Monday, October 20, 2008 Downsizing in the New
Economy: Conducting Reductions in Force While Minimizing the Risk of
Litigation
Monday, October 27, 2008 Religious
Discrimination: An In-Depth Discussion of the Strategies for
Employers to Deal with One of the Fastest Growing Areas of
Discrimination
Sponsored
by:
Registration: 7:30 am
Seminar: 8 - 10 am
$50 for SAHRA Members per Seminar
$75 Prospective Members per Seminar
*$150 for all 4 HR In Depth Seminars**
**Special Prices for Members Only - Not Transferable
Tuesday, October 7,
2008
Retaliation Presented by Carlton
DiSante & Freudenberger LLP
A well-liked employee unexpectedly files
a discrimination complaint with the Department of Fair Employment
and Housing. Certain that the claim is not valid, the first
inclination may be to criticize the employee's performance, deny the
employee a raise or promotion, or even simply label the employee a
"troublemaker" or "complainer." Not so fast. Carlton DiSante &
Freudenberger LLP partner Robin Weideman will explain the legal
definition of retaliation, explore common pitfalls giving rise
to retaliation claims, and provide practical advice for avoiding
such claims.
Robin E. Weideman is a partner in the
Sacramento office of Carlton DiSante & Freudenberger LLP. Ms.
Weideman represents employers in various types of employment
litigation, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage
and hour matters, and unfair competition matters. Ms. Weideman also
regularly advises employers on day-to-day employee relations matters
and litigation prevention. Ms. Weideman received her juris
doctorate from Hastings College of the Law, and her Bachelor of Arts
from Southern Methodist University, where she graduated cum laude
and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Tuesday, October 14,
2008 Leaves of Absence: Avoiding the Pitfalls Presented by Murphy, Pearson, Bradley and Feeney
Since the implementation of the Family
Medical Leave Act, the California Legislature has created a myriad
of other types of leaves of absence in California. It is difficult
to navigate through the leave of absence process and coordinate the
timing and requirements required, especially when more than one
leave may apply to an employee needing leave. This seminar is
designed to point out the common and not-so-common pitfalls that may
leave you open to litigation.
Some of the topics that will be
discussed in this seminar include:
Recent development and case law
regarding leaves of absence
Proper documentation of leaves of
absence
Determination of eligibility
Handling leaves of absence taken to
avoid or delay termination
Interaction between sick leave,
vacation time and leave of absence
Requirements of the Uniformed
Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA)
Interaction of leave of absence with
employee benefits and wages
Attendees of this program will be up to
date on all recent development in leave of absence law and will be
able to identify circumstances that can cause problems in
implementing employee leaves of absence. They will be in a better
position to avoid potential legal pitfalls in implementing leaves of
absence with difficult employees.
Mr. Muñoz is a partner with Murphy,
Pearson, Bradley & Feeney where he practices complex civil and
commercial litigation in state and federal court, including
professional liability and labor and employment claims. Mr. Munoz
has been practicing law for 10 years.
Most recently, Mr. Munoz successfully
obtained a nonsuit in a legal malpractice action wherein the
Plaintiffs contended that the settlement from the underlying matter
was coerced resulting in the sale of a piece of real property at
below market value. The nonsuit judgment was upheld on appeal in
January 2008. He was also successful in obtaining a summary
judgment for law firm in a legal malpractice action wherein the
Plaintiff contended that the attorney failed to pursue a serious and
willful claim in her workers' compensation matter
Kerri Ruzicka is an associate attorney
with Murphy, Pearson, Bradley and Feeney where she represents
clients in civil and business litigation before state and federal
courts with an emphasis in labor and employment law.
Before practicing law, Ms. Ruzicka
worked for the California State Legislature as the education policy
consultant for the Republican Fiscal and Policy Office where she
advised state legislators on all issues related to California's
public schools and university systems, including all employment and
labors laws governing California’s education system.
Monday, October 20,
2008
Downsizing in the New Economy: Conducting Reductions
in Force While Minimizing the Risk of Litigation Presented by Jackson Lewis
This seminar provides information and
practical guidance regarding federal and state laws concerning the
planning and implementing of reductions in force, the Worker
Adjustment Retraining Notification Act (WARN), releases, and post-RIF
considerations. The program has been designed for the experienced
human resource professional and will include review and analysis of
recent and related case law. Through interactive dialogue,
attendees will develop an advanced understanding of the subject
matter and learn the skills necessary to manage a more respectful
and positive work environment.
Advanced understanding of initial
alternatives to workforce reductions, including, but not limited
to, hiring freezes, wage and bonus freezes, bonus reductions,
postponement of wage increases, reducing fringe benefits, job
sharing, employee transfers, and work furloughs.
Skills and knowledge necessary to
conduct involuntary reductions in force, including, but not
limited to, objectivity, advance planning, documentation, and
post-RIF planning and consideration.
Skills and knowledge necessary to
conduct an adverse impact analysis.
Practical application lesson related
to securing valid releases.
Advanced understanding of the Worker
Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (“WARN”) and
associated considerations.
Skills necessary to communicate
selection decisions.
An opportunity to ask questions of
an attorney experienced and knowledgeable about all aspects of
employment/workplace law and matters related to reductions in
force.
Mr. Michael Christian and Mr. Randall
Hakes are licensed California attorneys with the law firm of Jackson
Lewis LLP. Jackson Lewis specializes in the exclusive
representation of management in matters of workplace, employment,
and labor law. All three attorneys have significant knowledge and
expertise on the subject matter.
Monday, October 27,
2008
Religious Discrimination: An In-Depth Discussion of the Strategies
for Employers to Deal with One of the Fastest Growing Areas of
Discrimination. Presented by Seyfarth Shaw LLP
The EEOC recently announced that claims
of religious discrimination are up 23% over the last two years. In
July 2008 the EEOC released a new section in its Compliance Manual
regarding religious discrimination and issued suggested best
practices. The EEOC reports that most of the claims involve daily
decisions in which employers do not anticipate how their actions
affect employees' religious identity. This discussion provides
information on the latest developments in religious discrimination
law and features an interactive discussion of common religious
discrimination scenarios and the tools and strategies to help
employers anticipate and effectively resolve those issues.
Ms. Kristina M. Launey is an associate
in the Labor & Employment and Litigation practice groups of Seyfarth
Shaw LLP. Prior to joining the firm, she was a Deputy Legislative
Counsel in the California Legislative Counsel’s Office, where she
specialized in employment and advised the Legislature on employment
law matters. Her practice is focused on litigation of single and
multi-plaintiff discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination,
Title II and Title III Americans with Disabilities Act, and wage and
hour claims in both state and federal courts. She also has
experience in wage and hour class actions. Her experience in these
matters has been with a wide variety of industries, including
mortgage lenders, large newspapers, retailers, transportation
companies, temporary staffing agencies, information technology
companies, non-profit entities, and manufacturers.
Cancellations must be received in
writing by the SAHRA office 72 business hours prior to the event in
order to receive a refund. You may send an associate to take your
place if a cancellation has not been made. "No Shows” will be billed
if cancellations are not received.
