Cathy was asked to serve as Dinner Chair for this year’s MS Dinner of Champions to be held at Brix & Columns Vineyard on Thursday, August 22, 2024. She will be welcoming attendees and presenting the MS Silver Hope Award to Jim DeLucas, CDO/Board Chair, Nielsen Builders. Cathy has known Jim for years serving with him on a variety of charitable boards. Flora Pettit is also a sponsor of this premier fundraising event which garners business and individual support to benefit research and treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Jennifer Shirkey has been invited to serve on the faculty for ALI CLE’s day-long Estate Planning in Depth 2024: Hot Topics and Current Developments, a day-long national webinar in July designed to offer practical advice and cutting-edge information to other attorneys on the most significant laws and trends currently affecting estate and trust planning.

Cathy is the Legislative Chair of SVSHRM. At the Chapter’s June meeting, Cathy will update members on state and federal legislative and regulatory changes and recent significant court opinions. These include the DOL’s recent increase to the minimum salary for exempt white collar employees, the FTC’s ridiculous non-compete ban, the EEOC’s final regs on the PWFA that have given pregnancy “most favored nation status”, the NLRB’s recent opinions that have upended required union recognition and bargaining requirements, and the employment statutes that were passed the Virginia General Assembly in the 2024 session (and, as important, the ones that were vetoed by Governor Youngkin.)

Jennifer Shirkey and Cathy Welsh Will Present to the Skyline Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants

Jennifer will be discussing the Secure Act 2.0 (especially its required minimum distribution and plan self-correction provisions), while Cathy will be giving a federal and state employment law update.

Richard Howard-Smith Presented the Discussion “Planned Giving:  a Lunch & Learn” to the Piedmont Family YMCA, Inc.

Jennifer Shirkey has been requested to make two separate presentations at the national Annual Meeting of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) in March.

Ashley Hart to Present on “Ethical Issues Relating to the Use of AI Tools in Litigation” at Thomas Jefferson American Inn of Court Meeting.

Cathy will be discussing hot topics in employment law.

Andrew will discuss challenges related to online contract formation for terms of service agreements and other online contracts and will provide practical tips for making contracts easier to enforce. Andrew will also provide practical guidance on key issues to address in SaaS and cloud contracts.

On September 14, 2023, in Charlottesville, Mac Nichols and Thomas Gladin will discuss the benefits and logistics of using a 1031 tax-deferred exchange for investment or business real estate. Reverse exchanges, vacation property and build to suit exchanges will be covered.

Cathy has been the Legislative Chair of the SVSHRM for many years. At the Chapter’s May meeting, Cathy will update members on state and federal legislative changes and recent court opinions.

Jennifer and her co-presenter, Steve Gorin of Thompson Coburn LLP, discussed estate planning for retirement plan assets with accumulation and conduit trusts under the latest SECURE Act guidance, including practical advice on use and drafting.

On April 26, 2023, in Harrisonburg, Mac Nichols and Thomas Gladin will discuss the benefits and logistics of using a 1031 tax-deferred exchange for investment or business real estate. Reverse exchanges, vacation property and build to suit exchanges will be covered. See details and registration information HERE. A similar event is being planned for Charlottesville in a few months.

Dean “Mac” Nichols has worked with 1031 Like-Kind Exchanges for many years. He explained discussed the process, requirements, and benefits of them to CRT Property Connect a group of Brokerages, Investors, Lenders & Real Estate Professionals.

Jennifer and her co-presenter, Steve Gorin of Thompson Coburn LLP, discussed estate planning for retirement plan assets with accumulation and conduit trusts under the latest SECURE Act guidance, including practical advice on use and drafting.

Matt and his co-faculty with the Virginia Department of Forestry and the Virginia Cooperative Extension will discuss legal and financial implications of family forest and farm landowners and strategies to efficiently transfer land to the next generation.

Cathy has been the Legislative Chair of the SVSHRM for many years. At the Chapter’s May meeting, Cathy will update members on state and federal legislative changes and recent court opinions.

Seth Ragosta and Liz Southhall from Zunka, Milnor, & Carter, Ltd., will be presenting to the Thomas Jefferson Inns of Court on the topic of witnesses and clients who “go rogue” on the witness stand and strategies for dealing with those situations.

Jennifer Shirkey will co-present two sessions to a national audience of CPAs, employers sponsoring plans, and other employee benefits professionals at the 2022 AICPA & CIMA Employee Benefit Plans Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

Don Long and Matt Von Schuch will present to the Charlottesville Angel Network (CAN) regarding the use of Simple Agreements for Future Equity (SAFEs) in angel investing. They discussed the legal differences between SAFEs and convertible notes and the tax consequences of investing with SAFEs.

Cathy Welsh will talk via Zoom with Cville SHRM members about the many changes in Virginia employment law such as the new Virginia overtime law and marijuana legislation, as well as fall out from Virginia’s wage theft, misclassification, noncompete and Virginia Values Act changes.

Cathy was invited to participate on a panel focused on “Navigating the New Regulatory Environment” at this annual Business Summit.

Andrew Baugher will give us the “good, the bad, and the ugly” of how this session’s outcome will affect the construction industry.

Michael Derdeyn will present at a live, interactive webinar with HalfMoon Education Online Learning on Understanding Groundwater Rights.

Cathy Welsh will present a Legislative and Employment Law Update to the Shenandoah Valley Society for Human Resource Management (SVSHRM).

Andrew serves as Board Counsel for the American Subcontractor’s Association of the Valley (ASASV). During this discussion, ASASV members can ask question and share information with the participating general contractors including Harman Construction, Lantz Construction, Nielsen and Kjellstrom & Lee.

Cathy Welsh will talk via Zoom with WASHRM members about the recent changes in Virginia employment law such as the wage theft, misclassification and Virginia Values Act statutory changes that were effective July 1, 2020, along with changes with how marijuana is being handled by employers throughout the Commonwealth. Finally, Cathy will take Q&A regarding COVID-related questions.

The reality: Re-opening, re-staffing, ramping back to full production, re-evaluating operation as the Governor allows Phase 1 to begin is not like opening up after closing for a snow storm, remodel-ing, re-tooling or taking a long vacation. For many business owner and managers, there are as more questions than answers.

Now in its 38th year, Virginia CLE®’s Annual Real Estate Practice Seminar continues to set the standard for currency and quality in continuing legal education for real estate practitioners.

The HR Chamber’s Diversity Business Council is hosting a symposium on expanding equality and opportunity in business by focusing on ageism, veterans and women in the workplace. Cathy will be presenting on age discrimination and how to manage aging employees in the workforce.