2026 Fall CLE Conference
Friday, September 18 - Saturday, September 19, 2026

The Saratoga Hilton
534 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866
and Virtually via Zoom

REGISTER HERE BY 09/14/2026

HOTEL RESERVATIONS

AGENDA

The content of this program will be appropriate for experienced attorneys, as well as newly admitted attorneys.
Financial Aid is available.  Please contact the office for more information.
CLE Credits will be available for attorneys.

2:30pm - 3:00pm
Registration or Log On

3:00pm - 3:50pm
Understanding the Ins and Outs of WCL Section 15(3)(w)
1.0 credit hour

Exploring the Workers’ Compensation Law reforms from 2017 as they relate to permanency, apportionment, and work search.  

Heather Myer, an associate with Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano, LLP, has been fighting for the rights of workers since 2008.  Heather is a graduate of Hofstra University and earned her Juris Doctorate degree from The Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center at Touro College in New York.  Heather enjoys traveling.

Amanda Katz is a partner with Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano, LLP,  and has handled workers' compensation cases for the firm since 2012. She graduated from the University of Florida in 2008 and Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2011. Ms. Katz has been a member of the New York State Bar Association since 2011 and the New York State Trial Lawyers Association since 2012. She was named to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list for 2021 and 2022.

3:50pm - 4:00pm
Break

4:00pm - 4:50pm
TBA

4:50pm - 5:00pm
Closing

5:00pm - 6:00pm
NYWCA Reception

Saturday, September 19, 2026

8:00am - 9:00am
Registration and Breakfast

9:00am - 9:50am
The Ethics of GenAI Use of by Attorneys
1.0 credit hour

The use of generative artificial intelligence (“GenAI”) by attorneys implicates a number of ethical obligations. These obligations begin with the duties of competence and confidentiality and continue through the Rules of Professional Conduct. This session will examine those rules, how the rules apply to GenAI, and suggest measures that might be taken by attorneys to discharge their ethical obligations and to, among other things, preserve the attorney-client privilege and protection of work product while using GenAI.

Ronald J. Hedges is the Principal of Ronald J. Hedges LLC. He served as a United States Magistrate Judge in the District of New Jersey for over 20 years. Ron speaks and writes on a variety of topics, many of which are related to electronic information, including procedural and substantive criminal law, information governance, litigation management, and integration of new technologies such as artificial intelligence into existing information governance policies and procedures. Among other things, Ron is the chair of the Court Technology Committee of the Judicial Division of the ABA and is a member of the artificial intelligence committees of the New Jersey and New York state bar associations. He is the lead author of a guide for federal judges on electronically stored information, https://www.fjc.gov/content/323370/managing-discovery-electronic-information-third-edition-2017. Ron is also the co-senior editor of The Sedona Conference Cooperation Proclamation, Resources for the Judiciary, Third Edition (June 2020) and the supplements thereto. He is also the editor of various compendiums on electronic information in criminal investigations and proceedings hosted by the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office, https://www.mass.gov/service-details/understanding-electronic-information-in-criminal-investigations-and-actions. 

 9:50am - 10:00am
Break

10:00am-10:50am
Business Meeting (Members Only)

10:50am - 11:00am
Break

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About TMJ* 
*but Were Afraid to Ask
1.0 credit hour

After treating many thousands of worker's compensation patients for everything from chipped teeth and sore muscles to gunshot wounds and complete orofacial rehabilitation, Dr. Springs will share insights with you about every aspect of worker's compensation dentistry, from C-2F to C-4.3 and beyond.  After some general-purpose dental WC "Mythbusting," this presentation will focus on details of orofacial pain conditions, or as they are commonly known, "TMJ" injuries.  Paul will discuss the state of "TMJ" diagnosis and treatment, from their checkered past to the evidence-based present, including how you and your team can easily identify these often overlooked injuries, how Paul can help in establishing them, and how they contribute to permanency for your clients. In the spirit of a high-yield, custom-tailored learning experience through a robust back-and-forth dialogue, Paul encourages your questions early and often to make this presentation as beneficial as possible for you, and most importantly, for your clients.

Dr. Paul Springs is a dentist who has completed postgraduate specialist training in prosthodontics.  If that's Greek to you, prosthodontics is the art, science and technology of surgically repairing and prosthetically reconstructing functional and esthetic structures of the mouth and face. Having treated thousands of worker's compensation patients over some 12 years, first at Mondshine and Mondshine, and now as the owner/operator of Timeless Dentistry in Forest Hills, Queens, his multi-specialty practice has grown to the point of diagnosing, designing, manufacturing, and delivering approximately 75% of all worker's comp and no-fault dentistry and oral surgery completed in New York State every year.  

Registration Information: Conference Registration Deadline: Monday, September 14, 2026 by 12:00 noon
Member Registration Fee: $375
One Day Member Registration: $275

Non-Member Registration Fee: $450
One Day Non Member Registration Fee: $350

• Conference Registration Deadline: Monday, September 14, 2026 by 12:00 noon
• If you already have an IWBA profile, please sign in and register under your profile.
• If you have registered to attend, but find yourself unable to attend, you must cancel your registration by no later than noon on Friday, September 11th, or IWBA will be charged and, therefore, must then pass the cost along to you.
• If you cannot attend, please contact the office to have a substitute individual on your behalf.
• A pre-event email will be sent the week prior to the event and will include all log in and event information. 
• Financial aid is available for this program.  Please click here for more information.
• Agenda will subject to change.
• The content of this program will be appropriate for experienced attorneys, as well as newly admitted attorneys.
• This continuing legal education program has been approved in accordance with the requirements of the Continuing Legal Education Board.

WCA Reception Immediately Following Friday's CLE
All registrants are encouraged to register for the

Friday Evening WCA Reception with a donation of $100.
Your donations protect the Injured Workers of New York and those that represent them.

WCA RECEPTION REGISTRATION

Would you like to be listed as an IWBA Sponsor?  The deadline is August 21, 2026!

SPONSORSHIP INFORMATION