The 2026 CLE Committee has developed The Family Law Operative, a thoughtful and engaging CLE Program that will touch on substantive topics within family law. To view the entire Annual Meeting agenda, view the Schedule page.
*Please note all times are in Central Time. Subject to change.
Thursday, November 5 | The Intelligence Brief
8:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.
Opening Remarks
8:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Operation Waterfall: Follow the Carry. Break the Expert.
Natalie Lemos, Esq., Partner, Leinoff & Lemos, P.A. (FL)
Jared Tonks, CPA, ABV, CFF, Managing Director, CBIZ Forensic Consulting Group, LLC (CA)
Part I: Follow the Carry — Structure, Identification, and Valuation
In this high-stake mission, attendees will decode carried interest as a sophisticated matrimonial asset by examining how it is structured and earned through partnership agreements and distribution “waterfalls,” where carried interest represents a contingent, performance-based share of fund profits. The session focuses on how to identify these interests in discovery, navigate classification and allocation issues, and confront valuation challenges when assets are illiquid, unvested, or dependent on future realization events.
Part II: Break the Expert — Cross-Examination Strategy and Execution
Operatives will then shift from financial mechanics to courtroom skills, focusing on how carried interest disputes are won and lost through expert testimony. Attendees will learn to isolate methodological fault lines in valuation opinions, distinguish legitimate differences in professional judgment from exploitable weaknesses, and use disciplined cross-examination to expose unsupported assumptions and dismantle overstated certainty in inherently uncertain valuation contexts.
10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
AAML Business Meeting
Join us for the AAML Annual Business Meeting. This is an opportunity for Fellows to not only celebrate the 2026 award recipients but also to hear from Board leadership about organizational progress. This includes updates on the Academy's financial health, program outcomes and strategic initiatives.
11:00 a.m. - Noon
AAML Keynote Speaker Coming Soon!
Friday, November 6 | Operational Intelligence - Tools, Tactics and the Code
8:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m.
AAML Remarks
8:45 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.
For Your AI Only: AI Prompting, Constraints and Discovery Tradecraft
Scott Klopert, Partner, Klopert and Ravden, LLP (CA)
Pictured above: Every operative needs a quartermaster. This confidential case explores how powerful generative AI tools can be used to tackle time‑consuming, high‑risk discovery tasks. Using their own devices, participants will draft and refine interrogatories and document requests, surface gaps and inconsistencies buried in financial productions, and stress-test their strategy against adversarial AI before opposing counsel does. The focus is on tradecraft, not hype: what these tools do well, where they fail, and how to integrate them without compromising client confidentiality, work product, or professional judgment.
9:45 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
License to Arbitrate: Debunking Misconceptions, Mastering High-Asset Cases, and Understanding UFLAA’s Practical Effect
Neil Kozek, Partner, Kozek, PLLC (NY)
Carolyn Moran Zack, Partner, Momjian Anderer LLC (PA)
John Pappalardo, Partner, The Pappalardo Law Group PLLC (NY)
Drew Soshnick, Partner, Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP (IN)
Stacey Warren, Co-Founder and Principal, CashattWarren Family Law, P.C. (IA)
Moderated by Amy Amundsen, Esq., Consultant, Strategist and Mediator, Amundsen Legal Consulting (TN)
This fast-paced specialty assignment takes Fellows from skepticism to strategy in using arbitration for family law matters, demonstrating why it is not just a viable alternative, but often a superior approach in complex financial cases. Through engaging real-world examples and practical guidance, we will debunk common misconceptions, demonstrate how arbitration works in high-asset cases, and explain the impact of the Uniform Family Law Arbitration Act (UFLAA). Attendees will leave with actionable tools to confidently incorporate arbitration into their practice and achieve greater precision, control and outcomes for families.
10:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Casino Royale: The High-Stakes World of Luxury Asset Division - What Divorce Counsel Need to Know About Valuation, Market Realities, and Disposition
Dana Ehrman, GG, Founder, Luxury Selling Solutions, (CA)
Andrea Z. Roth, Ph.D., ASA, Managing Director, Roth | Escher Art Group (CA)
This mission infiltrates the shadowy world of luxury assets in high-net-worth cases – art, jewelry, watches, wine, and rare collectibles that often complicate marital estates and challenge even seasoned practitioners. Agents will learn how qualified appraisers assess these assets to uncover hidden value, manage risk, and support effective settlement strategies when personal property becomes contested.
Through case studies and current market insights, our field commanders will break down how luxury assets are assessed, sold, and divided - equipping attendees to identify where opposing counsel and their experts most often go wrong, and to protect clients from the risks of mishandling these uniquely illiquid assets.
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Reporting to M: The Bounds of Advocacy in Action
Barbara Glesner Fines, Dean Emerita and Rubey M. Hulen Professor of Law, University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law (MO)
Steven Peskind, Principal Attorney, Peskind Law Firm (IL)
The AAML’s updated Bounds of Advocacy set a renewed benchmark for professionalism and excellence in family law practice. This intelligence briefing highlights key changes and what they require in everyday client counseling, negotiation, and courtroom conduct. Through real-world examples, our lead instructors will explore how to balance zealous advocacy with ethical responsibility. Operatives will leave with clear, practical ways to embody these principles in their daily work as AAML Fellows.
Saturday, November 7 | The Hard Cases
8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
AAML Remarks
8:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.
Featured Workshop
Shaken, Not Stirred: Theater-Based Training for Lawyers and Witnesses
Ethan Dubin, Witness Preparation Consultant, ACT of Communication (NY)
Alexandra Wright, Certified Consultant, ACT of Communication (CA)
Composure under pressure is the operative’s greatest weapon. In this immersive training, participants will engage in live exercises designed to develop voice, presence, emotional regulation, and credible storytelling - skills that distinguish persuasive courtroom performance from merely competent advocacy.
We will also address a critical and often overlooked challenge in family law trial work: how trauma responses, flat affect, and dysregulation are often misread by courts as hostility, evasiveness, or instability – penalizing clients and witnesses for the very harm they have endured. Fellow operatives will leave field-tested techniques to prepare themselves and their witnesses to communicate with authenticity and authority under courtroom pressure.
10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.
No Time to Grieve: Behavioral Science, Addiction, and Grief in Custody Matters
Kimberly A. Cook, Partner, Schiller DuCanto & Fleck (IL)
Michael Saini, Ph.D., Professor, University of Toronto (ON)
This conversation-style brief embeds attendees with the latest behavioral science intelligence, examining how addiction, co-dependency, and unresolved grief and trauma shape client behavior, parenting capacity and courtroom presentation.
Operatives will explore current findings on their neurological and behavioral markers, learn to distinguish symptoms from character, and develop tactical strategies for presenting clients in ways that are honest, contextualized and credible. They will be equipped to advocate for individuals whose struggles are often weaponized against them, while maintaining the clear‑eyed judgment required when parenting capacity and child safety are on the line.
11:15 a.m. - Noon
Skyfall: Malpractice, Risk Management and Protecting Your Practice
Our closing mission confronts the malpractice and ethics threats that have brought down more family law practices than any external adversary – and the systems that neutralize them before they detonate.
The session maps the recurring sources of attorney liability (conflicts, scope creep, client communication failures, missed deadlines, financial discovery errors, and ethical lapses in high-conflict matters), then deploys risk management tools, engagement letters, calendaring, file documentation, withdrawal protocols, and insurance strategy that harden the practice against exposure. Operatives will also learn how to respond when a claim or grievance arises: the immediate steps that preserve defenses, the mistakes that compound liability, and how to protect the practice, the client, and their own well-being during what is often the most challenging case of a career.