On March 14-15, Tucker Ellis hosted its 2024 Business Law Institute in the Cleveland office. The rigorous two-day interactive program for Tucker Ellis corporate attorneys featured presentations, panel discussions, roundtable conversations, and practical skills training for attorneys at every level. Participants included Tucker Ellis attorneys from the firm’s Cleveland, Chicago, Columbus, and Los Angeles offices, as well as guest speaker Peter de Boisblanc from HWF Partners. The creative and educational program was specifically designed to pair associates and counsel with partners to maximize opportunities for mentoring and in-person training.

The program began with a “State of the Business Department” presented by Joe Morford and opening remarks from Jayne Juvan, Tom Peppard, and John Slagter:

“Fostering bonds across practice areas and supporting the next generation of attorneys in their professional development is what Tucker Ellis’s in-house mentorship and training programs are all about,” Jayne explained.

“Our goal with the Business Law Institute is to develop and strengthen the technical knowledge and practical skills of our attorneys, keep our entire practice group on the cutting edge of trends in the industry, and continue to reinforce the importance of relationships, teamwork, and mentorship,” Tom said.

John added, “Practice makes perfect. The Business Law Institute is just another example of our commitment to our clients to provide them the highest level of legal services.”

The first day of the program covered the following topics:

• “What’s Market?”, presented by Tod Northman and Bakita Hill
• “Review of Tulane Corporate Law Institute,” presented by Chris Hewitt and Jayne Juvan
• “Corporate Lawyers Beware: Why Due Diligence Is Important in Corporate/Business Transactions from a Criminal/Civil Liability Perspective,” presented by Tony Petruzzi and Bobby Porter
• “Getting to Yes, Getting Past No: A Review of the Harvard Approach to Principled Negotiations,” presented by Chris Hewitt, Jayne Juvan, and Dorothy Swagler

The second day included “Rep and Warranty Insurance,” presented by Tom Peppard, Brandon Wojtasik, and Peter de Boisblanc – followed by negotiation exercises, in which each participating associate and counsel acted as either the buyer or seller of a business in a mock negotiation, paired with a partner who served as the principal of either the buyer or seller. Tucker Ellis associates and counsel participating in the negotiation exercises were Marissa Diver, Bakita Hill, Ludgy LaRochelle, Dan Schiau, Dorothy Swagler, and Brandon Wojtasik. Tucker Ellis partners paired with the associates and counsel and otherwise participated in roundtable discussions were Kristen Baracy, Mike Elliott, Steve Ellis, Peter Igel, Pete Jones, Bob Loesch, Art Mertes, Glenn Morrical, and Tod Northman.

The Business Law Institute wrapped up with a debrief conversation led by Tom Peppard and Ludgy LaRochelle.