Becker & Poliakoff Announces Free Educational Forums for Community Association Board Members, Property Owners and Managers

Statewide Conference Series Focuses on Strategies for Improved Condo & HOA Financial Management During Economic Crisis


FT. LAUDERDALE, FL--(Marketwire - December 21, 2009) - Becker & Poliakoff, P.A., a diversified commercial law firm with offices throughout Florida known for its pioneering role in the creation of law pertaining to operation of residential community associations in the state, today announced its 34th annual Community Association Leadership Conferences, January 15 to March 27, 2010.

"Staying Afloat: Strategies for Helping Your Community in Difficult Economic Times," the series of free, half-day day educational seminars, is designed for board members, property owners and managers of condos, HOAs and other associations struggling to maintain financial stability against a rising tide of delinquent payments and foreclosures.

Focusing on strategies for communities to deal with the economic crisis, the presentations in 14 locations across Florida will address the critical issue of collecting association assessments in today's economy. The presentations will include discussion of the most recently developed methods for improving collections such as collecting rents instead of assessments, appointing receivers for an entire community, and even depositing rent checks with the Court to protect the association's rights.

Other topics include the liability of owners for non-payment of assessments and the impact of mortgagee foreclosures on the association's ability to recover delinquent payments.

Additionally, attorneys with a wide variety of experience in different legal areas will answer questions on issues relating to employment law, covenant enforcement, dealing with local governments and the 2010 Legislative Session outlook, in addition to construction defect claims and related issues.

"Common-ownership residential communities in Florida today are facing unprecedented economic challenges," said Ken Direktor, Becker & Poliakoff attorney who heads the firm's statewide Community Association Law Practice. "Board members, residents and professional managers need to have better information, more business-like operational strategies and improved financial management techniques if their communities are to endure this downturn. These are topics we'll be addressing in this year's annual conference series."

The first conference will be held on January 15 in Ft. Myers with the concluding program on March 27 in Daytona Beach. The programs have been approved for two continuing education credit hours in Insurance and Financial Management for Community Association Managers. Other attendees will receive a Certification of Participation from Becker & Poliakoff.

All events begin at 8:30 AM with registration and breakfast. The presentations begin at 9:00 AM and end at 12:30 PM. There will be an exclusive "Client Only" breakfast at 8:00 AM with Firm Founder Gary Poliakoff (schedule permitting) who will be speaking about and signing his new book, "New Neighborhoods, The Consumer's Guide to Condominium, Co-Op, and HOA Living." Each Becker & Poliakoff client received one complimentary copy of the book by mail and others will be available for sale at the conferences.

Following are dates and locations for each of the 2010 Community Association Leadership Conferences:

Friday, January 15, 2010 - Barbara B. Mann Center, Ft. Myers
Friday, January 29, 2010 - Hilton St. Petersburg Carillon Park, St.
Petersburg
Saturday, January 30, 2010 - Port St. Lucie Civic Center, Port St. Lucie
Saturday, February 6, 2010 - Hilton Naples, Naples
Saturday, February 6, 2010 - Hawks' Cay Island Resort, Duck Key (Florida
Keys)
Friday, February 12, 2010 - Emerald Coast Conference Center, Ft. Walton
Beach
Saturday, February 13, 2010 - Hyatt Sarasota, Sarasota
Friday, February 19, 2010 - The Boardwalk Beach Resort, Panama City Beach
Friday February 26, 2010 - Hilton Orlando, Altamonte Springs
Saturday, March 6, 2010 - Signature Grand, Ft. Lauderdale
Friday, March 12, 2010 - Holiday Inn - Viera Conference Center, Melbourne
Saturday, March 13 2010 - Kravis Center - Cohen Pavilion, West Palm Beach
Saturday March 20, 2010 - Hilton Miami Airport, Miami
Saturday March 27, 2010 - Plaza Resort, Daytona Beach

For more information or to register for this FREE educational conference, go to www.becker-poliakoff.com/events/ca/.

About Becker & Poliakoff P.A.

Becker & Poliakoff is a diverse commercial law firm with more than 130 attorneys in 13 Florida offices, New York City, New Jersey, Nassau, Bahamas, Prague and affiliated international offices. Celebrating its thirty sixth (36th) year of serving clients, the firm has seven primary areas of practice: Real Estate, Construction, Community Association, Customs & International Trade, Commercial Litigation, Corporate & Securities, and Government Law & Lobbying. For more information, visit: www.becker-poliakoff.com.

Contact Information: Media Contact: Alan Penchansky The Pen Group Communications Tel: (305) 529-1944 email: alan@thepengroup.com