The Elements Telephone Seminars

Cell Tower Zoning: Overview and Current Issues BenefitsThis live audio conference will describe the major elements and issues under the 1996 Federal cell tower zoning statute, including the FCC's 2009 shot clock rule setting 90/150 day deadlines to act on zoning applications, the pending FCC Notice of Inquiry on cell tower zoning, the major federal zoning cases involving cellular towers and practice pointers on how municipalities can  more...

Key Elements and Legal Lessons Surrounding Donor Intent BenefitsA charitable gift given for a specific purpose generally can be used only for that purpose. But, under certain circumstances, a charity may be permitted to release or modify restrictions imposed on a gift. Understanding when and how such restrictions may be modified - and when donors may have standing to enforce the terms of their gift - is crucial both to charitable organizations and to  more...

Problems and Risks Associated With Green Construction BenefitsThe public hears many benefits of pursuing environmental building, aka green or sustainable design and construction, as this emerging market segment continues to expand. Diverse owner/developer groups are embracing these modern technologies, design elements and operational models. However, when packaged together, green design strategies and systems can present unique new challenges in risk  more...

Form-Based Zoning: An Alternative to Traditional Ordinances BenefitsThis live audio conference will provide a basic understanding of form-based codes: how they are different, how they can be applied and how they can help implement more sustainable communities. Lessons learned and steps toward beginning the process will provide you with a clear path toward a successful form-based code. Legal and practical considerations associated with adopting form-based  more...

Proactive Fraud Prevention Measures ...erence will discuss the basic fraud components to include the elements of the 'fraud triangle' - opportunity, financial pressures/incentives and rationalization. We will also review the warning signs of fraud and proactive fraud measures to include the importance of internal controls to aid in fraud deterrence. This live audio conference is designed for CFOs, controllers, accountants, accounts  more...

Workers' Compensation Metrics: Assessing and Reporting on the Success of Your Program BenefitsEmployers struggle with finding a way to measure the effectiveness of their occupational health programs and crafting reporting packages that are relevant and action-focused. Often data is difficult to collect, or overwhelmingly detailed. Vendor-supplied reports are generally focused on tactics, not strategy outcomes. This leaves many employers unable to answer some of the most critical  more...

Enforcement of Judgments ...dgment. Topics will include general asset search methods, the elements of a debtor's examination, obtaining liens against assets, executing on judgment liens, using garnishment procedures to collect assets, domesticating foreign judgments, dealing with bankruptcy filings and many other issues commonly encountered by creditors enforcing judgments. This audio conference is primarily designed for  more...

New Rule 502: Attorney-Client Privilege and Work Product Limitations on Waiver ...es regarding disclosure. This teleconference will discuss the elements of the privilege and protection, and then apply the provisions of Rule 502 to intentional and inadvertent disclosures of protected information. There will also be a discussion regarding the duties of a party who receives inadvertently disclosed information that appears to be protected by the privilege or work product  more...

Grant Management for Grant Recipients BenefitsJoin Edward T. Waters, Esq., an attorney with nationally recognized expertise in federal grants law, to review the essential elements of federal grants and subgrants from a legal perspective. Learn about the fundamentals of grant administration followed by a discussion of urban myths - that is, commonly misunderstood provisions of federal grants - and sharks in the waters, high-risk areas  more...

Requirements for Providing E-Forms W-2 and W-2c BenefitsMany organizations recognize the benefits of electronic W-2 and W-2c form distribution, but do not understand the IRS regulations and internal business elements surrounding this online implementation. Several online W-2 projects have failed and were delayed due to not knowing all of the essential information regarding online form distribution. This audio conference will explore all the  more...

New York Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist Coverage Issues BenefitsNew York has been protecting innocent victims of uninsured drivers with uninsured motorist coverage since 1959 and underinsured drivers with underinsured motorist coverage since 1977; however, with the recent proliferation of litigation arising out of UM/SUM coverage disputes, it seems that the plaintiff's bar has finally realized the potential of this alternate or additional source of  more...

Principal Diagnosis Selection: Ensure Compliance with Official Coding Guidelines BenefitsIn today's current health care business economic climate, there exists a renewed focus upon third-party payer initiatives to second guess and undermine medical record coder's selection of principal diagnosis selection under the guise of medical necessity and accurate and compliant coding. Under the RAC Demonstration Project, a pattern of supposed coding errors and medical necessity errors  more...

Implementing An Indoor Air Quality/Construction Hygiene Plan BenefitsIn the past, organizations developed management plans to help reduce damage to building materials during construction. Following the appearance of mold and water intrusion as a significant threat to construction projects, construction hygiene plans began to emerge in the early 2000s. Today, sustainability plays a key role in most new construction and large-scale renovations projects. To  more...

Current Issues in Cell Tower Leases BenefitsThe wireless industry has built more than 250,000 cell sites in the United States in the past 20 years. But many more cell sites are needed as iPhones, iPads and the like strain existing network capacity with data, email, computer and video applications, as well as to fill gaps in coverage. New cell sites and significant modifications to existing cell sites will also be needed due to the  more...

Oil SPCC Update: How do the Ongoing Changes Affect You? BenefitsThe Oil Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasures rules did not change much over the first 30 years of their existence. However, in 2002, the EPA published new proposed rules and the EPA is continuing to tweak and modify those rules, including the streamlining and clarification efforts associated with the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 changes, changing the effective date over and over  more...

Illinois Accessibility Codes BenefitsIn order to address the needs of constituents with disabilities throughout the state, Illinois developed their own accessibility code. This is required to be enforced by all municipalities. While there are a number of applicable accessibility codes that may need to be addressed, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the International  more...

Ohio Commercial Activity Tax Update: Now Fully Phased in, What We Have Learned and What We Can Expect Going Forward BenefitsIt has been five years since Ohio elected to move away from its more traditional, net income and net worth based corporate franchise tax to the commercial activity tax, or CAT. In addition to the CAT, in recent years a number of states have made significant changes to their income and franchise tax regimes, which has created a complex and arduous landscape for companies' state income tax  more...

Development Challenges for Small Commercial Sites BenefitsDevelopment constraints are present in all building construction projects, with small site commercial development presenting unique challenges in regards to matching the existing character of the area, conformity with local zoning, land use and environmental regulations, and if all approvals and permitting are ultimately obtained, construction-related challenges and end-user occupancy  more...

Writing Scripts That Sell BenefitsWe may not think about it, but we use scripts all the time. In our everyday lives, in interviews and especially in sales situations, we are using scripts to get our point across to the other person. Sometimes we are in front of the other person and sometimes we are on the telephone. Nevertheless, in all situations there are definitely key items and statements that we want to make, and in  more...

LEED Tax Incentives and Credits for Green Buildings BenefitsLEED is a certification program for green buildings. Key elements of the program are water conservation, energy conservation and a reduction in waste going to landfill. Federal, state and local jurisdictions are looking for ways to incentivize improved performance in these key areas. The President is working with Congress to pass comprehensive legislation to protect our nation from the  more...

Best Practices in Commission Pay Plans BenefitsThere are few management tools that work as well in recruiting, directing, motivating and retaining sales people as a strong commission plan. This is critical because sales people are often highly paid, remote from headquarters and entrusted with customer relationships (very valuable assets). A properly designed commission plan clearly and personally communicates the strategy of the  more...

Traffic Management for Construction Work Zones: Unique Challenges and Solutions BenefitsThe hazards encountered at construction zones vary by project and by project phases. To address these hazards, certain program elements must be completed before work begins, while additional elements must be addressed on-site and on an on-going basis. Many contractors who are required to prepare and implement traffic control plans often do not understand how to process the approval and  more...

Construction Project Management in Remote Locations: Site Considerations and Unique Challenges BenefitsClients that are developing projects in remote locations are increasingly demanding comprehensive design-build solutions for projects where the defined scope is often little more than a half-page concept of the desired output or regulatory result. The client expectations: technical and commercial analysis, scope of work development, a detailed execution plan, a detailed CPM schedule with  more...

Fundamentals of Form W-2 Processing BenefitsThe main priority for the payroll department is getting the pay checks to associates acutely and timely to employees. But a critical function for the payroll department is to pull all the payroll information together and produce a Form W-2 for all employees. This produces a great challenge to payroll departments to ensure that all elements of the W-2 are complete and accurate along with  more...

Eichleay Damages and Delay Claims ...are only recoverable upon certain elements being met, but the elements continue to get stricter interpretation. Entitlement to Eichleay damages requires proof of three elements: 1) an owner imposed delay; 2) there is standby; and 3) while on standby the contractor cannot take on substitute work. Under this stricter federal standard, a contractor must demonstrate effective suspension of much or  more...

Preliminary Project Description Fundamentals BenefitsAre you ready for the new PPD and UniFormat? In 2010, the Construction Specifications Institute will issue a new Preliminary Project Description Guide and a new consensus-based UniFormat. Organized according to UniFormat, Preliminary Project Descriptions are the most effective way to describe a project during the schematic design phase of a project. PPDs organized according to UniFormat  more...

A Guide to Hybrid Coding BenefitsMany communities across the country are showing new interest in using zoning regulation to better realize a desired building form. Zoning codes have always contained the basic bulk relationships that create the three-dimensional building envelope, such as minimum lot area, lot coverage restrictions, required setbacks and maximum height, but additional design-oriented elements to better  more...

Valid Consents BenefitsEach day patients and their families are faced with the difficult decision of electing to undergo a medical procedure. Before obtaining an affirmative decision, it is important that the health care practitioner obtain informed consent. This teleconference will educate you on how to determine whether a patient is capable of giving informed consent. This teleconference also explains who may  more...

Using Purchasing Metrics to Drive Bottom and Top Line Contribution BenefitsThe role of sourcing and procurement managers has become increasingly critical to the bottom line performance of companies in today's complex and dynamic environment. Yet most procurement organizations focus metrics on cost and productivity rather than business value added and risk. Without appropriate metrics, managers cannot quantify their business impact or allocate resources to the  more...

Infection Control Programs BenefitsHealth care associated infections have moved into the forefront of the health care industry due to emerging and re-emerging issues, the human toll and reimbursement challenges. Central to this problem is the impact of the infection preventionist and the infection prevention function. This teleconference will help identify specific elements of an effective infection prevention program and  more...

Tax Implications of Generation-Skipping Techniques - Planning to Minimize the Generation-Skipping Transfer (GST) Tax nBy attending this teleconference, you will learn key elements of the GST tax rules, including the rules for automatic allocation of GST tax exemption. Benefits and differences between different types of basic GST tax planning techniques, including various lifetime planning and post-mortem planning along with the implications of leveraging GST tax planning with discounted assets will also be  more...

Successful Strategies for Controlling Workers' Compensation Costs nMaintaining workers' compensation insurance is a necessary cost of business, but how do you stop the costs from spinning out of control? An effective workers' compensation program will utilize the available remedies to achieve the goals of reducing injuries, reducing benefit payment and reducing unsuccessful litigation results. This 90-minute teleconference will review the myths and  more...

Tax Law Research Best Practices nResearching tax issues involves an understanding of a complex system of legislation, regulations, and administrative document and decisions. Each of these elements of tax law has a different precedential value to the practitioner. Moreover, tax law is an area that changes constantly. Congress and the states regularly amend tax laws, and the Internal Revenue Service adds or amends its regulations  more...

Tax and Practical Aspects of Business Succession Planning nClosely held family businesses are often as important to the owners of that business as are their own children. With business failures increasing in today's economic environment, the importance of a well planned, dynamic and long-term succession plan is vital to the continuation of the family business as it is passes from generation to generation. Tax considerations are one part of that plan, but  more...

Getting to the Root of Root Cause Analysis nFailures are a fact of life. In every industry and occupation we are faced with failures. Failures of products, processes, systems and services abound. n nSome of us are tasked with fixing the processes that lead to failures. The customer wants "faster, better, cheaper" but we are delivering "slower, worse and costly." Failure can mean not meeting a customer requirement. It can relate to form,  more...

Effective Fundraising Techniques for Nonprofit Organizations nNonprofit organizations always need to diversify their revenue from earned income, government grants with philanthropic fundraising. Now, in tough economic times, you must determine how to maximize the effectiveness of your fundraising program. This teleconference will cover the basic elements of a complete fundraising program for annual operating support as well as ways every organization can  more...

Bankruptcy Preferences nLenders, borrowers, vendors and purchasers alike all risk receiving a notice from a bankruptcy trustee demanding a return of funds, legitimately paid out by the debtor, as a preference. Attorneys representing debtors, trustees and creditors must be intimately familiar with the elements required to prove a preference and as well as to defend against one. This teleconference will provide an  more...

Begin With the Brain: Three Things Educators Need to Know! nThis engaging teleconference will provide valuable information about three key elements of brain-compatible teaching and learning. Recent research about how student's brains grow, develop and respond to the environment should influence our classroom practices. Understanding some brain basics can give you guidelines to help you design truly brain-compatible classrooms and school environments. When  more...

Capital Improvements for Condominium and Homeowners' Associations nThe common elements of all forms of community associations are in a never ending cycle of deterioration. It is the fiduciary responsibility of the association's board of directors to protect and maintain the community. It is not optional to address the physical condition of the community in a well-considered manner. This teleconference will help you develop strategies. The board itself needs to  more...