DIY video marketing for your law firm
2016-10-07 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Vancouver) | Webinar only
Register here
Producing videos for your law firm might seem daunting but it doesn’t have to be. Great videos can vastly increase your website’s search engine ranking and provide an important way to reach new clients. Best of all, relatively few attorneys are doing video (or doing it well) making this a promising way to market your firm.
In this webinar we’ll talk to attorney Shreya Ley about how she self-produces high-quality videos with little more than an iPhone and free software. Learn about each step that goes into a great DIY video including:

Choosing your video capture device.
Intro to 3-point lighting and good-enough substitutions.
Getting audio-capture right.
What is post-production?
How to clean up your audio.
Free editing tools.
Publishing your video online.
Maximizing your SEO bump.

About our speaker

Shreya Ley is a business owner and Lawyer-Human. She started her working life as a Chemical Engineer in the Oil & Gas Industry and knows way too much about oil & gas and its impact on the global economy & politics. After law school at Tulane, she has focused on working with inventors, entrepreneurs, “idea people,” and family businesses. As a former punk rock kid, she has always had a desire to NOT work for “the man,” so after a short stint at Microsoft, she opened LayRoots. She and LayRoots help their clients live an awesome life.

Creating Your Law Firm: Your Vision, Your Life
2016-12-07 12:00 - 13:00 | Seattle University School of Law – Law School Annex, Room 142, E. Columbia Street between 12th and 13th Ave., Seattle, 98122, United States
In partnership with WSBA’s Low Bono Section, Moderate Means Program, and the Law Office Management Assistance Program, the SU Low Bono and Solo Initiative.

Register here

Starting a law firm can be an intimidating endeavor, but it is not only manageable, it can be rewarding. Jenny Anderson and Greg McLawsen are living proof that running a small firm is possible and is a great path to fulfillment of your personal goals.
Jenny Anderson will share her experience starting a low bono practice before “low bono” became a trend, and how she grew her solo practice to a three-partner firm. Greg McLawsen will discuss how his decentralized, cloud-based immigration law firm allows him to work while traveling in Asia, and has part of its team based in Bangalore.
The goal is for you to leave this CLE feeling energized and capable of taking on the challenge of starting your own firm.

Jenny Anderson is one of the three partners that make up Anderson, York, & Stratton, a low bono family law firm with a focus on cases involving domestic violence and child abuse. Jenny is a Seattle native and earned both her BA and JD from the University of Washington. In addition to her law practice, Jenny is an adjunct faculty member at Seattle University School of Law, where she has taught family law practice skills and is developing the curriculum for a class on domestic violence. She is also a founding member and the 2014-15 Chair of the Low Bono Section of the Washington State Bar Association and serves as a mentor attorney with Eastside Legal Assistance Program.

Greg McLawsen is the founder and managing attorney of Sound Immigration, a cloud-based immigration law firm. Greg has championed the reinvention of law practice as Chair of the Solo and Small Practice Section of the Washington State Bar Association and as co-facilitator of Seattle’s Legal Technology and Innovation Meetup group. Formerly a member of the WSBA’s Future of the Legal Profession Task Force, Greg works to bring innovation into the practice of law. A proponent of alternative legal careers, Greg has run his law firm from Burma, China, India, Hawaii, Thailand, Laos, and sometimes Washington State.

The 2016 CLE Connections Series, which is open to law students and attorneys, aims to offer high quality CLEs designed to help you run a successful law practice and opportunities to connect with other lawyer-entrepreneurs, especially those serving the moderate income client community.

Stay tuned for details about the 2017 Low Bono Connections CLE Series!

The Low Bono and Solo Initiative aims to assist our alumni in starting their own solo practices or small firms, including those whose practices are designed to serve the moderate means client community. You are receiving this email because you have attended past programs or expressed interest in our programs.

Using contract attorneys to scale your law practice
2016-12-14 12:00 - 13:00 | Webinar only
Using contract attorneys to scale your law practice
Register here for free
In small law firms there is an inherent pickle when it comes to growth. If you hire employees too soon, there may not be enough work to go around. If you fail to build capacity, you lose profitable business that could have been yours. What to do?
An increasing number of law firms are solving this problem by outsourcing labor either temporarily or permanently. Outsourcing to contractors or specialty businesses instead of hiring employees can allow you to expand – that is, to “scale” – your practice. At the same time, this strategy allows you to mitigate the risk that comes with hiring employees or taking on additional tasks in house. Use of on-demand contractors means that they help is there when you need it, and costs you nothing when you don’t.
Join us for a conversation to explore whether outsourcing could help you scale your law practice, increase profitability, and restore some much-needed work/life balance.
About our speaker
Andy Backlund is an experienced litigator and a creative entrepreneur. Andy developed the concept for Emerald City Attorney Network, a full-service network of experienced and well-vetted contract attorneys and paralegals who turn excess work into billable hours for their clients. After surveying the Seattle legal market, Andy realized that the available means for hiring quality contract attorneys were clearly insufficient. Emerald City Attorney Network was founded by Andy Backlund to offer an easy and profitable alternative option to hiring full time employees. Emerald City Attorney Network offers its clients well-qualified and experienced professionals who develop trust and familiarity with the attorneys they work for. In addition, Andy acts as a “personal contract attorney/paralegal concierge,” so clients have confidence that they will be well taken care of.
In his legal career, Andy has worked in large firms representing Fortune 500 companies and also in small firms and solo practices helping plaintiffs and other individuals. Andy understands the staffing needs of these firms. While Andy’s practice has focused on product liability, employment, construction and disability law, he has quickly mastered many other issues as a contract attorney. Andy has conducted hundreds of depositions, prepared briefs, argued motions, managed cases, handled mediations and participated in all stages of litigation through trial. Andy also volunteers his time at Disability Rights Washington (DRW) helping individuals with disabilities with their legal issues. Andy’s work with DRW has been highlighted on KOMO TV news and various newspapers. In his spare time, Andy enjoys coaching youth baseball and basketball, hiking, biking and spending time with his family and friends.

Make your practice more client friendly with design thinking
2017-02-01 12:00 - 13:00 | Webinar only
The law is notoriously verbocentric and dense. And from the client’s perspective, legal services are rarely delivered in a user-friendly way. Although design-driven businesses have been shown to outperform their competitors, the legal profession has been slow to adopt good design principles. In this webinar, we’ll explore not only how design can help lawyers differentiate their services, but also how design can make legal work product itself clearer and more effective. Learn what “design thinking” is all about. Hint: it’s not just about graphic design.
Our guest speaker – Alexandra Devendra.
Alexandra Devendra is the founder of Devendra Design, a legal design consultancy. She helps lawyers make their work product more effective using typography and other principles of visual communication design. Alix also consults for legal-tech startups, who value her experience in both law practice and design thinking. She travels internationally to speak and facilitate workshops on legal design.
Alix is also a co-founder of Shape the Law, which organizes unconferences and other innovative programming for attorneys across the country. Its goal is to facilitate authentic, honest conversations about the many challenges facing the legal profession.
Before founding Devendra Design, Alix practiced labor & employment law in San Francisco. She can be found at www.devendra.design and on Twitter (@alixdevendra).
Register here

Across the line; Advocacy at U.S. ports of entry
2017-02-15 12:00 - 13:00 | Webinar only
February 15, 2017 – noon (PST)
When it comes to legal advocacy, United States ports of entry are an unfamiliar ballpark. There’re not even the same game. Foreign nationals have no right to legal representation. Attorneys have no right to be heard. In this unique niche of immigration law, outcomes may be determined by obscure memoranda and local practices. In this webinar we will learn the ropes of this advocacy from some of the country’s leading border advocacy experts; including how to prepare your client for successful border crossings, and how to advocate for your client when things have gone wrong.
Register here (free)
This webinar will address:

Constitutional rights (or lack thereof) at the border

Right to an attorney
4A privacy rights

Nexus issues

You may lose Nexus if you adjust status
No lemons…
Nexus reinstatement

How to avoid wrong inadmissibility findings

Looping in Watch Commander in advance
DHS TRIP

Preclearance
Expedited Removal

Is routinely applied to Canadians
Is not permitted at PFI
How to appeal

Marijuana, DUIs, and the CDC
Port parole and other special entry issues
I-94s and more…

Problems with Nexus
Automated processing at PFI
Deferred Inspection

About our presenters.
Greg Boos.
Greg Boos is a noted U.S. immigration lawyer and award-winning cross-border advocate. His practice includes U.S. nationality matters and U.S. business immigration. He represents a broad spectrum of multi-national companies, international businesspersons, and expatriate Americans.
A results-oriented advocate, Greg has been named one of the world’s leading practitioners of U.S. immigration law by the International Who’s Who of Corporate Immigration Lawyers. Based on peer reviews, Martindale-Hubbell has awarded Greg an AV Preeminent rating, a testament to the fact that his colleagues rank him at the highest level of professional excellence.
Greg received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Idaho in 1977. He is a member of the Washington State Bar Association and the bars of various U.S. Federal courts. He is also licensed as a Practitioner of Foreign Law by the Law Society of British Columbia. The International Criminal Court has approved Greg to practice before it and includes him as one of approximately 300 lawyers worldwide on its List of Counsel.
Greg is an Adjunct Professor at Western Washington University where he acts as an external advisor to its Border Policy Research Institute. He is President of the Pacific Corridor Enterprise Council, a Vancouver BC – based non-profit organization formed to promote cross-border trade and advocate for removal of barriers that impede the legitimate flow of people, goods and services across the Canada/USA border. Greg splits his time between Vancouver B.C. and Bellingham, WA. He enjoys early music, opera and theater.
Heather Fathali.
Heather Fathali joined Cascadia Cross-Border Law after receiving her Juris Doctor degree from Seattle University School of Law in May 2014, graduating summa cum laude. Heather is a member of the Washington State Bar Association and her practice focuses on citizenship and immigration matters.
During law school, Heather served as judicial extern to Justice Charles W. Johnson at the Washington State Supreme Court; and also completed externships with two immigration non-profit organizations: the Ronald A. Peterson Law Clinic’s Immigration Clinic, where she represented asylum applicants detained at the Tacoma Northwest Detention Center; and Catholic Community Services Family Immigration, where she provided immigration and citizenship assistance to low-income residents of Washington State.
Heather is a native of Bellingham, WA. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Cultural Anthropology from Western Washington University, and continues to be interested in the study of diverse cultures. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Whatcom Literacy Council, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing literacy and English language skills for adults in Whatcom County. She is a PADI-certified advanced scuba diver, and enjoys traveling, photography, and spending time with her family and her dogs.

Administrative Processing: Alternatives to Waiting
2017-03-29 12:00 - 13:00 | Webinar only
Your client has waited for over a year to bring a loved relative to the United States. The last hurdle has come, the day of the immigrant visa interview. The interview passes and you get a panicked call, “the consular officer said we have to wait for a decision!” A week passes, no news. Two weeks pass, no news. You write the immigrant visa unit and ask what is going on and get the dreaded response, “the case is pending administrative processing. When administrative processing is required, the timing will vary based on the individual circumstances of each case.” Rather than pulling out your hair and gnashing your teeth, this webinar will go over techniques to identify the problem, calm the client down, and speed up the process.

How to avoid administrative processing (e.g., preloading your case).
When to wait and for how long.
How to identify the potential problem.
Exploring and exhausting your remedies.
Possibilities for litigation.

About our presenter.

Jay Gairson is an immigration and national security attorney in Seattle, Washington. His clients are primarily from the Middle East, East Africa, and South Asia. He regularly handles cases that receive additional fraud detection and national security review. He uses systems thinking to evaluate government programs and strategize solutions to problems that appear to be otherwise intractable. He graduated in 2010 cum laude from Seattle University. He has served on several professional committees including AILA Washington’s Executive Committee and is highly involved in community groups.

Register here

Recognizing Immigration Issues in Your Practice
2017-04-03 12:00 - 13:00 | Skagit Food Co-op, Room 309, 202 S. First St., Mount Vernon, WA, 202 S. First St., Mount Vernon, WA, 98273, United States
Thank you to the Skagit County Bar Association for having me up north to speak at their monthly CLE. This page contains slides and related materials for the live event.
Slides for the program.

Recognizing immigration issues from Greg McLawsen

Additional materials.

ABA I-864 Article. Published in the ABA Family Law Journal, this article gives an overview of the Form I-864, Affidavit of Support, aimed at matrimonial lawyers.
I-9 blog post. Originally published in the Pierce County Bar Newsletter, this post describes the need to comply with the Form I-9 employment authorization rules.
2015_03_10_Mistaken_Beliefs. This short article, published by the King County Bar Newsletter, describes misperceptions about immigrants and immigration law.

Advising LPRs on foreign travel
2017-04-19 10:00 - 11:00 | Webinar only
Whew – your client has finally made it through the lengthy immigrant visa process. Or she’s nailed the adjustment interview and at long last has her green card in hand. What’s the first thing the client wants to do? Often, they want to pack their bags and go on a trip.How should you advise your clients?
How should you advise your client?
LPRs are permitted to travel abroad. But as is often the case, the devil is in the details. A blasé approach to foreign travel can jeopardize the client’s future ability to naturalize, or even lead to abandonment of LPR status altogether. Moreover, foreign travel can seek especially risky given the current immigration environment.
In this seminar we will cover:

Continuity of residence for purposes of naturalization.
Understanding LPR abandonment – substantive and procedural aspects.
How to advise on the risks of foreign travel in the changing environment of the Trump administration.

Please join us!
Register here (free)

Understanding a spouse's right to immigration financial support
2017-04-26 12:00 - 13:00 | Webinar only
When a non-citizen gets divorced, she may be left with little means of support. Language barriers can make employment difficult, and many types of public assistance are unavailable. But many may be eligible to receive financial compensation from their (former) spouse, if the spouse was a visa sponsors.
Under immigration law in effect since 1996, certain non-citizens are entitled to financial support from their visa sponsor. In virtually all family-based immigration cases, the sponsor is required to file a Form I-864, Affidavit of Support. By signing the Form I-864, the sponsor promises to ensure that the immigrant has income at or above 125% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines. This obligation lasts until the immigrant becomes a U.S. citizen, is credited with 40 work quarters, leaves the US under certain circumstances, or dies.
But divorce does not end the sponsor’s support obligation. For this reason, some immigrants can use the Form I-864 to recover financial support from abusive spouses, even when a divorce court would be unable to award alimony.
It is important for family law attorneys to understand the support rights of the Form I-864. This support can provide crucial resources to clients who are transitioning to self-sufficiency. Form I-864 support may be available to clients who would normally not qualify for public benefits.
This training will help family law attorneys identify clients/survivors who might be able to benefit from the Form I-864. Learn easy questions that can be added to your intake procedure to screen for potential eligibility. Learn to assess the scope of support to which an individual may be entitled, and how enforcement works.
Register here (free)

Tax Issues for Immigration Lawyers
2017-05-31 12:00 - 13:00 | Webinar only
Wednesday, May 31, 2017 at 12:00 PM (PST)
When it comes to getting your clients to the United States you’re the master. But what happens when that conversation turns to the client’s financial planning? Global migration can lead to some tricky tax situations which may not always get the attention they deserve. In this webinar, senior accountants from Moss Adams LLP will address some tax issues that every immigration lawyer should be aware of.
In this presentation, our speakers will discuss planning for entry into the U.S. tax system, including a high level overview of income, and estate and gift tax considerations. We will address the U.S. foreign disclosure rules and the US anti-deferral regimes. And we will briefly touch on tax planning prior to surrender of U.S. citizenship or long-term permanent resident status. Please join us!
Register here (free)
Presentation outline.
Estate and Gift Tax Issues.

Planning for move to U.S.
Estate/gift tax residency.
Estate/gift tax applicability for NRA’s and for U.S. residents.
Planning for U.S. gift/estate tax applicability – considerations of trusts/gifting before a move.
Planning for the U.S. foreign disclosure rules – streamlining/consolidation of foreign assets/entities before a move.

Considerations Prior to moving to U.S.

Considerations related to negotiating compensation arrangements/benefits/tax equalization agreements/etc. before moving to the U.S.

Determining taxation and differences of taxation for U.S. residents vs. non-residents.

U.S./State taxation of foreign nationals.
U.S. residency vs non-residency for income tax purposes.
U.S. taxation of U.S. persons vs NRAs.
Substantial Presence Test.
Closer Connection Exception.
Dual Status Returns.
First Year Elections.

Our guest speakers.
Satoko Valdes, Senior Manager, Moss Adams LLP.
Satoko has been providing inbound international tax compliance and consulting services since 1996. She has managed inbound and outbound corporations and individual tax returns, tax equalizations, and international consultations. Prior to joining Moss Adams, Satoko led the Japanese tax practice of a Big Four firm’s Seattle office. Satoko is a board member of the Japan America Society, a member of the Japan Business Association and the Tax Advisory Board of Golden Gate University.
Stephanie Hathaway, Tax Partner, Moss Adams LLP.
Stephanie is a leader in the firm’s International Tax and Private Client Services practices. Her experience includes over twenty years in public accounting and ten years in business management and administration. Stephanie works closely with international legal, accounting and financial professionals to coordinate cross-border planning and compliance for individuals, trusts, estates, and closely held businesses. In addition, she has presented on a wide variety of international topics for Moss Adams professionals and for outside organizations. In 2000 Stephanie received the Moss Adams Technical Excellence Award in Taxation for consulting and analysis regarding the expatriation provisions of Internal Revenue Code Section 877A and for preparing Private Letter Ruling requests under Section 877A for individuals giving up US citizenship or US long-term permanent resident status.
Brian Steuber, Partner, Moss Adams LLP.
Brian Steuber has been in public accounting for over 22 years, with experience related to individual income tax matters, focusing specifically on international assignment and private client tax services. Prior to joining Moss Adams, he has spent his entire career within the Big 4.
Brian has worked with small to large Fortune 50 clients with respect to their international assignment programs addressing the complex individual tax planning and compliance matters, corporate reporting and withholding issues, tax-efficient delivery of compensation in multiple jurisdictions, tax reimbursement schemes and cross-border equity issues. He has also provided wealth management services to ‘C-Suite’ and other key executives regarding stock options, equity transaction planning, AMT tax planning, and other complex investment tax issues and structuring.
