Time

Topics and Speakers

7:30- 8:15 am

Registration and Continental Breakfast with Exhibitors

8:15- 8:30 am

Welcome and Announcements

8:30- 9:20 am

The Use of Technology During Litigation: From Depositions to Trial
presented by Jeffrey Elkins, Esq., Shutts & Bowen.

Summary of Presentation: Mr. Elkins will thoroughly discuss technologies available for use in depositions, mediation, hearings, and trials. He will highlight both the benefits and detriments of using certain technologies as well as providing strategies for their use.

Biographical Information: Mr. Elkins is an attorney in Shutts & Bowen’s Construction Litigation Practice Group.  Mr. Elkins represents developers, contractors, material suppliers, design professionals, and sureties in disputes involving construction defect claims, delay claims, construction lien issues, contract disputes, and personal injury matters.  Mr. Elkins has been a speaker at seminars on construction litigation and commercial litigation. He has represented clients in federal court and state court at both the trial and appellate levels.

9:20- 9:35 am

Break and Door Prizes Awarded

9:35 - 10:25 am

Adobe Acrobat: Tips and Techniques
presented by Lisa Marcum, FRP, McDonald, Toole, Wiggins, P.A.

Summary of Presentation: Ms. Marcum will present some valuable tips and techniques for the use of Adobe Acrobat specifically by legal professionals. She will cover various aspects of the software, from creating PDF documents to commenting and editing, essentially explaining how to get the most out of the program.

Biographical Information: Ms. Marcum is a Florida Registered Paralegal at the law firm of McDonald, Toole, Wiggins, P.A.  Her legal experience spans over 16 years and represents many aspects of a law firm’s daily business from administrative to paralegal functions, including trial support.  In addition, Ms. Marcum is recognized locally as a legal technologist with expertise in document management, business application software, desktop productivity software, specializing in law firm workflow and information analysis. 

10:25- 11:15 am

Billing Do's and Dont's: Ethical Concerns
presented by Jamie Billotte Moses, Esq., Fisher, Rushmer, Werrenrath, Dickson, Talley & Dunlap, P.A..

Summary of Presentation: Ms. Moses will identify the "do's and don'ts" of billing practices and explain the significance of each. She will also address billing ethical concerns and the pitfalls of bad billing practices, as well as provide concrete examples of good billing verbiage.

Biographical Information:  Ms. Moses is a partner at Fisher, Rushmer, Werrenrath, Dickson, Talley & Dunlap, P.A. She is currently the Treasurer of the Orange County Bar Association and has served as a President of the Legal Aid Society of the OCBA. Ms. Moses is also a member of the Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers. Outside of the office, she is a very active mother of two and a triathlete.

11:15-12:30 pm

Lunch/Special Presentation by our Platinum Sponsor and Grand Door Prize Award

12:30- 2:10 pm

E-Discovery: Searching the Virtual File Cabinets
presented by Derrick Valkenburg, Esq., deBeaubien, Knight, Simmons, Mantzarias & Neal, LLP, and Richard Connor, Esq., President of ESI Consulting, Inc.

Summary of Presentation: Mr. Valkenburg and Mr. Connor will examine the current climate of electronic discovery, given the Florida Supreme Court's procedural rule amendments governing discovery and production of electronically stored information in civil cases. They thoroughly address the proper way to obtain, review and produce electronically stored information.

Biographical Information: Mr. Valkenburg has tried approximately twenty criminal jury trials, and five civil jury trials to verdict, as well as countless non-jury trials and evidentiary hearings.  He is admitted to practice before all Florida courts, the United States District Courts for the Middle and Southern District of Florida, and the United States Tax Court. He is also a licensed Certified Public Accountant in the State of Florida.

Mr. Connor is the President and owner of both Laptops Plus, Inc. and ESI Consulting, Inc. He is experienced in many types of forensic examinations including but not limited to: forensic imaging, analyzing and reporting on user activites, and recovering and accessing password protected files, programs and drives. Mr. Connor also represents plaintiffs and defendants in general civil litigation and appellate matters.

2:10- 3:00 pm

Where to Go When You Need to Know...
presented by Deborah I. Mitchell, Esq., deBeaubien, Knight, Mantzarias & Neal, LLP.

Summary of Presentation: Ms. Mitchell will discuss various online databases and investigative tools publicly available for use. She will provide insight on which databases or tools are appropriate to use and when. She will also instruct how best to search for information on business vs. indviduals.

 Biographical Information: Ms. Mitchell has extensive experience defending governmental entities at the trial and appellate level. She has a thorough understanding of sovereign immunity, statutory immunity and other legal defenses which help to limit the legal and financial exposure of the State and its subdivisions.

3:00- 3:15 pm

Fresh-Baked Cookie and Beverage Break! Additional door prizes to be awarded!

3:15- 4:55 pm

Ethics on Social Media Investigations
presented by Mary Ann Etzler, Esq., Miller Etzler, P.L.

Summary of Presentation: Ms. Etzler will address social media investigations and the eithical concerns with conducting these types of investigations. She will discuss how monitoring an opposing party's social networking sites can assist in investigations and provide insight regarding the admissibility or inadmissibility of information obtained in these types of investigations.

Biographical Information:  For nearly fifteen years, Ms. Etzler worked for the city of St. Petersburg Police Department, retiring as a sergeant.  Simultaneously, she attended the University of South Florida, graduating with Honors.  After graduating Cumberland School of Law, Ms. Etzler served as an Assistant State Attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit prosecuting post conviction appeals, and conducted about 90-100 felony, misdemeanor, and juvenile trials. The focus of her present practice continues to be in all aspects of commercial litigation.

4:55- 5:00 pm

Closing Remarks