AICLE NEWS by Claibourne W. Pally. Jr. Executive Director Arkansas Institute of Continuing Legal Education
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DOMESTIC RELATIONS THEME OF 1980 FALL LEGAL INSTITUTE The Fall Legal Institute, held at the Camelot Inn, lillie Rock. September 18-19, 1980, allracted over 300 registrants. The topic of Domestic Relations included both recent developments of Arkansas law including Act 705 of 1979 and the new Arkansas Domestic Relations System published by the Family Law Section of the Arkansas Bar Association. During the morning registration period the sections and committees of the Arkansas Bar Association were able to convene and conduct business for the first time since the annual Bar meeting in June. The Thursday morning session of the program included the following topics: An Explanation of the Arkansas Domestic Relations System itself by Robert M. Cearley, Jr. of lillie Rock, Vice-Chairman of the Family Law Section; Income Tax with Respect to Divorce or Separation in Arkansas by James E. Harris of Lillie Rock; and the Tax consequences of Property Division by Joseph N. DuCanto of Chicago. Phillip Carroll, President of the Arkansas Bar Association, spoke at the Thursday luncheon on the subject of "Arkansas Bar Association's Legislative Program for 1981." He also introduced Messrs. Joe Bell and Jim Rhodes of lillie Rock who will be lobbying and monitoring the legislature during its 1981 session on behalf of the Arkansas Bar Association and its legislative package. The Thursday afternoon portion of the program was devoted to the following topics: The Legislative and Case Law History of Act 705 of 1979, Concerning Division of Property Upon Divorce by Ben D. Rowland, Jr.. Chairman of the Family Law Section; Act 70S-Eight Criteria Used in Property Settlements by Professor Henry H. Foster, Jr. of New York City; Act 32/Arkansas Lawyer/January 1981
705-The Value of the Homemaker by Michael H. Minton of Chicago and the Missouri Experience with its equivalent of Act 705 by Roger Krumm of Fulton, Missouri. The Friday morning portion of the program was devoted to the following topics: A Chancellor Looks at Child Custody, Support and Visitation with a List of Criteria by Chancellor Robert H. Dudley of Pocahontas; Contractual Agreements by Phillip E. Dixon of Little Rock; Garnishment and Post Divorce Relief by William G. Myers of Fayelleville and Bankruptcy and Divorce Decrees by U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Charles E. Baker of lillie Rock. The main speaker at the Friday luncheon was U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers who devoted a large part of his talk to a congressional report of pending legislation which will affect lawyers and their clients as well as a commentary on legislation recently passed and current international affairs affecting the United States. The Friday afternoon portion of the program was devoted to the following topics: Social Security Consideration at the time of Divorce by Administrative Law Judge L. D. Blair of Little Rock; the Military Divorce by C. Larry Carpenter, Jr. of North lillie Rock; Antenuptial Agreements by Virginia Atkinson of little Rock and the Government's Child Support Collection Process-Pulaski County by Mr. R. E. Brians, Arkansas by Scoll E. Dobbs and the IRS Child Support and Alimony Collection Process by Mr. Doyne L. Plummer. This program was so enthusiastically received by those attending that it was the decision of the AICLE Board to offer a videotape one day program of the Thursday portion along with appropriate live commentary by local judges and/or lawyers at at least four locations
in the state. These regional programs will be described more in detail later in the article. TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL PRACTICE SKILLS COURSE HELD IN LITTLE ROCK The annual Practice Skills Course, jointly sponsored by the Young Lawyers Section of the Arkansas Bar Association and AICLE, is one of the longest running, continuous annual programs in the history of Arkansas continuing legal education. Its seniority is tied with the annual Mineral Law Institute and exceeded only by the Fall Legal Institute. The registrants were made up mostly of recent admittees to the Bar with some lawyers returning for a refresher course plus those only recently becoming active in the practice of law and needing more than just a "refresher" course. The two day course, held at the lillie Rock Convention Center, October 2-3, 1980, provided basic and practical instruction by practicing lawyers along with handout material including checklists and current forms used by these lawyers in their daily practice. Typical subjects covered in this course from a practice oriented rather than a substantive law manner included: Real Property Transactions, Representation of Business Clients, Estate Planning and Probate, Litigation, Ethics and Fees, Criminal Practice, Domestic Relations, Law Office Management, and Representation of Creditors and Debtors. The individual presentations and the handout material were oriented strictly toward gelling the new or recently active lawyer safely in and out of the courthouse and otherwise assist them in starting and building their law practice during an initial three year period. All of the subjects were presented