Stay tuned for details about our upcoming webinars on sharing economy law practice!
Past Workshops:
Last fall, SELC offered 11 workshops for attorneys and legal professionals seeking to build skills and knowledge to meet the legal needs of the sharing economy. Unless otherwise noted, each workshop was led by Janelle Orsi. All proceeds from workshops benefit the Sustainable Economies Law Center.
Thursday, September 12, 3:30-5:30pm, Downtown Berkeley
Introduction to Practicing Law in the Sharing Economy / Navigating the Legal Grey Areas
A new economy is blossoming in our communities, and innumerable attorneys are needed to meet the legal needs of new worker cooperatives, community-supported enterprise, urban farms, food cooperatives, land trusts, cohousing communities, social enterprise, cottage-scale enterprise, community currencies, and other clients laying the groundwork for community resilience. The sharing economy is initiating a new age of innovation in the law, and lawyers entering this field will inevitably be leaders in the development of new types of contracts, new organizational structures, creative arrangements for financing, risk management, real estate ownership, and much more. This workshop - the first in an 11-part series - will provide an overview of the basic skills and knowledge attorneys should cultivate to serve the legal needs of the sharing economy, including an introduction to common puzzles and legal grey areas. This activity has been approved for 2 units of MCLE credit by the State Bar of California.
Click here for more information and to register.
Happy Hour to follow.
Thursday, September 19, 4:00-6:00pm, Downtown Berkeley
Starting and Managing a Sharing Economy Law Practice
Starting a law practice is a powerful way for lawyers to create their own livelihoods and meet the needs of the sharing economy. This workshop will provide tips and tools for starting and managing a private law practice, selecting areas of specialty, and collaborating with other lawyers. Attendees will be encouraged to share their experiences and ideas with one another. This activity has been approved for 2 units of MCLE credit by the State Bar of California.
Click here for more information and to register.
Tuesday, September 24, 4:00-6:00pm, Downtown Berkeley
Entity Choice for Social Enterprise and Introduction to Cooperatives
This workshop will examine key considerations in helping a client choose and structure an entity. We will use case studies that represent common clients in the sharing economy. Approximately half of this workshop will focus on legal structures for cooperatives. This activity has been approved for 2 units of MCLE credit by the State Bar of California.
Click here for more information and to register.
Monday, September 30, 4:00-6:00pm, Downtown Berkeley
Cooperative Bylaws Under a Microscope
This workshop will closely examine bylaws for two worker-owned cooperatives, including a collectively managed LLC and a California Consumer Cooperative Corporation. We will discuss provisions of the California Corporations Code and IRC Subchapter T, which partially dictate the content of bylaws. We will also discuss ways that general cooperative principles can manifest in bylaws. You will also get a quick "Elinor Ostrom For Lawyers" lesson as Janelle shows you how SELC has begun to incorporate Ostrom's design principles for common pool resource management into co-op bylaws. This activity has been approved for 2 units of MCLE credit by the State Bar of California.
Click here for more information and to register.
Monday, October 7, 4:00-6:00pm, Downtown Berkeley
Nonprofit Legal Structures and Tax Exemption for Unique Organizations
This workshop will examine nonprofit structure and tax exemption for some of the more unique organizations emerging in the sharing economy. Many organizations will not fit squarely within 501(c)(3), often due to inclusion of commercial activities or mutual aid practices within the organization. This requires that lawyers begin exploring the outer realms of the 501(c) options. We'll discuss (c)(4), (c)(6), (c)(7), (c)(8) and beyond! We'll look at mutual benefit nonprofit structures and the potential for going without tax exemption. We'll also discuss "fiscal sponsorship," and will examine a sample fiscal sponsorship agreement. This activity has been approved for 2 units of MCLE credit by the State Bar of California.
Click here for more information and to register.
Thursday, October 24th, 4:00-8:00pm, Downtown Berkeley
Legal Issues Related to Creating Economically Sustainable Housing and Land
This workshop will examine legal considerations related to unique models of ownership, management, financing, and sharing of housing and land. We will walk through form of title and choice of entity considerations for a handful of shared housing and land ownership scenarios, consider tools for preserving ecosystems and affordability, and discuss a broad range of legal issues that arise in connection with real estate. Hot tip: There is a noticeable shortage of real estate attorneys focused on serving the sharing economy, particularly in the Bay Area. Co-ownership is exploding and we need attorneys to specialize in this area! This activity has been approved for 4 units of MCLE credit by the State Bar of California.
Click here for more information and to register.
Wednesday, October 30, 4:00-6:00pm, Downtown Berkeley
Employment Law Puzzles in the Sharing Economy
Employment law is a hot topic in the sharing economy, and it may present one of the greatest barriers standing in the way of more cooperative economies. Employment law comes up as an issue for an enormous number of sharing economy initiatives, and this workshop will prepare attorneys to spot and analyze employment law issues for their clients. Both for-profit and nonprofit social enterprises often violate employment laws when they host volunteers. Farms often violate employment laws when they host interns. Food and housing cooperatives often inadvertently create employment relationships with their members. Worker cooperatives also struggle to determine the employment relationships within their companies. In short, it comes up a lot. This workshop will prepare you to spot issues and will provide tools for helping clients come into compliance with the law. This activity has been approved for 2 units of MCLE credit by the State Bar of California.
Click here for more information and to register.
Monday, November 4, 6:00-8:15pm, SOMA neighborhood of San Francisco
Elimination of Bias in the Legal Profession and Substance Abuse Prevention
Taught by attorneys Rafael Pacquing and Emily Bolt, 2 units of MCLE Specialty Credit pending
This two hour workshop will offer attorneys one hour of training in Elimination of Bias in the Legal Profession, and one hour of training in Prevention of Substance Abuse, as required by the State Bar of California. Attorney Rafael Pacquing will lead a workshop on class bias in the legal profession. Attorney Emily Bolt will lead a workshop examining attorney stress and use of mindfulness techniques in the prevention of substance abuse. Additional details coming soon. This activity has been approved for 2 units of MCLE credit by the State Bar of California, including one unit of credit for Prevention of Substance Abuse, and one unit of credit for Elimination of Bias in the Legal Profession.
SELC would like to thank the attorneys at Wilson Sonsini who invited SELC to offer this workshop, and who are providing the workshop space.
Click here for more information and to register.
Monday, November 18, 6:00-9:00pm, SOMA neighborhood of San Francisco
Professional Ethics for Attorneys in the New Economy
3 units of MCLE Specialty Credit pending
This workshop will examine common ethical issues that arise for attorneys serving the sharing economy, social enterprise, cooperatives, and other unique projects aimed and creating more sustainable economies. We will discuss the role of attorneys in the context of social change movements, considerations in the structure of a law practice, working with interns and apprentices, assisting clients operating within legal grey areas, common conflicts of interest, multiple representation, lawyers who serve as mediators, giving advice in legal clinics, fee structures, and handful of other ethical considerations. This activity has been approved for 3 units of MCLE ethics credit by the State Bar of California.
SELC would like to thank the attorneys at Wilson Sonsini who invited SELC to offer this workshop, and who are providing the workshop space.
Click here for more information and to register.
CANCELLED: Thursday, December 5, 4:00-6:00pm, Downtown Berkeley
Contracts and Risk Management in the Sharing Economy
This workshop will examine common types of contracts in the sharing economy, along with common liability concerns and risk management tools. In particular, we may look at or discuss contracts for carsharing, community-supported enterprise, housing co-ownership, community garden leasing, and liability waivers. We will discuss best practices for contract drafting, ways of collaborating with clients in the drafting process, and tips for making contracts both readable and enforceable. This activity has been approved for 2 units of MCLE credit by the State Bar of California.
Click here for more information and to register.
Thursday, December 12, 3:30-5:30pm, Downtown Berkeley
Legal Issues Related to Alternative Forms of Currency and Capital Raising
Sharing economy attorneys must be prepared for clients to blow our minds with creative ideas for micro-lending, crowdfunding, community-based capital raising, community currencies, barter networks, and more. This workshop will walk through basic options for clients seeking to raise capital creatively, with particular attention to securities exemptions that are simple to use. We will also provide an overview of legal issues that arise in connection with alternative currencies and barter arrangements, including tax requirements, currency laws, money transmitter laws, wage and hour laws, and more. In addition, we will briefly discuss legal issues that arise in connection with lending circles, often known as tandas. This activity has been approved for 2 units of MCLE credit by the State Bar of California.
SELC will be hosting a happy hour event Oakland or Berkeley immediately following this workshop. Watch our event page for details.
Click here for more information and to register.
Happy Hour to follow. See our Events page for details.
