The 2025 CLE Committee has developed 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 6
8:45 – 9:00 a.m.
Opening Remarks
9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Balancing on Bamboo: Client Advocacy and Best Interests of Children
Robin M. Deutsch, PhD, ABPP (Massachusetts)
Dawn Smith, Esq., Partner, Evolve Family Law, LLC (Georgia)
Family lawyers often face a delicate balancing act — zealously advocating for their client while safeguarding the best interests of the children involved. This session explores the ethical, strategic and emotional complexities of representing parents in custody-related cases. Through examination of today’s thorniest parent child issues and discussion, panelists will examine how to set child-centered goals with clients, manage difficult conversations and maintain professional integrity.
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Maintaining High Ethical Standards Amid Volcanic Litigation: Don't Lose Your Cool!
Justice Janine P. Geske, Retired Director of the Andrew Center for Restorative Justice and Distinguished Professor of Law (Wisconsin)
In today's increasingly adversarial legal environment, maintaining professional civility and ethical integrity can be challenging when facing aggressive tactics and heated exchanges. Justice Janine P. Geske will explore practical strategies for upholding the highest ethical standards while effectively representing clients in contentious litigation. Drawing from her extensive experience as a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice, Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge and legal educator, Justice Geske will also discuss how to respond to provocative behavior, manage client expectations and preserve professional relationships even in the most combative cases.
Participants will learn techniques for de-escalating tense situations, maintaining credibility with courts and opposing counsel and protecting their professional reputation while still achieving optimal outcomes for clients. You will leave feeling more empowered to navigate today's challenging legal landscape with integrity and effectiveness.
11:15 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
AAML Keynote Speaker
How to Work With Complicated People: Strategies for Effective Collaboration
Ryan Leak, Bestselling Author and Strategic Advisor
Navigating the complexities of workplace and client relationships is a critical skill in today's interconnected world. In this engaging keynote, Ryan Leak delves into his latest book, How to Work with Complicated People, offering strategies for effective collaboration with (nearly) anyone. Through humorous anecdotes and insightful research, Ryan helps us understand different personalities, manage conflicts and build cohesive teams. This session is a must for any family lawyer looking to enhance teamwork, communication and overall workplace harmony.
Friday, November 7
8:45 – 9:00 a.m.
AAML Remarks
9:00 - 9:45 a.m.
AAML Foundation - Joanne Ross Wilder Speaker
Herman G. Walker, Jr., Superior Court Judge (Alaska)
Description coming soon!
9:45 - 10:30 a.m.
Navigating Global Currents: Your Case Involves Another Country - Now What?
Jorge M. Cestero, Senior Partner, Sasser, Cestero & Roy, P.A. (Florida)
Trish Cooper, Member, Cooper Ramp Cage Bucar Lewis, LLC (Colorado)
Richard Min, Partner, Green Kaminer Min & Rockmore LLP (New York)
When you realize that your new case involves parties or issues in another country and jurisdiction, your approach must change. This session will assist in identifying different strategies in a multinational and multijurisdictional dispute, including potential international evidence and discovery issues and when/how to build your team to serve the needs of the client/case.
10:45 - 11:45 a.m.
A Goodwill Luau: Legal and Forensic Approaches Across Jurisdictions
Jim Godbout, Managing Director, CBIZ Forensic Consulting Group, LLC (Illinois)
James M. Quigley, Divorce and Family Law Equity Partner, Beermann LLP (Illinois)
Renee Ross, Founding Partner, Ross Family Law, P.C. (California)
This session will explore how different jurisdictions define and value personal and enterprise goodwill, highlighting key legal principles, valuation methodologies and case law. Panelists will address practical challenges attorneys and forensic accountants face in dividing goodwill, impacts on property division and support and emerging trends and open questions.
11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Theme, Theory, Evidence & Expertise: Lei It on the Line When Crafting a Trial Narrative
Charles Fox Miller, Equity and Administrative Partner, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP (Florida)
This presentation is designed to help practitioners see how the steps and tools of litigation can be used as part of building a powerful trial presentation. Overarching techniques such as crafting a theme, building a theory of the case and using a proof chart can help make sure that your trial narrative is not only being built but advanced at each stage of litigation.
Saturday, November 8
8:45 – 9:00 a.m.
AAML Remarks
9:00 - 9:45 a.m.
Power, Projections, and Advocacy: Strategic Support and Tiki Tactics for the Non-Financial Spouse
Margo A. Cook, CFP, CDFA, CAP, CFRE, President, Wealth and Engagement Planning, Rothschild Capital Partners (FL, MD, DC, VA)
Brian C Vertz, Partner, Pollock Begg LLC (Pennsylvania)
In high-net-worth divorce litigation, Monte Carlo simulations and financial projections often carry an air of precision — but the underlying assumptions demand scrutiny. This session lifts the curtain on how these models are constructed, examining key drivers such as return assumptions (historical vs. projected), inflation inputs, stock selection, risk exposure and the classic 4% rule. We’ll explore how different outcomes in a simulation are interpreted, how purchasing power can quietly erode long-term security and why even “reasonable” projections may fall short when applied to the lived reality of the non-financial spouse. We’ll also address the knowledge gap that frequently exists between parties — and how attorneys can reduce post-divorce liability by ensuring their clients understand not just what they received, but how to put those assets to work to sustain their lifestyle.
The second half turns to the intersection of financial analysis and economic abuse. Using detailed case-based scenarios, we’ll examine how coercive control over money, credit and financial decision-making can be both subtle and systemic. We’ll define economic abuse using statutory language and behavioral indicators, introduce a structured approach for identifying it during discovery and client intake, and assess its impact on property division, support awards, and long-term financial autonomy. The discussion will also explore when financial imbalance becomes litigation strategy — and when that strategy crosses the line into abuse.
This session offers both technical clarity and strategic depth, arming practitioners with sharper tools to challenge flawed or misleading assumptions — whether advanced by their own clients, their experts or opposing counsel. It also equips attorneys to advocate more effectively for clients experiencing financial control, while helping them avoid unwitting complicity in post-separation harm.
9:45 - 10:30 a.m.
ACCESS DENIED: It’s 8 a.m. in Paradise and Nothing Works. From Panic to Protocol ~ Managing a Cyberattack Like a Pro
Gregory N. Brescia, Esq., Partner, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP (New York)
Vic Rawl, Partner, Gordon Rees Scully & Mansukhani LLP (South Carolina)
Amie C. Martinez, Managing Partner, ACW LAW (Nebraska)
Your system is not just down — it’s a total digital blackout. No case files, no calendar, no email… and a ransom demand ticking in the background. Do you know what to do when you can’t reach your data, your team or your clients?
If you're not ready, you're already behind. When the screen is dark and the pressure goes sky high, what’s your move? We will help you make it. Because knowing who to call (and who not to) can save your practice. This session gives you a playbook for those first impossible decisions and what comes next. Learn the process, the people and the pitfalls so you’re ready for the breach you never expected.
10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
AAML Keynote Speaker
Effective Communication and Conflict Resolution Across Generations
Yolanda Cartusciello, Partner, PP&C Consulting
In today’s diverse workplaces and communities, generational differences can spark misunderstandings and conflict — but they can also foster innovation and collaboration. This session draws from the findings of the AAML Workplace Experience Survey together with the learnings of the generational-related session at the 2025 Midyear Meeting to learn how to:
- Recognize and respect generational values and perspectives.
- Adapt communication techniques to bridge generational divides.
- Resolve conflicts by fostering empathy and understanding.
Whether you’re managing a multigenerational team, working with clients of different age groups or simply looking to strengthen relationships, this session will equip you with the tools to turn generational differences into a source of strength.