Bridge the Gap

Satisfy a full year of CLE credits in one weekend via Zoom

Open to attorneys at all levels with New York and New Jersey credits available

The program takes place on Fordham Law School Zoom platform.

Friday – Sunday
January 16 - 18, 2026, schedule is subject to change*

  • Friday: 9:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
  • Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 5:20 p.m.
  • Sunday: 9:00 a.m. – 3:40 p.m.

Topics + Agenda

  • Artificial Intelligence in Legal Practices

    Cannabis Law

    Corporate Governance

    Criminal Law

    Cybersecurity

    Diversity and Inclusion

    Elder Law

    Entertainment Law

    Environmental and Energy Law

    Estate Planning

    Family Law

    Federal Sentencing

    Immigration Law

    Intellectual Property

    Legal Technology

    Non-Profit Organizations Law

    Private Practice Management

  • DAY 1 - FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2026

    9:00 - 9:05 a.m. | Welcome Remarks

    Morgan Benedit, Assistant Director of Conference Services, Office of Public Programs and CLE, Fordham Law School

    Shanelle Holley, Director of Conference Services, Office of Public Programs and CLE, Fordham Law School

    Evgenia Bampali, Conference Administrator, Office of Public Programs and CLE, Fordham Law School

    9:05 - 10:10 a.m. | Panel 1: Cannabis Law
    (NY: 1.0 professional practice; NJ: 1.0 general)

    Samantha Gleit, Partner, Feuerstein Kulick LLP

    Mitch Kulick, Partner, Feuerstein Kulick LLP

    Anan Kahari, Counsel, Feuerstein Kulick LLP

    10:10 - 10:20 a.m. | Break

    10:20 - 11:20 a.m. | Panel 2: Private Practice
    (NY: 1.0 law practice management; NJ: 1.0 law office management)

    Maria Scheuring, Attorney, Law Office of Maria Scheuring, Esq.

    Edgar DeLeon, Attorney, The De Leon Firm, PLLC

    11:20 - 11:25 a.m. | Break

    11:25 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. | Panel 3: Understanding Federal Sentencing
    (NY: 1.0 professional practice; NJ: 1.0 general)

    Sylvia Shweder, Former Federal Prosecutor, EDNY

    12:15 - 12:45 p.m. | Lunch

    12:45 - 1:45 p.m. | Panel 4: AI in Law
    (NY: 0.5 professional practice, 0.5 ethics; NJ: 0.5 general, 0.5 ethics)

    Talia Abed, Associate, A&O Shearman

    Karen Buzard, Partner, A&O Shearman

    1:45 - 1:55 p.m. | Break

    1:55 - 3:10 p.m. | Panel 5: Environmental Law
    (NY: 1.5 professional practice CLE; NJ: 1.5 general)

    Kimberly Diamond, Adjunct Professor of Energy Law, Fordham Law School

    Eric Schaaf, Adjunct Professor of Law, Fordham Law School

    3:10 - 3:20 p.m. | Break

    3:20 - 5:00 p.m. | Panel 6: Cybersecurity
    (NY: 1.0 cybersecurity general, 1.0 ethics; NJ: 1.0 cybersecurity general, 1.0 ethics)

    Michael Zogby, Partner, Barnes & Thornburg

    Vineet Guari, Of Counsel, Barnes & Thornburg

    5:00 - 5:05 p.m. | Break

    5:05 - 6:20 p.m. | Panel 7: Criminal Law
    (NY: 1.0 professional practice; NJ: 1.0 criminal trial preparation)

    Matthew Ross, Partner, Lucosky Brookman LLP

    Paula Branca-Santos, Principal Court Attorney, Supreme Court of the State of New York, Criminal Term, Bronx County

    Joe Gim, Chief of the Criminal Court Unit, King’s County District Attorney’s Office

    6:20 - 7:20 p.m. | Panel 8: Shifting Policies, Shifting Workplaces: Immigration & Employment Law in the Trump Administration
    (NY: 0.5 professional practice, 0.5 ethics; NJ: 0.5 general, 0.5 ethics)

    Susan Akina, Founding Partner, Akina Global LLLC

    David Mou, Founder, Mou Legal PLLC

    7:20 - 7:30 p.m. | Closing Remarks

  • DAY 2 - SATURDAY, JANUARY 17, 2026

    9:00 - 9:05 a.m. | Welcome Remarks

    Shanelle Holley, Director of Conference Services, Office of Public Programs and CLE, Fordham Law School

    9:05 - 9:55 a.m. | Panel 1: Practicing Ethically: From Traditional Principles to AI and Beyond
    (NY: 1.0 ethics; NJ: 1.0 ethics)

    Khasim K. Lockhart, Associate, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC

    9:55 - 11:10 a.m. | Panel 2: Molecules, Motions, and Markets: Life Science Patent Strategies
    (NY: 1.5 professional practice; NJ: 1.5 general)

    Regina Jin, Associate, Troutman Pepper Locke LLP

    Michael Green, Associate, Steptoe LLP

    Gesa Junge, Associate, Fenwick

    11:10 - 11:15 a.m. | Break

    11:15 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. | Panel 3: Behind the Curtain: How Legal Research Platforms Work
    (NY: 1.0 professional practice; NJ: 1.0 general)

    Nirbhay Bakshi, CEO, The Precedent

    12:15 - 12:45 p.m. | Lunch

    12:45 - 1:35 p.m. | Panel 4: #Sponsored: Best Practices for Engaging Brand Influencers
    (NY: 1.0 professional practice; NJ: 1.0 general)

    Lauren Bass, Associate, BakerHostetler

    Sarah LaVoi, Partner, BakerHostetler

    1:35 - 2:25 p.m. | Panel 5: Consumer Financial Protection Litigation
    (NY: 1.0 professional practice; NJ: 1.0 general)

    Alexander Broche, Senior Litigation Counsel, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

    2:25 - 2:35 p.m. | Break

    2:35 - 3:25 p.m. | Panel 6: Protecting Innovation in the Age of AI: Patents, Copyrights, and Trade Secrets
    (NY: 1.0 professional practice; NJ: 1.0 general)

    Coleman Strine, Associate, Baker Botts

    Ashwat Rishi, Special Counsel, Baker Botts

    Marie A. Kessel, Associate, Meister Seelig & Fein PLLC

    3:25 - 4:15 p.m. | Panel 7: Issues for Nonprofits in the New Year
    (NY: 1.0 professional practice; NJ: 1.0 general)

    Jennifer Gniady, Partner and Chair, Religious, Educational & Nonprofit Organizations, Stradley Ronon

    4:15 - 5:15 p.m. | Panel 8: Race, Law, and Justice (presented by the Center on Race, Law and Justice)
    (NY: 1.0 diversity; NJ: 1.0 diversity)

    Speakers TBA

    5:15 - 5:20 p.m. | Closing Remarks

  • DAY 3 - SUNDAY, JANUARY 18, 2026

    9:00 - 9:05 a.m. | Welcome

    Evgenia Bampali, Conference Administrator, Office of Public Programs and CLE, Fordham Law School

    9:05 - 9:55 a.m. | Panel 1: Estate Planning
    (NY: 0.5 professional practice, 0.5 ethics; NJ: 0.5 estate planning, 0.5 ethics)

    Steven Shapiro, Steven B. Shapiro Attorney-at-Law

    9:55 - 10:00 a.m. | Break

    10:00 - 11:15 a.m. | Panel 2: Diminished Capacity: In Legal Representation and Adult Guardianship (but always with Knowledge, Compassion and Ethics)
    (NY: 1.0 professional practice, 0.5 ethics; NJ: 1.0 general, 0.5 ethics)

    Veronica Escobar, Principal and Founder, The Law Offices of Veronica Escobar

    11:15 - 11:25 a.m. | Break

    11:25 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. | Panel 3: Gender, Sexuality, and Human Rights Law
    (NY: 1.0 diversity; NJ: 1.0 diversity)

    Sahar Moazami, Adjunct Professor of Law, Fordham Law School

    Hannah Kohn, Gender, Sexuality, and Human Rights Specialist

    12:15 - 12:45 p.m. | Lunch

    12:45 - 1:45 p.m. | Panel 4: New York and New Jersey Family Law
    (NY: 1.0 professional practice; NJ: 1.0 family law)

    Amanda Yu, Partner, Drisgula Divorce & Family Law

    Morgan Mazor, Partner, Bender & Crane LLP

    1:45 - 1:55 p.m. | Break

    1:55 - 2:45 p.m. | Panel 5: An Emerging National Security Industrial Policy; Implications for Corporations, Shareholders and Markets
    (NY: 1.0 professional practice; NJ: 1.0 general)

    William Jannace, Assistant Professor, Eisenhower College/National Defense University; Adjunct Professor of Law, Fordham Law School

    2:45 - 3:35 p.m. | Panel 6: Recent Graduate Committee (Ethics and AI)
    (NY: 1.0 ethics; NJ: 1.0 ethics)

    Speakers TBA

    3:35 - 3:40 p.m. | Conference Closing

CLE Credits (subject to change as the program develops)

NEW YORK CLE CREDIT: Newly admitted and experienced attorneys (transitional and nontransitional) may earn a total of 24.5 credits as detailed below:
• Day 1: 5.5 professional practice, 1.0 ethics, 2.0 cybersecurity general, and 1.0 law practice management
• Day 2: 6.5 professional practice, 1.0 ethics, and 1.0 diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias*
• Day 3: 3.5 professional practice, 2.0 ethics credits, and 1.0 diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias*
*diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias for experienced attorneys only, 1.0 professional practice credits for newly admitted attorneys

NEW JERSEY CLE CREDIT: Newly admitted and experienced attorneys (transitional and nontransitional) may earn a total of 24.5 credits as detailed below:
• Day 1: 2.0 specific, 6.5 general,  1.0 ethics
• Day 2: 0.0 specific, 6.5 general, 1.0 ethics, and 1.0 diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias*
• Day 3: 1.5 specific, 2.0 general, 2.0 ethics, and 1.0 diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias*
*diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias for experienced attorneys only, 1.0 professional practice credits for newly admitted attorneys

Registration

All Three Days

  • Fordham Law alumni in their first two years of bar admission: Free
  • Fordham Law alumni: $25
  • General registrants: $75

Single Day
(Friday, Saturday, or Sunday only)

  • Fordham Law alumni in their first two years of bar admission: Free
  • Fordham Law alumni: Free Comp
  • General registrants: $25

Financial Hardship Information
Tuition assistance will be extended to those attorneys who are either unemployed or employed in the public sector and who can establish financial hardship. Attorneys who meet these criteria will be granted a credit of up to 50% of the applicable course registration fee. Applications and resumes must be received no later than two weeks prior to the program to be eligible for consideration. 

Please email [email protected] to receive the financial hardship application. 

Questions? Contact Morgan Benedit, Assistant Director, Conference Services, at 212-636-6885 or [email protected].

This event is presented in partnership with the Fordham Law Alumni Association and Career Planning Center.

Register Here for All Three Days
Register Here for A Single Day