Welcome to the home page of the Colorado Defense Lawyers Association (CDLA). CDLA, a statewide organization that is 700 members strong, is dedicated to the defense of civil actions and the promotion of fairness and integrity in the civil justice system.
The Colorado Defense Lawyers Association (CDLA) is the state organization of lawyers involved in the defense of civil litigation. As such, CDLA expresses its strong commitment to the goal of diversity in its membership. Our member attorneys conduct business throughout Colorado, the United States and around the world, and CDLA values the perspectives and varied experiences that are found only in a diverse membership. The promotion and retention of a diverse membership is essential to the success of our organization as a whole as well as our respective professional pursuits. Diversity brings to our organization a broader and richer environment that produces creative thinking and solutions. Thus, CDLA embraces and encourages diversity in all aspects of its activities. CDLA is committed to creating and maintaining a culture that supports and promotes diversity in its organization.
The Business of Law
(2 hour CLE approved)
presented by
Ron Seigneur, ASA, CPA/ABV/CFF, CVA
Managing Partner, Seigneur Gustafson, LLP
and Chairman of the Board of the Colorado Society of CPAs
February 16, 2010 Time: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Location: Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel
1550 Court Place
Denver, Colorado 8020
What are law firms doing about billing rates in 2010?
This is a question you internally I am sure have posed as you struggle with the economic legal reality in the market place today.
I think this statement sums it up for most of us:
We have a couple of practice areas where rate increases will be fairly modest, either because the work is increasingly becoming "commoditized" or because rate caps and client demands prevent anything more than modest adjustments. A major focus in 2010 will be on how to better provide services at a lower cost to the firm and our clients.
Why is there an increasing level of law firm strife and dissatisfaction among owners and associates?
* Weak management, often with leaders who have lost touch with their partners
* Increased risk and financial leverage (sometimes not fully disclosed to partners)
* Stagnation for advancement due to non retiring partners
* A tactical plan based on past traditions rather than a well thought out strategy
* An eat-what-you kill compensation system
* A lack of commonly shared vision and core values
Ron will explore ways and means to structure and position your practice to preform competitively by reviewing:
* Top 10 billing tips
* Financial information you must know about your firm
* Setting and collecting your fees
* Alternative Billing Methods
* Looking at ratios to determine if your practice is on the money - (lawyer income / collected billings, lag time on collection of accounts)
* Identify the black sheep (both internal and external) and being diligent on dropping clients that do not meet their financial obligations on a continual basis
* Overhead percentages and evaluating the hourly cost of doing business
* Related profitability tactics in a turbulent and recovering economy
An Altman Weil survey found that US Law Firms project an average overall increase in rates of 3.2%. Also how long should it take to convert efforts into dollars? The average is 4.5 months - do you have the financial tools to withstand this time lag?
The tools to make this happen will be discussed at the CLE - we only are taking 30 attendees due to the individual attention needed.
Expert Deposition Strategies
Presented by
Ivan Sarkissian, Esq.
2 CLEs (1 Ethic & 1 General approved)
for Defense Attorneys!
February 18, 2010 Time: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Location: Sheraton Downtown Denver
1550 Court Place
Denver, CO 80202
This program will focus on different strategies for preparing for and taking expert depositions.
On preparation we will discuss things to consider when deciding whether to take the deposition, technical research to understand the subject area and reviewing the expert's file materials with an eye towards finding what is in and not in their file.
We will discuss different strategies for discovering different potential types of bias an expert may have, as well as the limitations of the experts qualifications as they relate to the case at hand. The presentation will include a discussion of different strategies to keep the expert from expanding his or her opinions beyond those that have been disclosed as well as ways to discover the assumptions the expert had to make to form his or her opinions.
Finally, we will go over ethical issues that can come up in taking depositions including dealing with unreasonable fee requests as well and confidentiality and privilege issues.
Medicare Claimants and Section 111 Reporting Requirements.
February 23, 2010 Time: 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Location: Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center
7800 East Tufts Avenue
Denver, CO 80237
The term "Section 111" should raise many red flags for counsel who either bring or defend personal injury claims. As of January 1, 2010, a new federal law, known as Section 111, ushered in a world of complications for personal injury litigation.
Attend the CDLA presentation and learn how to navigate the extensive and burdensome requirements imposed by Section 111.
Additionally, attendees will learn:
* How counsel must alter their approach to settlements involving Medicare beneficiaries
* What counsel must do to avoid being held personally responsible to reimburse Medicare
* What and how discovery methods must be modified
The extent of the duties imposed upon plaintiffs, defendants, and their counsel
* How to trigger the narrow safe harbor provisions
How to avoid the all-to-prevalent misinformation surrounding Section 111
* Where to find additional information and resources to stay ahead of this rapidly evolving area of law
* How and why the government will use Section 111 to enforce the Medicare Secondary Payer statute recovery provisions
Kendell L. Gracey will be presenting, he wrote the article in The Colorado Lawyer about Section 111. This affects not only the Defense Lawyers, but Plaintiff as well as the insurance companies themselves.
"Medicare has put some sharp "teeth" into this new federal law by imposing a $1,000 penalty per day per claim against the party failing to properly report. Furthermore, Medicare places all parties (plaintiff, defendant, counsel, the insurance carrier) on the hook to protect Medicare interests in settlement and the party who fails to do so may be personally liable to reimburse Medicare up to the entire amount of settlement plus pay double damages."
This 2 hour CLE will be followed by a CDLA sponsored open bar and appetizers.
CDLA Members - $75
Non-CDLA Members - $110
Claims & Mediators (non-CLE) - $35
