Annual Labor and Employment Law Seminar

8:00-8:45

Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:45-10:10

Lessons Learned From the Recent Wal-Mart Class Certification Litigation. Compliance planning and other strategies to prepare for and survive investigations and mitigate litigation risk. Our nationally-recognized practitioners will share tips and experiences from which you can learn to protect your company and jobs.

Moderator: Steven R. Wall

Speakers: Grace E. Speights, Nina G. Stillman, Mark S. Dichter

10:10-10:20

Break

10:20-11:20

Breakout Session I

Traditional Labor Law - What's New at the National Labor Relations Board? Important Recent Developments and Pending Cases. With two new board members and important issues in the queue, our traditional labor practice leaders will discuss the impact of recent cases, what to expect in the coming year and what impact the November election may have on federal labor policy.

Speakers: Charles I. Cohen, Doreen S. Davis

Hiring Employees Subject to Non-Compete Agreements. Should you hire your competitor's star performer? Learn strategies you can employ to protect your own talent, trade secrets and other intellectual property.

Speakers: Barry A. Hartstein, Richard G. Rosenblatt

11:30-12:40

Breakout Session II

A View From the Bench: What Really Makes Juries Tick? How important is your red tie, conservative shirt or organized counsel table? What themes work? Abrasive witnesses? Hear from both a former federal judge and a trial lawyer regarding what issues are as important as jury instructions when it comes to juror persuasion.

Speakers: Alfred J. Lechner, Jr., Michael L. Banks, S. Gerald Litvin

Hot Topics in Employee Benefits Litigation. Hear from our ERISA litigators regarding new and complex issues our clients face in this increasingly important area of employee compensation.

Speakers: Steven D. Spencer, Brian T. Ortelere, Joseph J. Costello

12:45-2:00

Lunch
Special Presentation by Eric Dreiband, General Counsel of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

2:00-3:10

Breakout Session III

The New DOL Wage and Hour Regulations - How Do They Impact You? With the rise in FLSA collective actions, FLSA compliance is a must. Our FLSA practitioners will discuss the explosion of collective actions, the new regulations, including areas of special interest, common employer pitfalls and the Wage and Hour Division's focus in the coming year.

Speakers: Michael J. Ossip, Katherine B. Houlihan

Achieving Diversity by Avoiding the Legal Potholes. In today's corporate culture, countless companies are aggressively pursuing diversity initiatives yet they often fail to recognize the legal exposure that they create when they fail to consider whether their initiatives are legally safe. This session will provide practical guidelines on how companies can achieve their diversity initiatives and avoid the legal potholes.

Speakers: David G. Bowman, Carole S. Katz

3:10-3:20

Break

3:20-4:35

Breakout Session IV

Complex Issues Facing Today's HR Professionals: Developments Under the ADA/FMLA. Back by popular demand, this program will focus on confronting difficult disability and leave-related problems, with a special discussion regarding telecommuting.

Speakers: Jill E. Jachera, Rene M. Johnson

Ethical Issues in Labor and Employment Law. Through an interactive approach, the presenters and audience in this session will discuss and analyze select ethical issues that frequently confront lawyers in employment matters.

Speakers: Michael A. Bloom, Vincent Candiello, Judith Harris, Edward S. Mazurek

4:35

Cocktail Reception