This session will dive into how Qualified Small Business Stock (QSBS) can be a powerful tool for founders and investors looking to preserve more of their exit value. The panel will unpack how QSBS can dramatically reduce — or even eliminate — federal capital gains taxes on the sale of a business, while clarifying eligibility requirements and critical timing considerations that often make or break the benefit.

Hear all points of view as our faculty of experts from across the state discuss current trends and important concepts that anyone involved in condemnation law and policy in California needs to know. Speakers will include condemning authorities, counsel for landowners, appraisers, mediators, and more. From eye-opening case studies, to the latest developments in AI, to insightful dispute resolution and tax strategies.

Shannon Nessier: “The Abundance Agenda”

Employment laws are constantly being rewritten — sometimes faster than employers, counsel, and claims teams can keep up. This session gives attendees a front-row seat to the latest “reboot” of workplace regulations, including new leave expansions, domestic violence protections, pay transparency obligations, and emerging litigation trends. It’s fitting we will be in California, which is leading the way with radical change in this area, but we will discuss other jurisdictions and trends as well.

High-profile trials—whether involving celebrities, corporations, or viral public attention—live at the intersection of litigation and performance. In this session you will hear from one of the lawyers who cross examined Gwyneth Paltrow in the prominent 2023 ski injury case, and examine how narrative, demeanor, credibility, and media scrutiny shape outcomes. We will explore strategies every lawyer and claim professional needs to know about handling a case in the spotlight.