Please join us for our annual Spring Conference, presented by California Western School of Law’s Business Law Society. This Conference is being held to provide a nexus between real estate professionals and legal professionals who are interested in the emerging issues of real estate law. Speakers representing both professions will present their ideas and perspectives on real estate issues and how local, state, and federal laws and regulations affect them.

In the past, this Conference has built a reputation of joining together prominent attorneys and professionals. Past Spring Conferences have focused on intellectual property law, social media, and health law.

This year’s spring conference will feature the above three topics with a food/snack break between each lecture.  You may attend individual sessions or stay for all three sessions.

Your sponsorship and donations play a great part in the success of this Conference. All sponsorships and donations go to providing informational material for the Conference. In addition, your sponsorship will provide you with advertisements and brand recognition in our posters, flyers, programs, and presentations.

The Business Law Society is an organization for students who are interested in pursuing a career in business law, ranging from transactional law and litigation to in-house counsel and entrepreneurship. The organization focuses on developing relationships between student members and attorneys currently practicing in the business field.

Space is limited so please RSVP early to: springconference@cwslbls.com 

PLEASE CLICK FOR INFORMATION ON BECOMING A SPONSOR

Speaker Bios:

Jeff Schneider is the Managing Partner of Vanguard Law Group, LLP, where he counsels clients in connection with business and real estate matters and negotiates and documents complex transactions.   He is a blend between the practical counselor and the academic professor.  As a lawyer, he has closed billions of dollars worth of transactions over the past 20 years.  At the same time, he is an adjunct law professor at California Western School of Law, where he has taught for over 15 years in the areas of Business Franchise Law, Negotiations, and Real Estate Finance.

Jeff holds particular expertise in financing matters, business planning (particularly for privately-held growth companies), and all aspects of real estate (from syndication, acquisition, and development, to leasing, sales and tax-deferred exchanges).

Jeff previously served as Chairman of the California State Bar Real Property Section, Chair of the State Bar’s Commercial and Development Subsection, Chair of the San Diego County Bar’s Real Property Section, and Chair of the Continuing Legal Education Committee of the San Diego County Bar Association.  He additionally instructs practicing attorneys and other professionals on behalf of the University of California’s Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), the National Business Institute, and various industry groups and Bar Associations. He also is author of the textbook entitled Business Franchise Law.  For over 15 years, Jeff has regularly presided as a judge pro tem in the San Diego Superior Court and arbitrates disputes between lawyers and their clients.

Graduating with honors from Stanford University, Mr. Schneider went on to graduate from Stanford Law School in 1989, where he was Associate Editor of the Stanford Law Review and Vice President of the Law Students Association.

Jeff is active in the community and in public service.  He recently retired from serving as Chairman and President of the Board of Trustees for the Children’s School for Child-Centered Education.  In 1993, he began running a nonprofit corporation that develops housing for the mentally-ill homeless.   Jeff has received many state and local awards for his public service.

Rated “AV” by Martindale-Hubbel (its highest rating awarded for both legal ability and ethical standards), Jeff also has been named as a Super Lawyer by an independent rating service, based on Statewide peer nominations and independent research and evaluation.

Don Kovacic obtained his Bachleor’s from the University of Wisconsin, his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Minnesota, and his Juris Doctrine from Hamline University School of law. Mr. Kovacic is an Adjunct Professor at California State University, San Marcos and California Western School of law. Mr. Kovacic has over twenty-five years of experience is accounting, finance, law, tax, human resources, and information systems. Mr. Kovacic is a California licensed attorney, certified public accountant, and realtor. Mr. Kovacic is also licensed as an Attorney and a Certified Public Accountant in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Mr. Kovacic business experience includes financing, accounting, tax and business planning/strategies for individuals, corporations, and not for profits. Mr. Kovacic is also well versed in labor and employment law issues. Mr. Kovacic is an active member in a multitude of professional organizations throughout the state of California including San Diego County. Mr. Kovacic is also a licensed private and commercial pilot with instrument rating in single engine and multi-engine aircraft.

Leonard Baron graduated from James Madison University and received his MBA from the University of Southern California.  Mr. Baron has authored multiple books on different real estate investment tactics and real estate investment due diligence. Mr. Baron’s insights have been referenced in national and local news media organizations like USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, MSNBC, Newsweek and often does TV media interviews on varied real estate topics. Mr. Baron also speaks at real estate conferences, guest lectures at other universities, teaches private courses on real estate investment, and teaches an MBA Real Estate Investment course at San Diego State University.  Mr. Baron has over twenty years of real estate experience and is the firm Principal at LPB Services, LLC.

Mr. Miller focuses his practice in the areas of real estate, estate planning and administration, and corporate law including the representation of lenders, developers and investors in all phases of acquisition, financing, development, leasing and disposition of commercial real estate properties; trusts; trust administration; probate; corporate and individual tax planning; limited liability company, partnership and corporate formations. Mr. Miller joined Blanchard, Krasner & French in 2006. Prior to his legal career, Mr. Miller was a financial executive with a REIT advisor, several real estate investment concerns and a diversified agricultural company.

Mr. Miller received his undergraduate degree in finance from the University of Notre Dame, an MBA in finance from Case Western Reserve University and his J.D. degree from Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

Mr. Miller is also a licensed California real estate broker.

PHILLIP L. JELSMA is a Partner in the San Diego office of McKenna Long & Aldrich LLP where he specializes in tax law, with an emphasis on small business and international tax planning.  Mr. Jelsma graduated from Stanford Law School in 1986 and from the University of Southern California in 1979.  He worked for the Internal Revenue Service and Arthur Young & Company prior to joining Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP in 1987 and he was a certified public accountant in California.  He also clerked for Judge Howard Turrentine of the Southern District of California.

Mr. Jelsma is the former Chair of the California State Bar Real Estate and Passthrough Committee and the former member of Executive Committee of the Taxation Section of the California Bar.  Mr. Jelsma was a member of the Drafting Committee for California’s Limited Liability Company Act (SB 469) and testified on the Act in both the Senate and the Assembly.  He has also drafted portions of the subsequent LLC clean-up bills, SB 13, SB 141, SB 1234, AB 1828 and AB 1970 as well as the California Revised Uniform Partnership Act (“RUPA”).  He has authored a portfolio book on the State Taxation of LLCs and LLPs for Tax Management and has co-authored a book called “The Limited Liability Company”.  He is a frequent speaker on real estate and closely held businesses, S Corporations and LLCs for CEB, the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, the Internal Revenue Service, Continuing Legal Education of the California Bar, the San Diego County Bar Association, the California Tax Policy Conference, the California Bar and the Southern California Tax and Estate Planning Forum.

Mr. Jelsma is the past Chair of the Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies Committee of the Business Law Section of the State Bar of California.  He assisted in the drafting the new Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act (“Re-RULPA”) and testified in support of Re-RULPA in the California Senate and Assembly, a proposal to allow owners to communicate electronically and proposed amendments to the welfare exemption for LLCs.  He was an advisor to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (“NCCUSL”) Drafting Committee on a new Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act (“RULLCA”) and Uniform Statutory Trust Act.  He has lead the State Bar Drafting Committee adopting RULLCA in California.  He is member of the ABA’s Business Law Committee on LLCS, Partnerships and Unincorporated Business Organizations.

He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Federation of Exchange Accommodators (“FEA”) and has been an adjunct professor of law at University of San Diego since 1989 and has taught courses during the fall semester on Taxation of Real Estate Transactions and a course on the Taxation of Real Property in the Certificate of Real Estate program.  He is an adjunct professor at New York Law School.  He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater San Diego, Veterans Medical Research Foundation, Veterans Research Corporation, San Diego Film Commission, 100^th Anniversary of Naval Aviation Foundation, Whispering Winds Catholic Camp & Conference Center and CONNECT.

Stephen Decker is a Vice President of Business Development with Investment Property Exchange Services, Inc. and has an office in Newport Beach and Carlsbad. He is responsible for business cultivation and development in San Diego County, Orange County and parts of Riverside County. Additionally, he has over 10 years of 1031 exchange experience handling exchanges including delayed, build-to-suit, personal property and reverse.  Prior to joining Investment Property Exchange Services, Inc., Stephen worked as a Senior Exchange Coordinator and commercial Property Manager in Los Angeles, CA.

Stephen often speaks on different topics related to tax and real estate. He has spoken for groups of attorneys, CPA’s, brokers, agents, wealth managers, principals and other assorted real estate professionals. Some of his recent seminar and class topics have included:  1031 Exchange Basics; Complex Reverse & Build-to-Suit Exchanges; Market & Exchange Industry Updates; Partnership Division; Safety & Security Issues with Regard to the 1031 Exchange Industry; LandAmerica Exchange, The 1031 Tax Group, Southwest Exchange; Capital Gains Rate Increases & Taxes on Investments in the Healthcare Bill; and, Short Sale 1031 Exchange Opportunities.