“Why would I want to go to the State Bar’s annual conference to see a bunch of old guys smoke cigars, drink expensive scotch, and listen to them tell war stories?” asked the son.
Eventually, the son, two years out of law school, listened to his father, joined him at the 2014 State Bar Annual Meeting and Conference, and discovered it was nothing like he thought it would be. He found great CLE, entertaining and educational speakers, comradery, and great food and, yes, drink.
The 2015 State Bar Annual Meeting and Conference promises to be just as educational and entertaining as last year’s conference. Like last year, the conference will open with the “Kick-Off the Conference” party on Wednesday evening, June 24, which follows the preconference session worth two CLE credits and the swearing in of Ralph Cagle as State Bar president.
Bookended by one of the country’s most visionary legal thinkers at the opening plenary and by an award-winning humorist, journalist, and actor at the closing plenary, this year’s annual gathering is again filled with three tracks of high-quality CLE. Topics include tech tips and solutions, appellate briefs, immigration issues in family law, and IRS case settlement. Attendees can earn up to 11 CLE and 6.5 EPR credits during the day-and-a-half-long conference.
Thursday morning’s opening plenary session features Bryan Stevenson, the author of New York Times best seller Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, MacArthur fellow, and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative. His TED talk on the subject of injustice has been viewed more than two million times. Stevenson will discuss “American Injustice: Mercy, Humanity and Making a Difference.”
Friday afternoon’s closing plenary luncheon is a conversation with Mo Rocca, correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning and host and creator of the Cooking Channel’s My Grandmother’s Ravioli. He’s also the host of the CBS Saturday morning show Innovation Nation and a frequent panelist on NPR’s hit weekly quiz show Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!
Your days will be topped off with Legal Expo 2015, three networking luncheons, yoga, fun run/walks, a member-recognition celebration, and on Thursday night, the “A Night in Havana” all-conference bash, followed by an “After Party “ hosted by the Young Lawyers Division.
So, bring your family and meet your colleagues and law school friends from June 24-26, at the 2015 Annual Meeting and Conference at the Grand Geneva resort in Lake Geneva. As more than one attendee last year said, “My whole law office should be here. They don’t know what they’re missing.”
