it licenses to create operate and create value. But these complex instruments are also traps for the unwary, blending how and when the licensed technology can be used, in what territory, and by whom. Licenses also incorporate sprawling indemnity and damages provisions. Carefully drafted, negotiated or reviewed, licenses can be the fount of great value. But their complexity is also fraught with traps. This program will provide you with an intermediate-level guide to drafting and reviewing the most important provisions of licenses, including scope of use, property ownership and adaptation, royalties, warranties and indemnity, and remedies.
Day 1:
- Drafting and reviewing the most important provisions of client licenses
- Defining the scope of the license – usage, territory, time and updates
- Royalties – different structures and audits
- Warranties in licensing – implied and express
- Protecting the exchange of confidential information – employee issues and trade secrets
Day 2:
- Remedies on breach – financial liability and specific performance
- Indemnity – scope of obligation, exclusions, mechanics, remedies/triggers
- Limitation of liability – forms liability and failure of essential purpose
- Risk management – insurance, escrow, force majeure
- IP diligence – what to look for and red flags
“Boilerplate” Provisions in Business and Commercial Contracts: Traps for the Unwary
April 17/10:00–11:00 AM
Audio webcast
The “back of the book” provisions of common business, commercial and real estate agreements are often labeled “boilerplate,” copied and pasted from earlier agreements. But when disputes arise, these overlooked provisions – related to damages, choice of law and forum, notice, integration, and amendments – can determine the fate transaction. These provisions, if not closely examined in the context of every agreement, can provide grounds for litigation – or threats of litigation. This program will provide you with a practical guide to drafting essential “boilerplate” provisions with an emphasis on reducing risk.
Equipment Leases: Drafting & UCC Article 2A Issues
April 18/10:00–11:00 AM
Remote attendance only via Zoom
Many companies lease rather than buy computers and servers, company cars and other capital equipment. These leases are government by UCC Article 2A, an intricate set of provisions governing their validity, treatment, and enforcement. If the lease is not properly drafted to comply with the UCC, it risks being re-characterized as a sale or a security interest, which give rise to substantially adverse financial and tax consequences. This program will also provide you with a practical guide to reviewing equipment leases, including spotting red flags and avoiding recharacterization.
Understanding Ground Leases
April 23 & 24/10:00–11:00 AM (each day)
Audio webcast
Ground leases are sophisticated contracts combining the elements of buy/sell agreements, commercial leases, and a sophisticated financing. A landowner enters a long-term lease with a developer who constructs a building or other improvements on the land. The developer generally finances the building, occupying it or leasing it out to other tenants, paying the landowner rent on the underlying ground over a long period of time. There are many benefits of ground leases for the landowner and the tenant. But they are very complex agreements involving sophisticated economic calculations and require very careful review. This program will provide you with a practical guide to how ground leases work, and negotiating and drafting them.
Day 1:
- Overview of important provisions of ground leases
- Underlying economics of ground leases
- Permitted use and change of use
- Methodologies for setting and adjusting rent to reflect risk and value over time
Day 2:
- Major financing issues, including subordination
- Construction and development issues
- Special condemnation and casualty considerations