Attorneys’ Association to Host Continuing Education Conference
Wednesday, January 4th, 2012
The Alabama Association for Justice (ALAJ) will host its annual Mid-Winter Conference in Birmingham at the Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa on Friday, January 20st and Saturday, January 21st. This year’s lineup of speakers includes Chief Justice Chuck Malone, Congressman Bruce Braley, former state Sen. Myron Penn, and Susan Saladoff, the producer/director of the acclaimed documentary “Hot Coffee,” which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and was broadcast on HBO.
The association holds this conference each year as an Alabama State Bar-approved Continuing Legal Education (CLE) opportunity for attorneys in the state, members and non-members alike. Attendees will also be treated to informational sessions, like the one featuring the Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court who will discuss the State of the Alabama Court System. Two sessions will cover using technology in the courtroom. Closing out the conference is Iowa Congressman Bruce Braley, a former attorney, who will teach the ethics course and give an insight into Washington, DC politics.
“Law school is just the beginning for attorneys. Continued learning opportunities, like our Mid-Winter Conference, are key to staying on top of the ever-changing legal environment,” said Rebekah McKinney, President of the ALAJ. “Whether you’re a member or not, we invite any Alabama attorney to come knock out some of their CLEs and network with successful attorneys in the process.”
On Saturday, Susan Saladoff will discuss her groundbreaking documentary “Hot Coffee,” which first aired on HBO on June 27, 2011. The film follows four people whose lives were devastated by the attacks on our courts, starting with the infamous McDonalds coffee case, laying out the often-overlooked merits of the case. Ms. Saladoff will be available for media interviews on Saturday.
“For most of the years I practiced law, it was difficult to find an unbiased jury. Many believed that there were too many ‘frivolous lawsuits’ and that injured people were just trying to cash in. What most people used as the basis for their beliefs was the case of a woman who spilled coffee on her lap, sued McDonald’s, and got a big verdict. The McDonald’s coffee case is the most famous case in the world, and yet almost everyone has it wrong,” said Ms. Saladoff. “I made HOT COFFEE to try to open people’s minds about the importance of our legal system, which is a fundamental right that we have. The movie not only challenges people’s long held beliefs about the McDonald’s coffee case, but also how people are giving up their Constitutional rights every day without even knowing it.”
In keeping with its 2012 theme, “The Year of the Creek,” the Lee County Historical Society presents Dr. John Ellisor as speaker for the winter meeting, January 8, 2:30 p.m. CST at Pioneer Park in Loachapoka, Alabama. The bicentennial of the Creek War will occur in 2013.
