CLEs You Actually Want to Hear

Beverly Hills Bar Association

Listen to Beverly Hills Bar Association's nationally recognized CLE content, featuring timely topics and speakers from across the country. You don’t need to be an attorney to tune in, but if you are, you’ll get CLE credit while you listen! Full details at www.bhba.org/podcasts.

  1. 3d ago

    Reopening In Absentia Orders Following Expedited "Mega Master" Calendar Hearings

    Since May 2026, immigration courts have increasingly relied on "mega master" calendar hearings, high-volume master calendar dockets in which dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of respondents are scheduled for a single hearing, to move large numbers of cases quickly. The rapid pace of these proceedings has resulted in many noncitizens receiving in absentia removal orders after missing their hearing or being unable to meaningfully participate because of language barriers, lack of notice, confusion, or other procedural obstacles. As practitioners encounter more clients affected by these proceedings, it is critical to understand how to challenge in absentia removal orders and which reopening arguments are most likely to succeed. This is especially important because, absent limited exceptions, a noncitizen generally has only one motion to reopen a removal order. Michelle Méndez and Rebecca Chavez of National Immigration Project walk through the statutory and regulatory framework governing motions to reopen in absentia orders, including filing deadlines, evidentiary requirements, and strategic considerations for preserving a client's one opportunity to seek reopening. The discussion will place particular emphasis on the exceptional circumstances ground, including how to build the strongest possible record to support reopening. Because the exceptional circumstances ground carries a 180-day filing deadline, and the mega masters began in May, motions to reopen filed soon may still fall within that window. Attendees will leave ready to identify viable reopening grounds, preserve their client's single motion to reopen, and file before the deadline closes. 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.

  2. 3d ago

    Depositions in the Age of AI: The Competitive Edge You Can't Afford to Ignore

    A growing number of litigators are quietly using AI to prepare sharper deposition outlines in a fraction of the time, surface contradictions across testimony in real time, and generate impeachment-ready analysis before opposing counsel even orders the transcript. The rest are still doing it the way they learned in their first year, and the gap is widening fast. Karl Seelbach, litigator, Doyle & Seelbach firm owner, and co-founder of the AI deposition platform Skribe.ai, pulls back the curtain on the specific AI workflows reshaping how top litigators handle every phase of the deposition. Rather than offering a theoretical overview, Karl draws on over two decades of courtroom experience to demonstrate exactly how AI applies to the work you're already doing: building outlines, prepping witnesses, catching inconsistencies live, analyzing transcripts after the fact, and automating the follow-up work that used to eat entire weekends. See real demonstrations, get specific prompts you can use with tools you already have, and learn the ethical guardrails every attorney needs to understand, including confidentiality obligations, the limits of AI-generated work product, and where professional judgment remains irreplaceable. Whether you're AI-curious or already experimenting, you'll leave with an actionable playbook that puts you ahead of the curve. 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.

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Listen to Beverly Hills Bar Association's nationally recognized CLE content, featuring timely topics and speakers from across the country. You don’t need to be an attorney to tune in, but if you are, you’ll get CLE credit while you listen! Full details at www.bhba.org/podcasts.

You Might Also Like