Events
10th Annual Symposium
So, 2020. Every year our annual symposium is the highlight of the fashion law calendar, but as the coronavirus spread last spring, we postponed it and instead offered you the first online panel on fashion and the pandemic – and realized that hundreds more participants were able to join us simultaneously from all over the world.
We now bring you our 10th Annual Symposium, Silver Linings, running for four consecutive Fridays during fashion month and beyond. The pandemic may keep us working from home in loungewear for the moment, but we can still come together as a fashion law community to celebrate, interrogate, and advance the substance of style. YOU are the silver lining of 2020, and we look forward to seeing you online soon!
DATE: September 25 and October 2, 9, and 16, 2020
TIME: 8:45-10:00am New York time
NYS CLE: 6 hours total (see individual panels for details)
PLACE: Zoom webinar
SCHEDULE:
Quicksilver Deals: Tiffany v. LVMH and M&A in a pandemic
September 25, 2020
NYS CLE: 1.5 professional practice, transitional & non-transitional
SPEAKERS
Avery S. Fischer, EVP, GC, & Secretary, Ralph Lauren
Mark Fischer, EVP, GC, & Secretary, PVH
Vincent Fuller II, Associate, Fried Frank
Brien M. Wassner, Partner, Sidley Austin
Heirloom Silver: The afterlife of brands
October 2, 2020
NYS CLE: 1.5 professional practice, transitional & non-transitional
Sterling Intentions: Is your diversity & inclusion plan legal?
October 9, 2020
NYS CLE: 1.0 diversity, inclusion, and elimination of bias; .5 ethics
Silver Bullet? Mask policies, problems, and solutions
October 16, 2020
NYS CLE: 1.0 professional practice, transitional & non-transitional; .5 ethics
If you registered previously for our 10th Annual Symposium, you will receive a separate email. And thank you!
Thursday 6/25 event: CSM x FLI
In a world challenged by COVID-19 lockdowns and other political struggles and ethical concerns, the fashion industry is united in our search for new business strategies. How can fashion designers and businesses protect themselves amidst a global recession? What does the revision of the fashion calendar mean for sales cycles, and should the industry be setting a common calendar at all? What are the best ways for fashion brands and media outlets to address diversity and inclusion? Is sustainability sustainable when companies are struggling to survive? This special event co-hosted with Central Saint Martins will explore how fashion professionals and companies can adapt to these and other emerging challenges, with speakers including Professors Susan Scafidi and Jeff Trexler along with other industry guests.
SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
- Abisade Adenubi, Heritage Apparels
- John Maltbie, Louis Vuitton
- Don M. Obert, The Obert Law Firm
- Stephen Sidkin, Fox Williams
- Jeff Trexler, Moda Legal
- Gary Wassner, Hilldun
- Moderator: Professor Susan Scafidi, Fashion Law Institute
Protected: CLE Materials — Going Viral: Fashion & the Coronavirus
Video: Fashion & the Coronavirus panel
Thank you to our panelists and attendees at our first online event! The complete video is above. We tried to answer as many questions as we could either in the group chat or in our discussions, but more responses and resources will follow soon!
ATTORNEY CLE INFORMATION
If you are an attorney seeking continuing legal education credit from New York or a state with New York reciprocity, you can receive CLE credit whether you saw the livestream or watch the event on demand. Simply email us for the CLE materials link/password; fill out this official form, including the special codes announced at various points during the session; and email the completed to info@fashionlawinstitute.com. (If you've already emailed it to a different address, you don't need to email it again — we monitor all of our email addresses!)
For those watching the video on demand, the opportunity to request CLE credit is available.
DATE: Friday, March 27, 2020
TIME: 9:30 - 10:45am NYC time
VENUE: Zoom
NYS CLE: 1.5 hours professional practice,
transitional and non-transitional
GOING VIRAL
Fashion & the Coronavirus
"Going viral" was the most sought-after metaphor of the millennium -- until a real virus stopped the world from turning. Our hearts go out to all who have suffered during the current crisis, whether directly through illness or indirectly through upheaval in our personal and professional lives.
We all want to reach out and contribute what we can at this difficult time. For the Fashion Law Institute, that means connecting with you, our global community, and offering a free online event with CLE credit for attorneys and information for everyone.
The coronavirus has of course raised many concerns throughout the fashion industry, from managing production and the supply chain to re-reading contracts, changing retail's try-on culture, closing stores, canceling events, and shifting work online, all the while maintaining continuity with regard to brand protection and other legal matters.
If this moment in history has an (antimicrobial) silver lining, it's that we can come together to share solutions for the issues at hand and the rebuilding that is still to come.
The coronavirus may have a regal name, but cooperation is humanity's crowning glory.
Be well, and we hope to see you at our 10th annual symposium, now in September!
SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
- Diana Bernal, Retail consultant
- Nancy Bishai, APP Group (MACKAGE and SOIA & KYO)
- Cristina Del Valle, Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Karyn D. Jefferson, Benjamin Moore & Co.
- Tony Kim, Hero Within
- Don M. Obert, The Obert Law Firm
- Jeff Trexler, Moda Legal
- Gary Wassner, Hilldun
- Moderator: Professor Susan Scafidi, Fashion Law Institute
CSM x Fashion Law Institute
The Fashion Law Institute is going to London!
A new decade brings new opportunities and challenges to the fashion industry – and when it comes to strategic thinking, two heads are better than one. Join thought leaders from the Fashion Law Institute and Central Saint Martins, together for the first time to discuss the changing legal and business landscape and what it means for fashion’s future.
The first annual CSM x Fashion Law Institute Fashion Law Professional Development Workshop will take place on November 5, 2020 (NEW DATE) from 10am-4pm at CSM . Exploring what’s ahead in the industry, it’s designed to share everything our two institutions’ know about the industry’s legal and business environment, supporting professionals who want to prepare for fashion’s changing future.
This programme is created for designers, entrepreneurs, lawyers, and other fashion industry professionals. It will be led by Professor Susan Scafidi, the Fashion Law Institute’s founder and director, and Jeff Trexler, the Institute’s associate director, in conjunction with Central Saint Martins Fashion academics. Other guest speakers will include fashion in-house counsel, designers, and executives.
The level of this workshop is intermediate or advanced and would suit practicing professionals that would like to learn more about Fashion Law.
The aim of the workshop is to underpin innovative design and communication with a richer awareness of fashion law and business for fashion industry professionals. The programme will cover key developments and trends in such important areas as intellectual property, privacy, advertising, antitrust, and international trade.
This Professional Development day will be a mixture of discussions and lectures. This dynamic structure has been designed to be engaging and allow for participants to network, learn from each other and gain valuable information from the course leaders.
(Please note that outside the U.S., the shortform for November 5, 2020 is written as 5/11/2020 — that’s November, not May!)
Inside Out 5: Fashion’s In-House Counsel
A new decade brings new challenges to the fashion industry, and in-house counsel are at the cutting edge of change. Join us for our annual New York Fashion Week legal speakeasy, "Inside Out 5: Fashion's In-House Counsel on the New Roaring '20s."
DATE: Friday, February 7, 2020
TIME: 9:30-10:45am (breakfast 9am)
PLACE: Fordham Law School, 150 W. 62nd Street, Room 7-119
NYS CLE: 1.5 hours professional practice, transitional and non-transitional
SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
- Karyn D. Jefferson, Benjamin Moore
- Marie Funel, Birchbox
- Nick Barnhorst, Fresh
- Louise Firestone, LVMH
- Jeffrey Hellman, PVH
- Ashley Valdes, Warby Parker
Combating Copycats: How to Protect Your Designs
Constantly combating copycats? Join Fleur du Mal founder Jennifer Zuccarini and Professor Susan Scafidi, founder of the Fashion Law Institute, for an update on the latest in intellectual property protection strategies -- and a conversation about the future of copyrights, trademarks, patents, and the fashion industry. If you have individual questions and would like to schedule a free consultation through the Fashion Law Institute Pop-Up Clinic, please indicate your request below. This event is limited to fashion design professionals and design students only and is not open to attorneys, media, or the general public.
DATE: Thursday, November 7, 2019
TIME: 6:00-7:00pm
PLACE: Fordham Law School, 150 W. 62nd Street, New York, NY 10023
Ethics CLE on 10/10
Are independent contractors the new sweatshop workers? California’s new legislation implies just that, and while it’s aimed at reclassifying Uber and Lyft drivers, it will also have an impact on the fashion industry — not just on the West Coast but across the country. In this edition of our annual ethics CLE program, we will explain how employee and independent contractor standards are evolving, as well as what this means for fashion and the ethical practice of law. Key issues include the following:
-
How is the law of independent contractor and employee status changing? What will these changes mean for the fashion industry?
- To what extent can New York attorneys advise clients facing employment classification issues in other states?
- Should legal ethics rules on state bar membership change to reflect today’s interstate economy?
- And as legislators and regulators across the country follow California in condemning independent contractor status as a form of exploitation, how should attorneys design contracts to address this ethical concern?
DATE: Thursday, October 10, 2019
TIME: 6:30 - 7:45pm (reception 6:00pm)
PLACE: Bateman Room, 2nd Floor, Fordham Law School, 150 W. 62nd Street
NYS CLE: 1.5 hours (1.0 hours ethics; 0.5 hours professional practice, transitional and non-transitional)
SPEAKERS INCLUDE
- Elisheva Hirshman, PVH Corp.
- Joey Hunter, Fashion and Talent Industry Consultant
- Karyn D. Jefferson, Benjamin Moore & Co.
- Rebecca Nathanson, NYS Department of Labor
Event: Retail Survival in Turbulent Times
At a time when high-profile bankruptcies, international protests, and tariff wars are disrupting the retail environment, how can the fashion industry land on its feet? What are the best strategies for dealing with our uncertain economic future? Are there steps brands can take to keep tariffs and turmoil from cutting into fashion’s crucial 4th quarter retail sales? How can vendors protect themselves before a store goes bankrupt, and what should they do after a bankruptcy petition is filed? Join our panel of experts as they discuss these questions and more at our 9th anniversary New York Fashion Week event, “Fashion's 9 Lives: Retail Survival in Turbulent Times.”
DATE: Friday, September 6, 2019
TIME: 9:30 - 10:45am (breakfast 9:00am)
PLACE: Bateman Room, 2nd Floor, Fordham Law School, 150 W. 62nd Street
NYS CLE: 1.5 hours professional practice, transitional and non-transitional
SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
- Danica Chin, Tiffany & Co.
- Anna Fan, Hong Kong Trade Development Council
- Jon Gold, National Retail Federation
- Charles Miller, Macy's
- Jeff Trexler, Moda Legal
- Gary Wassner, Hilldun
REGISTER HERE!
9th Annual Symposium – Special Rate