Our National Family Law Conference CLE program is designed to help family law attorneys advance their legal practice. To view the entire National Family Law Conference agenda, view the Schedule page.
Thursday, June 25
9:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Pre-Conference Program: Unlocking Admissions Success - AAML Exam Insights and Application Guide*
Recommended for National Family Law Conference attendees interested in applying for Fellowship within the next three years.
Join us for an exclusive pre-conference session designed to guide you through the complexities of the AAML Fellowship application process.
Course Highlights:
- Demystify the Application Process: Understand key steps and timelines to streamline your application.
- National Exam Setup and Platform: Navigate the AAML testing environment with ease and confidence.
- Study Strategies: Gain valuable insights to test topics, how questions are formatted, and recommended study materials to prepare for success.
- Access to AAML’s “Bounds of Advocacy Goals for Family Lawyers”
Don’t miss this opportunity to get ahead in your Fellowship journey!
*This session is a complimentary add-on for registration and not eligible for CLE.
2:45 - 3:00 p.m.
Opening Remarks
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
High Stakes, High Security: Protecting Your Practice from Cyber Threats in the Digital Age
Amie C. Martinez, Managing Partner, ACW Law (NE)
Gregory Brescia, Partner, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP (NY)
Victor Rawl, Partner, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP (SC)
ACCESS DENIED: The House Always Wins... Unless You Play Your Cards Right.
It’s 8 a.m., your systems are a total blackout, and a ransom demand is ticking like a high-stakes timer. When you can’t reach your data, your team, or your clients, are you holding a winning hand or going bust? If you're not ready, you've already thrown your chips away. This CLE provides the exclusive playbook for those critical first moves. Learn the process, the people, and the pitfalls so you know who to call (and who to avoid) to win back your practice. We’ll teach you how to beat the odds and navigate the impossible decisions when the pressure goes through the roof.
Learning objectives
- Identify the immediate steps to take in the first 24–72 hours following a cyberattack, including securing systems, preserving evidence, and initiating legal and IT response protocols.
- Recognize the ethical obligations and professional responsibilities involved in a ransomware incident, including client communication, confidentiality, and reporting requirements.
- Understand how to coordinate with cyber professionals—such as forensic investigators, incident response teams, and legal counsel—and evaluate when (and whether) to pay a ransom.
- Develop a practical response plan that includes business continuity, client communication strategies, and internal role delegation during a full-system lockout.
- Identify preventative best practices to reduce future cyber risk, including staff training, system backups, multi-factor authentication, and cybersecurity insurance coverage.
4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
The Ultimate Legal Shuffle: Navigating UIFSA, UCCJEA, Military Law and Office Security
Marshal S. Willick, Managing Partner, Willick Law Group (NV)
Kevin Rubin, Partner, Rubin Family Law, LLC (GA)
Abigail Beebe, Founding Attorney, Beebe Law (FL)
Elisha Roy, Partner, Sasser, Cestero & Roy, P.A. (FL)
Family law is constantly evolving—and the most effective practitioners know that success often hinges on mastering the issues that don’t come up every day. Join us for a dynamic and practical family law seminar designed to deliver hot tips you can use immediately across a range of unique and often-overlooked subjects.
This program goes beyond the standard CLE fare to tackle critical topics such as navigating the complexities of military family law, avoiding costly jurisdictional pitfalls under UIFSA and the UCCJEA, and protecting your practice with essential office security strategies in today’s increasingly unpredictable environment. Our experienced presenters will break down real-world scenarios, share practice-tested insights, and highlight common mistakes that can derail even seasoned attorneys.
Whether you’re looking to sharpen your edge, protect your clients, or safeguard your firm, this seminar offers practical guidance, timely updates, and actionable takeaways you won’t find in a textbook. Come ready to learn, engage, and leave with tools that will immediately enhance your practice.
6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
AAML Keynote:
AI in Action: Practical Implementation for Family Law Firms
Stephen Smith, AI Strategy Expert and Chief Executive Office, Intelligence by Intent
This highly practical session starts by briefly guiding participants through essential AI concepts in user-friendly language and comparing the most common tools (like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude) to ensure baseline understanding. The core focus is a dynamic, interactive demonstration by Stephen Smith showing exactly how family lawyers are already using AI to work smarter and more efficiently. You will see real examples of AI tackling crucial tasks, including organizing and analyzing discovery, reviewing complex financial documents, preparing initial settlement proposals, and researching and summarizing case law. Walk away with clear, practical, and immediately actionable techniques.
Friday, June 26
8:45 - 9:00 a.m.
Opening Remarks
9:00 - 9:45 a.m.
When Tax Laws Change, Divorce Practice Changes... Are You Prepared?
Michelle Gallagher, CPA, ABV, CFF, Strategic Partner, Adamy Valuation (MI)
Brian Vertz, Partner, Pollock Begg, LLC (PA)
This session provides an overview of the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill tax law and examines its practical impact on divorce and family law matters. The program highlights planning considerations, tax risks and potential pitfalls, and strategic opportunities for family law practitioners advising clients effectively in light of the new tax landscape.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand the major provisions of the 2025 tax bill that affect divorce cases.
- Identify tax implications of property division, valuations, and asset transfers under the new law.
- Apply tax-aware strategies to settlement negotiations and case planning across a range of asset and income levels.
- Address risks, compliance issues, and planning opportunities created by the 2025 tax changes in divorce matters.
9:45 - 10:45 a.m.
What Happens in Vegas, Might End Up in Court
Katherine Provost, Partner, Naimi Mullins Law Group (NV)
Rob McAngus, Partner, Mueller Family Law Group (TX)
Elisha Roy, Partner, Sasser, Cestero & Roy, P.A. (FL)
Things that happen in Las Vegas don’t always stay in Las Vegas—and your clients bring those stories home to Texas, Florida, and every other jurisdiction. In this lively discussion, three AMML Fellows unpack unique Sin City scenarios: clients losing the marital pot at the tables, encounters with strippers and escorts spilling into custody battles, and what to do when the truth behind secret trips, and blown college funds come to light. They’ll explore how to frame facts of sex, drugs, gambling and lavish spending as dissipation of assets, credibility issues, and parenting concerns in a way that can be understood by the Court and acted on. You’ll take away practical strategies, sample arguments, and ethical guardrails for turning “only in Vegas” disasters into clear, persuasive narratives. Whether you’re a new or experienced divorce lawyer, you’ll leave better equipped to handle high-drama facts with calm, strategic advocacy.
11:00 - 11:45 a.m.
Rolling with the High Rollers: Family Law Strategies for the Ultra-Wealthy
Thomas Sasser, Partner, Sasser, Cestero & Roy, P.A. (FL)
Representing a wealthy, well-known, or high-profile client in a divorce is unlike any other family law matter. The financial complexity is immense, the public scrutiny is relentless, and a single misstep can have legal, reputational, and professional consequences. This advanced seminar offers an insider’s look at what it truly takes to navigate divorces involving ultra–high net worth individuals, celebrities, executives, and other public figures.
Taught by nationally recognized family law attorneys with decades of experience handling headline-making cases, this program goes far beyond theory. Faculty will share proven strategies for managing sophisticated client teams that may include business managers, forensic accountants, public relations professionals, security consultants, and in-house counsel—while maintaining clear authority and ethical boundaries as lead counsel.
Attendees will gain practical guidance on safeguarding confidentiality in an age of leaks, social media, and digital discovery; controlling the narrative without compromising legal strategy; and delivering effective, decisive representation when every move is subject to scrutiny. The seminar will also explore client management techniques unique to high-profile individuals, including expectation-setting, crisis response, and decision-making under pressure.
Designed for experienced practitioners who want to elevate their practice, this session offers rare insights from lawyers who regularly operate at the highest levels of family law.
When the stakes are extraordinary, ordinary strategies are not enough. This is a must-attend program for attorneys who want to be prepared for the most demanding—and rewarding—cases of their careers.
1:15 - 2:00 p.m.
Dealing Experts In: Winning with Alternative Dispute Resolution
David Horowitz, Partner, Warner Angle Hallam Jackson & Formanek PLC (AZ)
Kathleen Connell, Partner, Connell Cummings, LLC (GA)
Dealing with Experts in Winning with Alternative Dispute Resolution is designed to enhance in resolving conflicts through alternative dispute (ADR) methods. Focused on the strategic use of experts in ADR settings such as mediation, arbitration, and collaborative law, the seminar provided valuable insights into how to effectively manage experts outside of traditional courtroom litigation. Participants will learn how to select, work with, and present expert witnesses in ways that streamline negotiations, minimize conflict, and lead to better outcomes for clients. Practical tips, case studies, and interactive dialog will equip attendees with the tools to confidently navigate complex family disputes in the ADR context.
Attendees will leave with actionable strategies for integrating experts into their ADR practices and gaining the upper hand in negotiations, all while promoting more amicable and sustainable agreements.
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
The Value Gamble: Business Valuation Reports at Trial — In, Out or Busted
Jason Naimi, Managing Partner, Naimi Mullins Law Group (NV)
Jim Godbout, Lead Managing Director, CBIZ Forensic Consulting Group, LLC (IL)
This presentation provides practical strategies for effectively examining business valuation reports in litigation or negotiation settings. Attendees will learn how to structure a direct examination to clearly present valuation methodologies, assumptions, and conclusions, and how to conduct a cross-examination that identifies weaknesses, challenges assumptions, and exposes inconsistencies. The session will cover key valuation concepts, common pitfalls, and proven questioning techniques to enhance credibility and persuasiveness in court or arbitration.
3:15 - 4:00 p.m.
From Monaco to Michigan: Getting Global Discovery Into the Family Law Courtroom
Jorge Cestero, Partner, Sasser, Cestero & Roy, P.A. (FL)
Renee Ross, Founder & Managing Attorney, Ross Family Law, P.C. (CA)
When a divorce crosses state or international lines, discovery becomes one of the most challenging—and most critical—components of the case. Assets are moved, records are held overseas, witnesses reside in distant jurisdictions, and familiar procedural tools no longer apply. This advanced family law seminar is designed to equip practitioners with the strategies and tools needed to uncover, obtain, and effectively use evidence wherever in the world it may be located.
This program will focus on the practical realities of cross-border discovery in divorce matters, including obtaining financial, business, digital, and testimonial evidence from other states and foreign countries. Faculty will walk through the use of statutes, treaties, and common-law mechanisms—such as interstate subpoenas, letters rogatory, Hague Convention procedures, and alternative discovery methods—while addressing when and why each approach works best.
Equally important, the seminar will explore how to successfully bring that evidence home: authenticating foreign documents, overcoming admissibility challenges, coordinating with local and foreign counsel, and ensuring that hard-won discovery is actually usable in the attendee’s home jurisdiction. Presenters will share practice-tested insights, cautionary tales, and strategic considerations that can save time, money, and client frustration.
Ideal for attorneys handling complex divorces, high-asset cases, or matters involving mobile families and global wealth, this seminar offers a rare deep dive into a topic few practitioners are truly prepared for—until they need it.
4:00 - 5:00 p.m.
AAML Keynote:
The Jackpot's Not Guaranteed: Elder Divorce Realities
Andrew Hatherley, CDFA, CRPC, Founder, Wiser Divorce Solutions, LLC (NV)
Rebecca Haines, Partner, Harrison LLP (NV)
When plans for the golden years become twisted, your clients over 50 need a game plan. In this lively podcast-style conversation, an estate planning attorney and a divorce financial planner unpack the unique issues of “gray divorce” and “silver separation” cases. They’ll dig into everything from long-term marriages and retirement assets to beneficiary designations, capacity concerns, and planning for late-in-life independence —plus the ever-thorny problem of over-involved adult children in their parents’ split. You’ll hear practical tips, real-world scenarios, and learn some client-friendly language you can use to manage family dynamics while protecting your client’s wishes and wealth. Tune in ready to rethink your approach to these senior sunset cases and leave with tools to turn gray divorce into sunnier days.
Saturday, June 27
8:45 - 9:00 a.m.
Opening Remarks
9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
High Stakes & Hot Takes: AI Hallucinations vs. Expert Truths
Edward Kainen, Managing Partner, Kainen Law Group, PLLC (NV)
Rebekah Mastel, Psy.D., Psychologist, Children’s Wisconsin (WI)
Think expert reports are rock-solid? Believe you must defer to expert authority? Think again. As AI becomes woven into professional practice, even seasoned professionals can present hallucinated, fabricated, or unverified information, sometimes with dramatic consequences. In this dynamic program, a father and daughter team -- one a trial-tested family law litigator and the other a doctoral-level psychologist -- unpack a real-world case where an expert’s reliance on AI produced citations, journal references, and “authority” that simply did not exist. You’ll see video of the pivotal courtroom examination that exposed the fabricated evidence and learn how the misuse of AI by once-respected professionals is reshaping how lawyers must scrutinize expert reports in family law cases. Leave with an understanding of how to both recognize AI hallucinations and how to handle the practical pitfalls and ethical implications of AI.
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Stacking the Deck: How to Get Custody Evaluations In or Out of Evidence
Kathleen McNamara, Ph.D., Psychologist, Private Practice (CO)
Adam John Wolff, Partner, Alter Wolff Foley & Stutman LLP (NY)
Mental health experts can play a significant role in child custody litigation. Rules of evidence; the reliability and validity of experts’ methods; and the relevance and helpfulness of experts’ opinions are some of the most critical evidentiary issues custody attorneys face. In this session, a lawyer and a mental health expert will explore these issues with particular attention paid to concepts, practices, and theories that are likely to raise evidentiary concerns, and how knowledge of those evidentiary concerns will help make the most influential impact on the trier of fact.
11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
AAML Keynote:
The Science of Addiction
Dr. Stephen Dewey, MD, Family Medicine, Ascension St. Vincent (IN)
Hon. Cheryl A. Joseph, Supervising Judge, NYS Supreme Court (NY)
Hon. Jeffrey A. Goodstein, Supervising Judge, NYS Supreme Court (NY)
This CLE program features Dr. Stephen Dewey, a nationally recognized expert on the neuroscience of addiction who will examine addiction as a brain-based disease. The program explores substance use disorders to better equip lawyers and judges in assessing its impact on custody and parenting determinations, equitable distribution of assets, and claims of marital waste or dissipation. Participants will gain a scientifically grounded framework for evaluating addition-related evidence, understanding treatment and recovery, and applying these insights to matrimonial matters.