Jeffery Bast is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Our latest featured speaker is Jeffrey Bast from Bast Amron!

Jeff will be speaking at our upcoming Business Bankruptcy 101 Chapter 11 Nuts and Bolts Webinar on September 19 & 21, 2023.  Previously, Jeff spoke at our Business Bankruptcy 101: Chapter 11 Nuts and Bolts program in 2020 as well as at prior Circuit Court Boot Camps and Bankruptcy programs.

We are excited to have him back!

Jeff is a partner at Bast Amron, where he focuses his practice in corporate and bankruptcy law.

With 30 years of experience, Jeff is a seasoned expert in the insolvency and litigation arena. Jeff guides business clients through all types of insolvency-related issues including bankruptcy and bankruptcy avoidance, emphasizing corporate reorganization, workouts, and liquidation. Jeff has also been recognized by his peers and numerous publications for professional excellence including: Best Lawyers in America, Chambers and Partners, Martindale Hubbell, South Florida Legal Guide, and Florida Super Lawyers. 

Jeff is a frequent speaker and writer both in the U.S. and abroad on topics related to insolvency. He recently wrote an article about Subchapter V bankruptcy. If you’d like to learn more about Subchapter V. For more information on the topic,  Jaime Leggett, also at Bast Amron, will spend a good 90 minutes on this topic at our upcoming Business Bankruptcy 101 Chapter 11 Nuts and Bolts Webinar on September 19 & 21, 2023 (the same one at which Jeff is speaking again).

It promises to be an excellent seminar, and we are glad to have him join us!

Nicole Mariani Noel is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Our latest featured speaker is Nicole Mariani Noel from Kass Shuler!

Nicole will be speaking at our upcoming Business Bankruptcy 101 Chapter 11 Nuts and Bolts Webinar on September 19 & 21, 2023. Most recently, Nicole spoke at our Bankruptcy 101: Chapter 7 and 13 Nuts and Bolts program.

We are excited to have her back with us!

Nicole is a Shareholder at Kass Shuler, where she heads the Bankruptcy practice group for the firm and handles cases throughout the State of Florida, including the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts.

Since 2009, Nicole has honed her practice in various legal fields, including: bankruptcy, creditors’ rights and insolvency, real estate, consumer and business litigation. 

Outside of the firm, Nicole is an adjunct professor at Stetson University College of Law, St. Petersburg College and Hillsborough Community College teaching bankruptcy, real property finance, business law and civil litigation. She participated in the 2016 NextGeneration program held by the Bankruptcy Judges during the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges (NCBJ). Nicolel was honored to become a Fellow for the Florida Bar Leadership Academy. She has also been named one of ALFN’s Junior Professionals and Executives Group (JPEG)’s stand-out young professionals to watch in 2016. Nicole also frequently volunteers her time to speak at local Universities on topics which include ethical concerns facing young attorneys, time management, and first year law practice pointers.

Thank you for joining the program, Nicole!

Judy Posner is our Latest Featured Speaker

Our latest featured speaker is Judy Posner from Benedon & Serlin!

Judy recently spoke at our Appellate Law Certified Legal Specialist Exam Four-Part Online Prep Course (CA) (Parts 1-3 held August 22, 23, 24 with Part 4 coming up on September 7, 2023). Judy received terrific reviews and we can’t wait to have her speak again.

Judy is a partner at Benedon & Serlin where she focuses her practice on appellate law. She is also a certified appellate specialist by the State Bar of California. Among her many accolades, Judy has been recognized by the U.S. News & World Report as “Best Lawyers in America, Appellate Law” as well as being selected as one of Southern California’s “Super Lawyers” in appellate law by Law & Politics. 

Before starting at Benedon & Serlin, Judy clerked with Hon. Melvin Brunetti (Dec.) in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She previously worked as a Senior Judicial Attorney at the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District, for Presiding Justice Frances Rothschild in Division One and for Presiding Justice Dennis M. Perluss in Division Seven. In addition, Judy was of counsel at Crosby, Heafey, Roach & May and Reed Smith and an associate at Horvitz & Levy LLP and Sidley & Austin.

Thank you for joining us, Judy!

John Querio is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Our latest featured speaker is John Querio from Horvitz & Levy!

John will be speaking at our upcoming 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Boot Camp: The Nuts and Bolts Webinar on September 26 & 28. He most recently spoke at our previous 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Boot Camp in November of 2021 where attendees praised his teaching efficiency and knowledge on the topic.

We’re excited to have him back with us!

Additionally, John is co-author of the leading treatise on civil appeals before the Ninth Circuit, the Rutter Group’s Ninth Circuit Civil Appellate Practice. Because John is speaking at our 9th Circuit program, along with co-author Peder Batalden, the Rutter Group will give attendees at that program 40% off the Guide.  Attendees will learn how to take advantage of this discount during the seminar.

John is a partner at Horvitz & Levy, where he has worked on dozens of civil appeals in state and federal court. He has special expertise in federal, civil, and appellate procedure. John has argued numerous appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

John’s proficiency in a wide range of practice areas, including commercial contract disputes; arbitration and class actions; defense of claims based on professional conduct (including the anti-SLAPP statute and First Amendment issues, legal malpractice, and malicious prosecution); defense of insurance coverage and bad faith litigation; products and premises liability defense; civil rights litigation defense; and punitive damages. 

Due to John’s extensive experience in appellate procedure, he has counseled many significant companies on appellate matters, including Ford Motor Company, State Farm, American General Life Insurance Company, Hospital Corporation of America, QBE Insurance Corporation, Travelers, Kiewit, Dow Chemical Company, Philip Morris, and San Diego Gas & Electric Company. 

John has also represented cities, counties, and peace officers in federal civil rights actions; major hospitals and providers in healthcare matters; and large insurers in coverage disputes. He has worked with major trade associations to position cutting edge issues for appellate review, including the Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America, DRI-The Voice of the Defense Bar, the Washington Legal Foundation, the California Hospital Association, and the California New Car Dealers Association.

Thank you for joining us again, John!



Janet Schorer is our Latest Featured Speaker

Our latest featured speaker is Janet Schroer from Hart Wagner!

Janet will be speaking at our upcoming 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Boot Camp: The Nuts and Bolts Webinar on September 26 & 28. She previously spoke at our 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Boot Camp, where attendees gave her rave reviews for her teaching skills and terrific materials. 

We’re excited to have her back with us!

Janet is a partner at Hart Wagner, where she frequently serves the firm’s clients in the Oregon Court of Appeals and Oregon Supreme Court, and Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  She also represents her clients’ business, professional and personal interests before various trial courts and professional licensing agencies.

Over the course of her career, Janet has handled well over 50 cases to final decision in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.  She has argued over 30 cases and taken them to final opinion in the Oregon Supreme Court, and argued over 130 cases resulting in opinions in the Oregon Court of Appeals.  She has also handled appeals in the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, Idaho Supreme Court, Nevada Supreme Court, and Washington Court of Appeals and Supreme Court.

Janet defends doctors, lawyers and other professionals in Oregon state and federal trial courts. She also handles all aspects of professional malpractice, commercial litigation, products liability and general litigation.

Janet also represents Oregon professionals in matters involving their licensing Boards. She works frequently with the various Oregon professional licensing Boards.

Thank you for joining us again, Janet!



Sean SeLegue is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Our latest featured speaker is Sean SeLegue from Arnold & Porter!

Sean will be speaking at our upcoming Appellate Law Certified Legal Specialist Exam Four-Part Online Prep Course (CA) on August 22, 23, 24 and September 7, 2023. This will be his first time speaking with us. He is also set to speak at our 9th Annual Advanced Appellate program in February of 2024 (in the works).  Welcome, Sean!

Sean is a partner at Arnold & Porter. He has honed his skills in appellate practice with a career of over 30 years and has extensive experience in defending malpractice and malicious prosecution actions and attorney discipline defense.

A former Chair of the State Bar of California Board of Trustees and the Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct, Sean has advised and represented dozens of lawyers and law firms. He has overseen internal investigations for law firms and has advised firms and appeared on their behalf, in investigations and inquiries by the State Bar and federal judges. Sean also has served as an expert witness.

Additionally, Sean is a certified appellate specialist, State Bar of California, a member and officer of the selective California Academy of Appellate Lawyers and a member of the invitation-only American Academy of Appellate Lawyers.

Sean began his career in appellate law in 1991 with a clerkship for the fantastic Judge Cynthia Holcomb Hall of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Since then, he has handled appeals in many areas, including energy law, products liability, real estate, partnership disputes, securities law, contract law and high-asset community property disputes in marital dissolution (divorce) cases.

Thank you for joining us, Sean!



Jocelyn Sperling is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Our latest featured speaker is Jocelyn Sperling from Complex Appellate Litigation Group!

Jocelyn will be speaking at our upcoming Appellate Law Certified Legal Specialist Exam Four-Part Online Prep Course (CA) on August 22, 23, 24 and September 7, 2023. This will be her first time speaking for Pincus and comes highly recommended. Many of her colleagues at CALG have spoke at our appellate programs over the years. Welcome, Jocelyn!

Jocelyn is a counsel at Complex Appellate Litigation Group. She handles a wide range of civil appeals. Her diverse practice includes employment, tort, contract, real property, and attorney fee matters.

 For more than a decade, she has represented clients in civil appeals and writ petitions in the California Courts of Appeal and Ninth Circuit. Before joining CALG, she was an appellate lawyer at Bien & Summers and at her own firm, and litigated cases at a boutique employment firm earlier in her career.

Additionally, Jocelyn serves on the Committee on Appellate Courts of the California Lawyers Association’s Litigation Section, where she has led key access-to-justice projects. She is co-founder and vice chair of the Alameda County Bar Association’s Appellate Law Section, and chair of the ACBA’s Judicial Appointments Evaluation Committee.

Jocelyn also co-authors a chapter on appealability in CEB’s highly regarded California Civil Appellate Practice and frequently speaks on appellate issues. In addition to her retained work, she routinely handles pro bono work for Centro Legal de la Raza, a nonprofit organization in Oakland that provides free legal services to low-income communities.

Thank you for joining us, Jocelyn!



Polly Estes is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Our latest featured speaker is Polly Estes from Estes Law Group!

Polly will be speaking at our upcoming Appellate Law Certified Legal Specialist Exam Four-Part Online Prep Course (CA) on August 22, 23, 24 and September 7, 2023. She will also be speaking at our upcoming 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Boot Camp on September 26 & 28, 2023. We are excited to have her with us for these upcoming programs!

Polly has spoken at many of our appellate related programs in the past, including our 5th Annual Advanced Appellate seminar in 2020 in Los Angeles and moderating and teaching at our 2021 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Boot Camp. Every time Polly has spoken, she has received terrific reviews, which is why we keep inviting her back!

Polly is the managing partner at Estes Law Group. She has successfully tried numerous bench and jury trials in such diverse areas as class actions, freedom of speech and freedom of religion, securities fraud, tax regulation, riparian rights, eminent domain, professional liability, and high-dollar insurance bad faith. Polly’s expertise has been recognized by the California State Bar.  She is Board Certified as an expert in Appellate Law.

Among the wide range of legal topics Polly covers, appellate arena where she really shines.  She has spent 15 years of her career working for state and federal appellate courts, where she helped judges evaluate the merits of more than 500 civil, criminal, and administrative appeals.  On a daily basis, Polly defended her analysis through oral presentations, extensive memoranda and proposed dispositions, often working under intense time pressure.  After debating the merits of cases with judges at all levels of the judiciary for more than two decades, Polly knows how to persuade both judges and juries successfully.  She knows how judges think, what questions they want answered, and the time constraints they face. 

Before starting Estes Law Group, Polly served as the Chief Law Clerk to the Honorable Carlos T. Bea on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit for eight years.  As Judge Bea’s Chief Law Clerk, Polly supervised and trained the other law clerks and externs, a position she loved because it was essentially “teaching the best law school class ever.”  She was also the chief editor and “problem solver,” often called in to help the Judge and other clerks think through complex problems.  She also helped evaluate cases for en banc calls and wrote speeches for the judge, all while handling a full load of cases herself.

In addition to working for courts, Polly worked for six years for two prominent national law firms—Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld and Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal (now Dentons).  While at these firms, Polly handled a number of trials and appeals, most notably high-exposure bad faith insurance trials and appeals for State Farm, USAA, and Allstate.  She was often brought in to handle the appeal when another firm lost at trial.  Polly won each of these appeals. Polly has extensive experience writing amicus curiae briefs in courts around the country to help shape the law that affected the firm’s clients.

Thank you for joining us again, Polly!

Brendan Begley is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Our latest featured speaker is Brendan Begley from Weintraub Tobin!

Brendan will be speaking at our upcoming 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Boot Camp: The Nuts and Bolts Webinar on September 26 & 28. He most recently spoke at our Covid 19 Employment Litigation: Liability, Privacy, and Arbitration Webinar where he was praised by attendees for how direct and concise his presentation was.

We’re excited to have him back with us!

Brendan is a shareholder at Weintraub Tobin, who spearheads the firm’s Appeals and Writs group, and is a member of the firm’s Litigation, Labor & Employment, Trust, Probate, and Elder Abuse Litigation groups.

Throughout his career, Brendan has worked on class actions and managed entire cases, including conducting witness interviews, preparing and responding to written discovery, arguing related motions, taking and defending scores of depositions, prevailing on numerous anti-SLAPP and dispositive motions, mediating many cases, and second-chairing trials to successful verdicts. At the appellate stage, he has handled both briefing and oral argument before all appellate courts, from the California Court of Appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Before Weintraub Tobin, Brendan served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable John M. Gerrard, Associate Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court, and later as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Connie M. Callahan, Circuit Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Thank you for joining the program, Brendan! We are excited to have him back.

Susan Horst is our Latest Featured Speaker!

Our latest featured speaker is Susan Horst from Complex Appellate Litigation Group!

Susan will be speaking at our upcoming Appellate Law Certified Legal Specialist Exam Four-Part Online Prep Course (CA) on August 22, 23, 24 and September 7, 2023. She most recently spoke at our 8th Annual Advanced Appellate Practice (CA) Webinar where she was praised for her stellar handouts and expertise in writs.

In fact, Susan is such a popular speaker that she has been teaching writs topics for at least ten years at our appellate and writs related seminars (advanced and beginner level)!

We’re excited to have her join this course this year!

Susan is a counsel at Complex Appellate Litigation Group. She has briefed and argued cases in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and every District Court of Appeal in California, and has filed amicus briefs on the merits in several cases before the U.S. and California Supreme Courts. For more than 31 years, Susan served as the writ attorney for the California Court of Appeal for the First District, Division One, in San Francisco.

Susan is one of the only practicing attorneys in California to have devoted virtually her entire career to appellate writs.

As writ attorney in the First District, Susan evaluated thousands of pre- and post- trial writ petitions in all types of civil and criminal matters. In the process, she learned precisely what the justices on the Court of Appeal look for before taking the extraordinary step of granting writ relief — and what an opposing party needs to highlight to have the best shot at getting a petition denied.

In addition to Pincus Professional Education, Susan has presented seminars to the San Francisco City Attorney, District Attorney and Public Defender Offices, the State Bar of California, California Continuing Education of the Bar, The Rutter Group, bar associations across California, and the Center for Judicial Education and Research. She is the co-author of two Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB) titles: Appeals and Writs in Criminal Cases and California Criminal Law: Procedure and Practice.

Thank you for joining us again, Susan!