Welcome to the MASTERCLASS 2024 Seminars, a premier event designed to help legal professionals elevate their practice and increase efficiency. Join us this September for an exceptional series of presentations featuring high-powered speakers from various fields, including Legal Business Consultants, Tech Developers, and Personal Injury Lawyers, and our don't-miss keynote speaker: Heather Suttie.

This year's Calgary seminar will be held September 24th, 2024 at The Dorian. Space is limited so register now to secure your spot! 

Event Highlights:

• Cutting-edge Presentations: Gain insights from industry leaders who will share the latest advancements and strategies in legal business, technology, and personal injury law.
• Networking Opportunities: Connect with fellow professionals, exchange ideas, and build valuable relationships to enhance your practice.
• Practical Insights: Obtain actionable knowledge and tools to implement in your practice immediately.

Featured Speakers:

Heather Suttie - Growth in the Legal Market

Heather Suttie is acknowledged as one of the world’s leading authorities on legal market strategy and management of legal services firms. For 25 years, she has advised leaders of premier law firms and legal service providers worldwide — Global to Solo | BigLaw to NewLaw — on innovative strategies pertaining to business, markets, management, and clients.

Heather’s legal services career began as sole marketing advisor to Donahue LLP that operated from 1997 to 2003 within Ernst & Young as Canada’s first and only Big Four multidisciplinary (MDP) business law firm. She is now recognized as a North American authority on Big Four Legal, and her client roster includes the world’s most respected law firms and legal service companies.

She presents at legal conferences and retreats, comments on global legal markets and industry trends, writes for international legal publications, and blogs “prescriptively” and “with a certain stark honesty about the business of law” at Suttie.

Presentation Synopsis

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris Bueller, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

In 2008, a global financial crisis that was considered the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930s, marked the end of the traditional law firm’s 20-year bull run. 

Since then, legal market evolution has been accelerating at breakneck speed.

Right now, continuing threats to both the practice and business of law are almost overwhelming. Among them:

• Continuing pandemic recovery – human and financial – impacting both legal service providers and clients
• Culture shock affecting associate churn, lateral partner transfers, and succession
• AI’s potential for better and/or worse
• The billable hour on trial for its life

Despite these and other threats, growth can be realized by either expansion or contraction. Each strategy – when well-considered and tightly customized – enables compounded growth provided that business, and not practice, is the first consideration.

Bill Eddy - Managing High Conflict Personalities

Bill Eddy is a family mediator, lawyer and therapist, and the Chief Innovation Officer of the High Conflict Institute based in San Diego, California. He has provided training to mediators, lawyers, judges, mental health professionals and others on the subject of managing high-conflict personalities in over 35 states, 9 provinces in Canada, and twelve other countries.

As a lawyer, Mr. Eddy was a Certified Family Law Specialist (CFLS) in California for 15 years, where he represented clients in family court. Prior to that, he provided psychotherapy for 12 years to children and families in psychiatric hospitals and outpatient clinics as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). Throughout his forty-year career he has provided divorce mediation services, including the past 15 years as the Senior Family Mediator at the National Conflict Resolution Center in San Diego, California.

Mr. Eddy is the author of several books, including:

• Mediating High Conflict Disputes
• High Conflict People in Legal Disputes
• Splitting: Protecting Yourself While Divorcing Someone with Borderline or Narcissistic Personality Disorder
• Calming Upset People with EAR
• BIFF: Quick Responses to High Conflict People
• BIFF for CoParent Communication
• BIFF at Work
• BIFF for Lawyers and Law Offices
• So, What’s Your Proposal: Shifting High Conflict People From Blaming to Problem-Solving in 30 Seconds
• Don’t Alienate the Kids! Raising Resilient Children While Avoiding High-Conflict Divorce

He has a continuing education course for Mental Health professionals titled “It’s All Your Fault!”: Working with High Conflict Personalities. He has a Psychology Today blog about high conflict personality disorders with over 6 million views. He has a podcast titled “It’s All Your Fault” which he does weekly with Megan Hunter.

He taught Negotiation and Mediation at the University of San Diego School of Law for six years. He has served on the part-time faculty of the National Judicial College in the United States and has provided several trainings for judges in Canada for the National Judicial Institute. He is currently on the part-time faculty at the Straus Institute of Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University School of Law teaching Psychology of Conflict Communication each year. He teaches once a year on Advanced Communication Skills as Conjoint Associate Professor at Newcastle Law School in Newcastle, Australia.

He is the developer of the New Ways for Families® method for potentially high-conflict families, which is being implemented in several family court systems in the United States and Canada, as well as an online co-parenting course (Parenting Without Conflict by New Ways for Families). He is also the developer of the New Ways for Mediation® method, which emphasizes more structure by the mediator and simple negotiation skills for the parties.

He obtained his JD law degree in 1992 from the University of San Diego, a Master of Social Work degree in 1981 from San Diego State University, and a Bachelors degree in Psychology in 1970 from Case Western Reserve University. His website is: www.HighConflictInstitute.com.

Krista Simon - Adapting Your Litigation Practice in Times of Change

Krista L. Simon is a Partner at Hammerco Lawyers LLP in Vancouver, BC.  Her practice focuses on disputes related to estate matters, and personal injury and sexual assault/abuse claims.  She earned her LLB from Dalhousie Law School and LLM from Osgoode Hall Law School, and she is called to the bars of British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador.   Krista represents clients at all levels of court in British Columbia. She is also skilled in mediation, having received her training at Harvard University and Pepperdine University.  

Krista has been recognized in “Best Lawyers in Canada” (2021-2024) for Personal Injury Litigation and Insurance Law. She is a Past President of the Trial Lawyers Association of BC (2015) and a current board and committee member of TLABC.  She has been a CBA Women Lawyer’s Forum mentor.  Krista is currently a member of the Supreme Court Civil and Family Rules Committee and is an Adjudicator on the Law Society of BC Tribunal. Most recently, Krista was appointed to the Judicial Council of the Tsawwassen First Nation.  

Krista is a frequent speaker at professional conferences and community seminars, and she has been co-chair of the Continuing Legal Education Society of BC’s Personal Injury Conference since 2023. 

In her spare time, Krista enjoys playing tennis and travelling.

Presentation Synopsis

Krista Simon is a Partner at Hammerco Lawyers in Vancouver. In recent years, she and her partners have weathered the storms of the Minor Injury Regulation and No Fault in British Columbia. Krista will speak on the following topics:

1. Change Management
2. Developing and managing a plaintiff sexual assault/abuse practice 
   1. Client Management
   2. Claims/Litigation Management

Brian FilipS & Randal Carlson - Working With THe Defence

Brian Filips is a highly accomplished personal injury lawyer with a unique perspective gained from his extensive background in the insurance industry. Brian completed his law degree from the University of Alberta in 2000 and was called to the Alberta bar in 2001. With over 20 years of experience as an injury lawyer, Brian has developed a reputation for his unwavering commitment to his clients and exceptional skill in navigating complex insurance-related claims.

Before joining James H. Brown and Associates, Brian worked as a claims adjuster for North America’s largest insurer. He was responsible for investigating, evaluating, and resolving various personal injury claims. This experience provided him with valuable insights into the inner workings of the insurance industry, allowing him to anticipate and effectively counter the tactics employed by insurance companies and maximize his client’s settlements.

After his tenure as an insurance adjuster, Brian transitioned to a prominent Edmonton-based law firm, serving as a civil litigation lawyer and mediator, representing corporate clients in high-stakes disputes. His experience in this role further honed his negotiation and advocacy skills, enabling him to secure favourable settlements and verdicts for his clients. 

As an accomplished mediator, Brian is known for facilitating productive discussions between opposing parties, often resolving contentious issues without requiring protracted litigation. This experience has equipped him with the skills to handle even the most complex and challenging cases, ensuring his clients receive the compensation they deserve. On each client’s path to resolution, Brian utilizes his experience as a mediator to ensure James H. Brown and Associates’ clients get the settlement they deserve.

When mediation isn’t successful, Brian is an excellent trial lawyer. Brian has a long history of successful court appearances at all levels of Court in Alberta. This includes the Provincial Court, Court of King’s Bench, and Court of Appeal, where he has effectively represented clients in complex litigation matters. His tenacity and skill in the courtroom have earned him the respect of his peers and clients.

Brian’s dedication and expertise have not gone unnoticed, as he is a proud recipient of numerous awards, including recognition by Best Lawyers for litigation. This recognition further underscores his commitment to delivering exceptional legal representation to James H. Brown and Associates’ clients.

Brian’s comprehensive understanding of insurance law and claims procedures and his proficiency in civil litigation and mediation make him invaluable to the James H. Brown and Associates team as he represents accident victims seeking justice and fair compensation.

Brian regularly practices Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and served the maximum term of 8 years on the board with the Humane Society, actively volunteering with his wife. Brian was also the chair for the CBA North Insurance Section for 2 years.

Randal Carlson has been a personal injury lawyer at Assiff Law Office in Edmonton since November, 2023.  He graduated from U of A law school in 1998 and has primarily practiced personal injury and insurance law since then.  Randal articled in Edmonton at a prominent regional firm and continued working as an associate and partner in the area of insurance and personal injury litigation.  Most recently, Randal worked for several years in-house with an Alberta insurer’s legal department.  Randal’s breadth of experience makes him a great advocate for his clients through his insights from different perspectives.

Prior to law school, Randal was an infantry officer in the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and served in Cyprus and the former Yugoslavia on United Nations missions in the 1990s.  During law school Randal was also a reservist infantry officer with the Loyal Edmonton Regiment. 

Randal has been active in professional and alumni associations, having recently been the President of the Law Chapter of the University of Alberta Alumni Association.  Randal has also served as co-chair of the CBA Insurance Section and on the executive of the CBA Corporate Counsel Section.  Randal has been a principal for an articling student and presenter on Interviewing and Counselling on the CPLED courses for articling students.  He also has presented on personal injury, insurance, and civil litigation topics to clients, industry, and professional groups on numerous occasions.  Randal has also been a sessional instructor at the U of A Faculty of Law, co-instructing Insurance Law.

Tali Green - Mastering Your Story: How to Use Tech to Instantly Reveal The Story Buried Within Your Documents

Tali Green is a Toronto-based commercial litigation lawyer and the co-founder of Goodfact, a story management platform for litigators. She obtained her BA (hons) in Economics from McGill University and her JD from the University of Toronto.

Tali's legal tech journey began in the summer of 2021 while she was building a massive chronology for one of her files. Not finding any tools on the market that could help her do this important but tedious work, she set out to build a tool that would.

Since Goodfact's launch in August 2023, it has become a favourite of fact-obsessed litigators across Canada. As both a litigator and a legal tech entrepreneur, Tali has acquired a deep insider's perspective on how litigators can best use technology, including generative AI, to turbocharge their practices. 

Presentation Synopsis

See your story, now: How litigators across all practice areas use Goodfact to get ahead with an instant and interactive chronology of their documents:

• Employment lawyers: gain leverage during settlement negotiations with a deeper understanding of how each event and communication unfolded;
• Family lawyers: make sense of emails, texts, and financial records to confidently advise your clients on their options
• Personal injury lawyers: dominate examinations by turning thousands of pages of medical records into a clear and coherent story, down to the second 

Amy Matychuk - Litigating Police Use of Force Claims

Amy Matychuk founded Prison and Police Law to address the problems of police and prison mistreatment and violence in Alberta. After graduating from UCalgary Law in 2018 and spending three years working for judges at the Provincial Court of Alberta and the Nunavut Court of Justice, she started Prison and Police Law in 2021 with the goal of providing victims of police and prison mistreatment with better access to justice.

Amy is a member of both the Law Society of Alberta and the Law Society of Nunavut.

She also serves on the executive committees of the Canadian Prison Law Association, the Alberta Prison Justice Society, and the Alberta Police Misconduct Database Association.

Amy lives in Calgary, Alberta with her husband and their rescue dog.

Presentation Synopsis

This presentation will delve into the complex landscape of legal cases involving police use of force, offering a comprehensive guide for legal professionals on how to effectively navigate these challenging cases.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Who Police Owe Duties To and In What Scenarios
2. The Standard of Care
3. Types of Use of Force
4. Different Police Actors
5. Evidence Required for a Successful File
6. Case Strategy
7. Effective Client Communication:
8. Relevant Legislation and Rules of Court:

By the end of this presentation, attendees will have a thorough understanding of the legal frameworks governing police duties and use of force, the standards of care required, and the strategic approaches necessary to effectively advocate for clients in these complex cases.

Kristine Eidsvik & Adam Germain - Dos and Don'ts of Mediation

Kristine Eidsvik has been involved in various forms of legal dispute resolution for over 40 years. Most recently, she retired from, what is now known as, the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta after 15 years on the Bench.

Kristine has started a mediation and arbitration practice in the civil litigation area – KME Dispute Resolution (see www.kme-adr.ca). She is a member of Western Arbitration Chambers in Calgary (www.westernarbitrationchambers.ca), the Law Society of Alberta, the Canadian and Calgary Bar Associations, and the ADR Institute of Alberta. She conducts her hearings in person, virtually or in hybrid fashion after a crash course experience doing nothing but virtual and digital document hearings during the Pandemic.

Prior to her appointment to the Bench in 2007, she was a litigation partner with national firms (Bennett Jones, LLP and Fraser Milner Casgrain – now Denton’s). She was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2004.

Kristine is a law graduate of the University of Alberta (LLB 1983) and psychology graduate from University of Waterloo (BA 1980). She completed the McGill course on Copyright in 2006.

During her litigation practice, Kristine conducted over 40 trials, multiple appeals (including to the Supreme Court of Canada), and innumerable injunction applications. She was at the forefront of the development of “mini-trials” at the Court in the late 80s, mediations, arbitrations and later, Judicial Dispute Resolutions.

On the Bench, Kristine was on the JDR Queen’s Bench Committee for a period of time an conducted JDRs regularly in the personal injury field.

Resident in Banff, Kristine spends her recreational time cycling, skiing, painting, hiking, baking, and walking her lab in the mountains.

The Dorian | Marriott Courtyard
525, 5 Ave SW
Calgary, AB T2P 1P7

Second Floor Conference Hall

To book a stay at The Dorian under the discounted ACTLA Room Rate, please use THIS LINK