35 SPIDERs: Short, Powerful Inserts that Diminish or Expand Risk + 22 Accounting Hazards in Contracts
Date: Aug 7, 2026 9:00 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.
Location: Online
Member Price: $177.00
Non-Member Price: $209.00
Section Price: $0.00
Areas of Law: For All Attorneys
Earn up to 4 credits! (More Information)
Keynote
Moderator
Presenters
- Lenné Eidson Espenschied
- Next Level Contracts, Atlantais a national speaker from Atlanta, Georgia, who has trained thousands of lawyers in the U.S. and Canada in the art of contract drafting through continuing legal education seminars for bar associations, law firms and corporate legal departments. Her passion is helping new lawyers acquire the skills they need to be successful in transactional practice.
Ms. Espenschied practiced law in Atlanta, Georgia for 25 years, and focused on technology and intellectual property matters. She began her legal practice with the firm now known as Eversheds Sutherland and eventually worked as senior counsel in the legal department of Bank of America. Prior to attending law school she was a Certified Public Accountant at Ernst & Young, where she audited Fortune 500 companies and assisted in preparing financial statements and reports for shareholders.
Ms. Espenschied is the author of two books published by the American Bar Association: Contract Drafting: Powerful Prose in Transactional Practice (ABA Fundamentals, 3rd Ed., 2019) and The Grammar and Writing Handbook for Lawyers (ABA Fundamentals, 2011). She was a Professor at Charlotte School of Law and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Georgia School of Law, and taught commercial law, contracts and contract drafting. She is also a contributing faculty member at Thomson/Reuter’s West Legal Ed Center.
Ms. Espenschied received her B.B.A., with high honors, from the University of Georgia and her J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law, where she served on the Editorial Board of Georgia Law Review and was a member of Order of the Coif. She also won a prestigious award as a teaching assistant in the UGA Terry College of Business.
(8/23)
In drafting contracts, the lawyer’s overarching goal is to ensure that the contract is clear and risk allocation is appropriate, given the client’s objectives and the relative benefits to be received in the transaction. In this program, you will learn about 35 small but powerful edits you can make to shift risk either off your client or onto the other party, even in low leverage situations. This is not about drafting, rather, it is about teaching the lawyers what to negotiate FOR in specific provisions so that the responsibilities of each party are clear.
Additionally, most contracts incorporate accounting terms for future calculations; for example, a distributor may be compensated based on sales, but what exactly is included in “sales”? Seemingly simple accounting terms like “sales,” “income” and “cost” can create hazards in contractual provisions. Lawyers often use accounting words thinking they're specific with a universally accepting meaning, but they are not and it is crucial to understand why accounting concepts are so blurry. Learn how 22 common accounting terms can create unexpected pitfalls and how to prevent disputes and protect clients from expensive mistakes.
About the Presenter:
Lenné Eidson Espenschied has earned her status as one of the two most popular contract drafting speakers in the country by continually striving for excellence and providing innovative, practical, skills-based training for transactional lawyers. She practiced law in Atlanta, Georgia for more than 20 years, focusing on corporate and transactional representation of technology-based businesses. Espenschied is a contributing faculty member for West Legal Ed Center. She is the author of two books published by the American Bar Association: Contract Drafting: Powerful Prose in Transactional Practice (ABA Fundamentals, 3rd Ed. 2019) and The Grammar and Writing Handbook for Lawyers (ABA Fundamentals, 2011). After graduating from the University of Georgia School of Law magna cum laude, Espenschied began her legal practice at a large national law firm; she also served as senior counsel in the legal department of Bank of America before opening her own law office. As a law professor, Espenschied taught commercial law, contracts and contract drafting. Her passion is helping lawyers acquire the skills they need to be more successful in transactional practice.
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