IMLA

Elected Attorney Meeting
2023-11-13 14:00 - 15:00, 2023-12-11 14:00 - 15:00, 2024-01-08 14:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
If you care to take part in this call or working group, please email cstorer@imla.org.

Climate Change Webinar
2023-11-14 13:00 - 14:00
The Climate Change Litigation and Municipalities as Plaintiffs
Municipalities are often defendants in court, but increasingly they have become plaintiffs, suing a variety of industries and seeking remedies for city-wide injuries that also further public-policy goals. The climate-change litigation provides a prism for understanding how state law can provide some of the tools for this type of litigation and the types of roadblocks defendants throw up to reliance on state law through removal to federal court and the use of federal-officer removal to mount appeals that can delay proceeding to the merits. With cases now pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, the litigation has the potential to establish a clearer path for municipalities as plaintiffs.
Speaker: Robert Peck

Protests and First Amendment Webinar - Free Live For IMLA Members
2023-11-16 13:00 - 14:00
Protest and Demonstration Permits
CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.
A presentation discussing key considerations for governmental entities creating regulations that require permits for public protests and demonstrations. The webinar will cover the First Amendment standards for prior restraints – including strict scrutiny, intermediate scrutiny, limiting the discretion of government officials, justifications supporting the regulation, narrowly tailoring the permit requirements, content neutrality, and permit conditions.
Speaker: Ian Williams

Small/Rural Communities Working Group Call
2023-11-20 14:00 - 15:00, 2024-01-15 14:00 - 15:00
If you care to take part in this call, please email cstorer@imla.org.

Police Alternatives Meeting
2023-11-21 14:00 - 15:00, 2023-12-19 14:00 - 15:00, 2024-01-16 14:00 - 15:00

Code Enforcement Working Group Call
2023-11-27 15:00, 2023-12-25 15:00

DEI Webinar
2023-11-28 13:00 - 14:00
Governing with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as Fundamental Principles
Addressing community issues such as lack of access to affordable housing and infrastructure, economic and health disparities, sustainability, and systemic racism requires sound legal advice. Best practices include creating an environment where creative solutions to social issues are valued and respected and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are fundamental principles. This discussion will include DEI policies and state preemptions surrounding these policies, including structural racism initiatives; anti-LGBTQ+ legislation; environmental, social and governance limitations; and the resulting protests surrounding these issues.
Speaker: Jeannine S. Williams

Negotiations Webinar
2023-11-30 13:00 - 14:00
The Three Barriers to Resolution
Have you ever listened like a cow? Predicted United Nations membership? Determined how to make an offer? In this session you will learn how issues in understanding, planning, and executing negotiations creates barriers to reaching resolution. Immediate Past Chair of the ABA Section of Dispute Resolution and University of North Dakota Law Dean Brian Pappas will provide the exercises and information that will give you new tools and ideas for making your next negotiation a success.
Speaker: Brian Pappas

Free Speech Webinar - Free Live For IMLA Members
2023-12-07 13:00 - 14:00
First Amendment Audits – How to Handle and Protect Against Liability
CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.
There has been an increase in private citizens, known as First Amendment Auditors, engaging in activities against local governments designed to provoke a response that violates the First Amendment. First Amendment audits typically involve an individual photographing or filming his or her surroundings from a public space, and is often categorized by its practitioners as activism and citizen journalism designed to test whether local government officials will uphold the auditor’s constitutional rights – including the right to photograph and video record in a public space. There is a growing consensus of federal Courts of Appeals holding that the First Amendment generally protects the rights of citizens to film or record public officials, including police officers, performing their duties in public. However, the right to film is not absolute, as it is subject to a reasonable time, place and manner restriction. It is important for local governments to understand the rights involved and how to distinguish protected behavior from unprotected behavior, so as to ensure these matters are appropriately handled by local government officials in order to limit potential liability.
Speaker: James Benjamin & Bambi Glenn

Homelessness Working Group Conference Call
2023-12-07 14:00 - 15:00, 2024-01-04 14:00 - 15:00

Ethics Webinar
2023-12-08 13:00 - 14:00
My Client, My Enemy? Ethical Challenges When Representing Cities
This presentation will discuss ABA Rules 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.7 when discussing the challenges faced with representing cities. Rule 1.3 addresses organizations as clients, and Comment 1 touches upon entities acting through their officers, directors, etc. Complexities arise when Rule 1.1 calls for competent representation and the need to abide by client decisions under Rule 1.2, but individual city officers find themselves in positions contrary to the city they serve. Rule 1.7 provides guidance on Conflicts of Interest. Rule 1.3 requires lawyers dealing with a city’s officers to explain the nature of the relationship and address when interests diverge. This presentation will provide a variety of scenarios and pose hypothetical questions illustrating these points.
Speaker: Alan Bojorquez

General Webinar
2023-12-14 13:00 - 14:00
Local Government Attorney Essentials
Local Government attorneys need to handle a wide variety of legal responsibilities, some unique to local government. The number of issues and topics requiring legal proficiency can be overwhelming. This presentation will help city and county attorneys develop a plan for navigating their initiation into local government law. While this webinar is designed for attorneys who are new to local government, experienced local government attorneys can also benefit from a review of the basics of municipal law.
Speaker: Roger Horner

First Amendment & Public Comment Webinar - Free Live For IMLA Members
2023-12-15 13:00 - 14:00
Public Comment – The Good, The Bad, and The Legal
CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.
As Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) from the show Parks and Rec humorously stated: “What I hear when I’m being yelled at [during a public meeting] is people caring loudly at me.” This presentation will explore the benefits of public comment, some of the issues commonly associated with public comment, and what you can do to address those issues.
Speaker: Randall Van Vleck & Todd Sheeran

Police Webinar
2023-12-19 13:00 - 14:00
Managing Risk by Embedding Mental Health Co-responders in Police Departments
As communities across the country continue to examine ways to improve outcomes and reduce the costs of interactions between police officers and individuals experiencing mental illness, many have adopted a risk management approach. This presentation will examine the potential benefits of embedding mental health co-responders within police departments. The potential benefits include increasing the safety of those involved in such encounters; helping ensure that people experiencing mental illness are directed to the most appropriate resources; decreasing the number of police encounters with such individuals; reducing the costs associated with these encounters (including litigation costs); and improving the speed with which problems associated with these encounters are solved.
Speaker: Doug Hoffer

Mental Health and Wellness Webinar - Free Live For IMLA Members
2023-12-21 13:00 - 14:00
Sleep, Neuroscience, and Ethics
CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.
Sleep impairment impacts all aspects of client representation, including competence, focus, diligence, decision-making, effective client communication, and case management. Sleep deprivation predicts lawyer misconduct by increasing anxiety, interrupting working memory, and impairing effective executive thinking. This program provides the latest neuroscience behind sleep, and its impact on mental health, substance use, ethical behavior, and performance.
Speaker: Joan Bibelhausen, JD & Robin Wolpert, Esq,

Personnel Webinar
2023-12-26 13:00 - 14:00
What to Expect When They are Expecting: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA)
This webinar will cover topics including rollout of the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (“PWFA”). The PWFA was effective June 27, 2023; the EEOC’s 275 pages of Proposed Regulations were published about 5 weeks later, on August 11, 2023. The PWFA requires the EEOC to issue final regulations by December 29, 2023. Be ready for this happy event!
Speaker: Robin Cross

Counties Meeting
2024-01-03 15:00 - 16:00

Employment Law Webinar
2024-01-09 13:00 - 14:00
Are You Ready for This Year’s Employment Law Challenges?
New employment laws and recent decisions include everything from the new Pregnancy Fairness Act, the Supreme Court’s recent expansion of the rights of religious employees to reasonable accommodation and using AI in the workplace. If ensuring compliance with those was not enough, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Labor are now expected to implement a slew of worker-friendly priorities. This webinar will address the significant labor and employment law developments that are, and will be, affecting your operations and the landscape of employment law.
Speaker: Jonathan Mook & Robin Cross

Land Use Webinar
2024-01-11 13:00 - 14:00
Land Use 101
Join experienced land use and local government law practitioner David Warner in this webinar as he explores property rights, regulation of private property, planning, zoning, subdivisions and other modern legal issues in land use law. For those new to land use law, this is a primer on the up-to-date basics you need to know to spot issues and to determine the appropriate course of action. For the experienced practitioner, this presentation not only serves as a refresher course, but also includes new points of law that have developed in recent years, which impact the basics.
Speaker: David Warner

Ethics & Technology Webinar
2024-01-16 13:00 - 14:00
Artificial Intelligence, Attorney Ethics, and City Policies
An introduction to what Artificial Intelligence is and how its use intersects with the ethics of the legal profession. Discussion includes ABA model rules:

1.1“Competence” (Comment 8 addresses use of technology).
1.4 “Communication.”
1.6 “Confidentiality of Information.”
3.1 “Meritorious Claims and Contentions.”
3.2 “Expediting Litigation.”
3.5 “Impartiality & Decorum of the Tribunal.”
4.1 “Truthfulness in Statements to Others.”

The topic also covers what elements to include in a city policy on the use of AI and a review of some sample city policies.
Speaker: Cathy Cunningham & Teneé Frazier

Mental Health & Wellness Webinar - Free Live For IMLA Members
2024-01-23 13:00 - 14:00
Creating A Workplace Culture of Wellness and Inclusion
CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply.
This webinar will cover strategies and insights for attorneys to create a culture of wellbeing in the workplace that is inclusive and psychologically safe for everyone. This includes acknowledging that different people have different needs and can be accomplished by encouraging collaboration, safe and transparent communication, setting clear expectations and being flexible about accommodations. The benefits are increased wellbeing, higher productivity and less stress in the workplace.
Learn more about how to facilitate this in your workplace including:

The benefits to diversity, equity and inclusion.
How to align clear expectations to eliminate uncertainty.
Using feedback to create change.
Accommodate those with seen and unseen disabilities.

Speaker: Diane O’Connell

Diversity Working Group Call
2024-01-24 15:00
