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9 – 10 a.m. Concurrent Sessions

1-A "Resolving Disputes at the Board Meeting" This session will provide concrete tips for the negotiations and inevitable disputes that occur at Association Board meetings. These tips are not unique or new but bear repeating and are more meaningful when presented in the context of an association board meeting “case study” with “typical” personality types. I like to have a lot of interaction with the audience, do a little role playing, but conclude with four specific tools for negotiating in the future. Presented by: Margo Keller

2-A “Enforcing Governing Documents in Tough Economic Times” How does an association board deal with unauthorized use of the property, or off-the-wall behavior among members or residents, when budgets are tight and tensions are high?  How much will it cost to gain compliance from this Owner?  What other options besides litigation are available to enforce the covenants, anyway?  And most importantly, when will this problem (or its Owner) just go away?

Learn some tips to deal with tough enforcement issues such as unauthorized use of Units or Common Areas (ex. rentals, or build-outs); failure to maintain Units (ex. hoarders); and fail to refrain from obnoxious behavior (ex. harassment and smoking).  Presented by: Michelle Ein, Law Offices of James L. Strichartz

3-A “Foreclosures 101” This session will take attendees, step by step, through the judicial foreclosure process, from filing the lawsuit through the sheriff's sale to the redemption period so they will know what to expect before they proceed with a lawsuit. It will provide them with a timeline and discuss decisions that will have to make along the road to recovery. Presented by: Patrick McDonald and Dean Pody, Sundberg & Pody Law Office, PLLC

10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Concurrent Sessions

1-B “Protecting the Value of Your Investment in a Fluctuating Market” For many people, a condominium home represents their largest single financial investment.  Therefore, knowing that a home is properly constructed becomes a top priority for all condominium homeowners.  It is essential to understand how to preserve your rights and to maximize optimum property values...particularly in the current fluctuating real-estate market! Presented by: Bob Goff, Goff & DeWalt, LLP

2-B “Homeowner/Board Member Disputes” The focus of this discussion will be on disputes between association members and individual Board members.  Can Board members be held personally responsible for their actions?  The How should a Board member handle being sued by another association member?  Does this give rise to conflicts of interest?  Can the rest of the Board function properly?  Are individual Board members covered by insurance?  Who pays for having to deal with this?  The panel will discuss the statutory protections given to Board members under the relevant Washington statutes and cases, advise the audience how Boards can remain functioning when conflicts of interest arise due to legal battling, and discuss risk management and insurance as it relates to individuals acting on behalf of their association. Presented by: Nancy Cannan, CIRMS, Community Association Underwriters, Michelle Ein and William Justyk, Law Offices of James L. Strichartz

3-B “Lowering Association Expenses and Risk – Are You Robbing Peter to Pay Paul? In this session we will discuss: 1) a variety of ways that associations can lower their expenses by reducing risk, by shifting expenses to individual owners, and reallocating liability; 2)  how these changes affect association expenses, monthly assessments, and expenses paid by individual owners; 3)  the practical effects of the association insurance deductible being shifted to owners, and sub-metering of utilities; 4) requiring high risk components within units to be inspected or replaced on a regular basis; 5) reserve contributions and uncertainty of future expenses and assessments. Presented by: Ken Harer and Theresa Torgeson, Condominium Law Group PLLC & Duncan Kirk, CIC, The Unity Group

1 – 2 p.m. Concurrent Sessions

1-C “Don’t Shoot the Messenger – Effectively Communicating Bad News to Your Membership” Boards must occasionally give their association’s members very bad news. That news can range from the need to make massive repairs, and levy correspondingly massive special assessments, or the need to raise funds because of litigation of one sort or another.  If mishandled by the board, the delivery of bad news and members’ reactions to the news can escalate to a point that undermines confidence in the Board and threatens the survival of the association.

This program will provide techniques and strategies for communicating bad news (as well as good).   We will discuss skills and methods for communicating both effectively and persuasively. We will also explore ways to anticipate members’ reactions to Board communications, to avoid negative reactions and to successfully present bad news so that problems are solved and the messengers are spared. Presented by: Kenneth W. Strauss, Goff & DeWalt, LLP

2-C “Steps a Board Can Take to Protect its Association During a Recession” Today’s recessionary economy has substantially impacted homeowner associations.  In this highly interactive session, attorney Dean Martin will outline proactive steps a board can take to help protect association members, including specific discussions on disclosure requirements, management of account receivables and other budget items, collections policies, foreclosures, bankruptcies and stricter loan underwriting.  Seminar attendees should leave the seminar with a fuller tool box and higher confidence in dealing with the down economy. Presented by: Dean Martin, Barker Martin P.S.

3-C “Rental Cap Roadmap: Key Things to Know About Rental Restrictions” Rental restrictions are often a contentious topic in community associations.  This presentation will review the laws and CC&R provisions affecting rental restrictions.  This presentation will also explain the process for amending the declaration to include a rental ceiling and offer practical tips for increasing the likelihood of passing such an amendment.  Additionally, this presentation will provide guidance on other helpful rental provisions to include in an association’s governing documents. Presented by: David Martin, Rafel Law Group PLLC