All humans have implicit bias; it’s part of how we developed as a species to understand the world and protect ourselves. Looking at the reasons why implicit bias forms, executive coach and attorney Karen Morris will discuss how operating subject to our implicit biases can harm us and our colleagues.

This program will examine why implicit bias diminish attorneys effectiveness in the courtroom and undermine confidence in the legal profession. Participants will leave this program with practical tools to shift their perspectives and help eliminate the harmful effects of implicit bias.

Credits: 1.00 Hours.

Credit Type: Implicit Bias.

Specialty Area: None.

Original Air Date: 04/29/2026.

Program Materials: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q2sT45yjEJeztT8kwN0yQaxwJJAtAy4l/view?usp=sharing

Audio versions of Beverly Hills Bar Association programs are eligible for Self-Study CLE credit in California. Visit www.bhba.org/podcasts for more information.

When a single construction project spawns multiple disputes, things get complicated quickly. This program breaks down the real-world challenges of multi-track construction disputes—where litigation, arbitration, and mediation intersect. Learn how recent case law is reshaping arbitration, how some courts manage competing proceedings, and how the mediation-arbitration model can offer a smarter, more efficient path to resolution.

In litigation, negotiations, and client interactions, conflict often escalates in ways that undermine professionalism and impair judgment, increasing legal risk. This program provides attorneys with a practical framework for recognizing how conflict develops, from early signals of misalignment to moments of escalation, and what to do in real time to maintain control and effectiveness. Through realistic scenarios, participants will learn how to identify early warning signs of escalation, manage communication during high-pressure interactions, and apply strategies to maintain civility with clients, opposing counsel, and other stakeholders. Attendees will leave with practical tools they can immediately use to navigate conflict and improve outcomes in high-stakes legal matters.

Robin Sax, attorney and clinical therapist at Dear Co-Parent, Hon. Joshua D. Wayser of LASC, and Anthony Storm, founding partner at Storm Palyan LLP, will explore how integrating legal and therapeutic frameworks can lead to more durable resolutions in high-conflict custody matters. Sax will draw on her dual-discipline practice to address the emotional and psychological dynamics that drive conflict between co-parents, while Storm will cover mediation, arbitration, and collaborative strategies for steering disputes away from costly litigation. Together, they will walk through how a settlement-focused mindset, informed by both courtroom experience and therapeutic insight, can be applied at every stage of a custody dispute. Attorneys will leave with practical tools for identifying when a collaborative or therapeutic approach is appropriate, how to work alongside co-parenting professionals, and what it takes to help families reach agreements that actually hold.

Audio versions of Beverly Hills Bar Association programs are eligible for Self-Study CLE credit in California. Visit www.bhba.org/podcasts for more information.

The Pinto decision upended long-standing assumptions in California insurance litigation, directly challenging the validity of CACI 2334 and setting off a wave of change across bad faith failure-to-settle claims. In response, courts and legislators acted—producing two significant published opinions and ushering in Code of Civil Procedure § 999, which now governs pre-litigation settlement demands.

Steve Smith, CEO of Intelligence by Intent and AI strategy consultant, will walk transactional attorneys through the full arc of AI-assisted deal work, from early-stage contract drafting and document review to due diligence workflows and regulatory compliance checklists. Drawing on hands-on experience integrating AI into legal practice environments, Smith will cover how to evaluate and deploy AI tools across each phase of the transactional lifecycle, where the technology delivers the most meaningful efficiency gains, and what responsible use looks like when the stakes are high. Attorneys will leave with a practical framework for making AI a core part of how they structure, negotiate, and close deals . It's not just a shortcut, but a durable upgrade to their practice.

How does defendant sexual orientation affect juror decisions? Does heterosexism have significant impact on how jurors decide these cases? Does juror gender and attractiveness of defendant contribute to potential bias? This program will discuss research conducted by Forensic Psychologist and Professor of Psychology at Professor of Psychology at California State University, Fullerton, Russ Espinoza, Ph.D., on the implicit biasing effects of juror decisions. Dr. Espinoza will review a specific research study he conducted that varied defendant sexual orientation, defendant attractiveness, and juror gender for cases involving murder of partner. Attendees will walk away with an understanding of the theoretical explanation of this potential bias, as well as other perceived influencing variables that contribute to juror bias.

A practical, litigation-focused look at how trust administrations go wrong. This program examines the common mistakes—communication failures, poor recordkeeping, and fiduciary missteps—that lead to disputes and lawsuits, along with key strategies to prevent them.

Automated and semi-automated vehicle systems are now common across major manufacturers and they generate data that can be critical in accident investigations. In this CLE, Andrew McDevitt of Walkup Melodia Kelly & Schoenberger will examine how advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) function and the types of data they capture before, during, and after a crash.

Through case examples, this program will explore systems such as combined cruise control and lane keeping, automatic emergency braking, and lane assistance, with a focus on how their data is recorded, preserved, and interpreted. Attendees will learn how to identify key evidence, understand the limitations of event data recorder (EDR) outputs, and spot potential red flags in vehicle-generated data.

Participants will leave with a practical understanding of how ADAS technology impacts accident reconstruction and litigation strategy across a range of vehicle manufacturers.