PLEASE NOTE:
This program has reached our seating capacity. If you wish to be added to our Wait List, please call Customer Service at (800) 260-4PLI. We are sorry for the inconvenience.Why you should attend
Our annual Employment Law Institute combines a comprehensive review of case law and regulatory developments, an in-depth analysis of emerging issues, and best practices to maximize employment law compliance, mitigate legal risk and achieve business objectives. The faculty is comprised of nationally recognized management and plaintiffs’ attorneys, members of the judiciary, in-house counsel and government enforcement agency officials who share their perspectives, insights and experiences.
What you will learn
- The Year in Review: the important federal and state case law and regulatory developments, including the latest guidance on arbitration and class actions
- EEOC and DOL’s current focus – hear from the source about current priorities
- Settlement issues in wage and hour class/collective actions
- Recent developments under the ADA/ADAAA, including an all new panel on employer assessments and accommodation of mental disorders
- Managing leaves of absence: FMLA, ADA, Workers’ Compensation and other types of leave
- NLRB current controversies and labor law in union and nonunion workplaces
- The virtual workplace: risks and opportunities
- Social media and privacy in the workplace
- Retaliation and whistleblower claims, including insight into the non-retaliation provisions of the Affordable Care Act
- Views from the bench – litigating employment law cases
Who should attend
This program is designed for private practitioners, in-house counsel, and human resources and other business professionals who seek an in-depth analysis and discussion of often subtle and rapidly evolving issues arising in employment law.
PLI Group Discounts
Groups of 4-14 from the same organization, all registering at the same time, for a PLI program scheduled for presentation at the same site, are entitled to receive a group discount. For further discount information, please contact membership@pli.edu or call (800) 260-4PLI.
PLI Can Arrange Group Viewing to Your Firm
Contact the Groupcasts Department via email at groupcasts@pli.edu for more details.
Cancellations
All cancellations received 3 business days prior to the program will be refunded 100%. If you do not cancel within the allotted time period, payment is due in full. You may substitute another individual to attend the program at any time.
Please plan to arrive with enough time to register before the conference begins. A networking breakfast will be available upon your arrival.
Day One: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Morning Session: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
9:00 Opening Remarks and Introduction
Amy L. Bess, Zachary D. Fasman
9:15 The Year in Review
- Discussion of the latest Supreme Court decisions, including the latest guidance on arbitration and class actions
- Analysis of current court trends
- The latest issues in affirmative action in light of recent Supreme Court rulings and enforcement initiatives
- Important litigation trends
Samuel Estreicher, Zachary D. Fasman, Joseph M. Sellers
10:45 Networking Break
11:00 Settlements in Wage and Hour Class/Collective Actions
- At what stage should you settle and what are the ramifications? Can you settle pre-suit?
- Assessing risk of exposure and calculating potential damages
- Arbitration and offers of judgment
- Practical considerations in the class action settlement process: scope of the release, claims processes, costs of administration and attorneys’ fees
Rachel M. Bien, Samuel S. Shaulson
12:00 Lunch Break
Afternoon Session: 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
1:00 NLRB: Current Controversies and Labor Law in Union and Nonunion Workplaces
- The status of the Board: Noel Canning and Board authority
- Social media rulings
- Employee handbook and at-will employment
- NLRB rulings involving the union workplace; cancellation of checkoff, union access and the duty to supply information
Willis J. Goldsmith, Peter Hurtgen, Lafe E. Solomon
2:15 Social Media and Privacy in the Workplace
- Hiring practices and social media
- Privacy/electronic workplace issues
- Workplace monitoring and surveillance
- Employee personal use of employer computers, BlackBerrys, etc., including privilege issues
- Implications of social networking/employee blogging
- Protecting trade secrets
- BYO device
Jeffrey S. Klein, Lisa Reeves, Laura S. Schnell
3:30 Networking Break
3:45 The Virtual Workplace
- Pros/cons of employers offering telecommuting as an option/benefit
- ADA accommodation issues (is telecommuting a reasonable accommodation?)
- Safety concerns regarding the at-home workplace
- Eligibility factors and unfairness/discrimination issues
- FLSA issues and off-the-clock concerns
- Protecting employers’ and clients’ confidential information
- Multijurisdictional legal issues (employer in one state/employees work in others)
- Policy and practice: creating work-at-home policies and agreements
- Yahoo and other decisions to pull back work-from-home arrangements
Roxane Marenberg, Laura Sack, Barbara Taylor
5:00 Adjourn
Day Two: 9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.
Morning Session: 9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
9:00 ADA and Mental Disorders: Employee Threats and Violence, Employer Assessments and Accommodations
- Threats, bullying and violent conduct in the workplace; case law and ADA/EEOC/OSHA regulations regarding permissible employer responses
- Mental examinations, fitness-for-duty exams, and the direct threat analysis
- Forensic threat assessments: when are they appropriate and how are they conducted? Methods, results and predictive value
- Drafting and implementing workplace violence policies – dos and don’ts
Stuart B. Kleinman, M.D., Stephen P. Sonnenberg
10:00 Litigating Employment Law Cases: Views from the Bench
- Motion practice
- Claims against employees (trade secrets and restrictive covenants)
- Employment arbitration and mediation
- E-discovery
- Evidence issues/use of experts
- Statistical proof of discrimination
- Jury instructions
Hon. John Gleeson, Hon. Faith S. Hochberg, Robert D. Kraus, Theodore O. Rogers, Jr.
11:15 Networking Break
11:30 Government Agencies’ Current Focus
- New EEOC rules and enforcement trends
- Systemic litigation
- Equal pay
- Hiring practices, including criminal history checks
Kathleen M. McKenna (Moderator), Peggy R. Mastroianni, Hon. M. Patricia Smith
12:30 Lunch Break
Afternoon Session: 1:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
1:30 Managing Leaves of Absence: FMLA, ADA, Workers’ Compensation and Other Leaves
- Case law developments affecting notice, intermittent leave, medical examinations, reasonable accommodations and undue hardship
- Accommodating mental disabilities
- Managing performance issues when impacted by an impairment
- ADA leaves as a reasonable accommodation – when is additional leave “enough”?
- Reinstatement issues, including job transfer as a reasonable accommodation
- Interplay between various leave laws – practical approaches
Amy L. Bess, Sandi F. Dubin, Sara E. Elder
2:30 Retaliation and Whistleblower Claims
- Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank developments
- Non-retaliation provisions of the Affordable Care Act
- The limits to protected opposition activity
- Retaliation based on use of the judicial process
Alexander C. B. Barnard, Jonathan Ben-Asher, Jill L. Rosenberg, Yolanda Seals-Coffield
3:30 Networking Break
3:45 The Ethics of Email and Social Media: A Top Ten List
- Maintaining privilege in electronic communications
- Use of corporate email systems by employees to communicate with counsel
- Inadvertent disclosure and metadata
- Outsourcing discovery
- Social media research on jurors and during trial
- Appearing before judges with whom you are social media “friends”
Amy L. Bess, Zachary D. Fasman, Thomas E. Spahn
4:45 Adjourn
Co-Chair(s)
Speaker(s)
Sara E. Elder ~ Divisional Vice President, Fair Employment and Compliance, Sears Holdings Management Corporation
Samuel Estreicher ~ Dwight D. Opperman Professor of Law, Director, Center for Labor and Employment Law, New York University School of Law
Hon. John Gleeson ~ United States District Judge, United States District Court, Eastern District of New York
Stuart B. Kleinman, M.D. ~ Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
Roxane Marenberg ~ Vice President, Compliance Systems and Employment Law, Cisco Systems, Inc.
Lisa Reeves ~ Assistant General Counsel, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
Program Attorney(s)
New York City Seminar Location
PLI New York Center, 810 Seventh Avenue at 53rd Street (21st floor), New York, New York 10019. Message Center, program days only: (212) 824-5733.
New York City Hotel Accommodations
The New York Hilton & Towers,
1335 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019. 1 block from PLI Center. Reservations 1-800-HILTONS or, 1-877-NYC-HILT. Please mention that you are booking a room under the Practising Law Institute Corporate rate and the Client File # is 0495741. You can also
make reservations online to access Practising Law Institute rates.
The Warwick New York Hotel, 65 West 54th Street New York, NY 10019. 1 block from PLI Center. Reservations 800-223-4099 or, hotel direct 212-247-2700. Please mention that you are booking a room under the Practising Law Institute Corporate rate. Reservations on line at
www.warwickhotelny.com Click reservations in menu bar on left. Select desired dates. In 'Special Rates' drop down window select Corporate Rate. In 'Rate Code' enter PLIN. Click search and select desired room type and rate plan. Or, you may email reservation requests to:
res.ny@warwickhotels.comSheraton New York Times Square Hotel, 811 7th Avenue, New York, NY 10019, 1-800-325-3535 or (212) 581-1000. When calling, please mention Practising Law Institute and mention SET#311155. You may also book
online.