Available CLEs

Put the Oxygen Mask on First: Develop your Personal and Professional Estate/Succession Plan

Many excellent attorneys overlook succession planning and do not protect themselves and their loved ones with an estate plan. Others forget to plan how to maximize the value of their practice (and/or clients' businesses) for retirement and cashing out purposes, intergenerational transfers, and so forth. These gaps, however unintentional, create significant vulnerabilities in an attorney's life both at work and at home. Come learn about estate and business succession planning to put the oxygen mask on first.

Our speakers are Alexandra Johnson, Esq. and Jeffrey Duke, Esq. 

Attorney Johnson’s law practice focuses on estate planning.  Both professionally and personally, she has seen first-hand how a good estate plan can help families and business owners navigate through issues such as dementia and other loss of competence, as well as the devastating problems that can arise when no plans are in place. Additionally, her training in this area includes programs provided by the Estate Planning Council of St. Louis, BAMSL, Office of the United States Trustee – Bankruptcy, and the Missouri Bar. She also is the President of the St. Louis Hispanic Bar Association.  

Attorney Duke graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Tennessee—Chattanooga and moved to the Midwest in 1986 where he worked as a research chemist at Monsanto Company for fifteen years. A few years before winding up a career as a chemist, he enrolled in the Evening Program at the St. Louis University School of Law and completed his degree in the top 25% of his class. After initially working at Lathrop & Gage for a few years, he settled into a mid-sized firm in Clayton where he was soon named partner. He now practices for himself and his clients, bringing a client-centered southern influence to his work including estate planning and probate law.

Fee:   $25 (free for Library Members and SLU Law Students and Faculty)

Qualifies for 1.2 MO CLE Credit. 

Advocacy in Mediation

Being fully prepared for the mediation of your case is essential to getting the best result for your client.  Learn about the best strategies for selecting a mediator and for preparing for and participating in any civil dispute mediation.  

Our speaker is Ken Chackes, Esq., an attorney with extensive mediation experience. He has served as a mediator in over 100 cases since 1999, primarily in the areas of employment, civil rights, and education. Ken also has significant litigation experience, specializing in employment discrimination, disability law, education law, civil rights, clergy sex abuse, and other civil matters. He has represented parties in more than 100 additional mediations as part of his litigation practice. Ken is currently conducting mediations with United States Arbitration and Mediations Services in St. Louis, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.