This event has completed.

5/10/2019
8:30 AM - 6:00 PM

Please join us for our full day conference at Fordham Law School!  Breakfast, snacks and lunch is included in your registration! 

Rates: Members $315; Non-members $395; Non-profit Attorneys $145; Student Rate $105.   Financial Aid to attend the conference is available.  If you would like to apply for financial aid, please email nelany@nelany.com for the application.

Spring 2019 NELA/NY Conference on Representing Employees (7 CLE Credits) May 10, 2019

8:30- 9:15         Continental Breakfast

9:15- 9:30        Opening Chair Remarks and Welcome; Mark D. Risk, Chair, Miriam F. Clark, President

9:30 – 10:45    Hidden Gems of the New York Labor Law 
Experienced wage and hour practitioners will compare and contrast the protections available to workers under New York Labor Law and the Fair Labor Standards Act, with a focus on the salary basis level for white collar overtime exemptions; retaliation; prevailing wages; and wage protections for workers in particular industries, including hospitality, building services, and home health care.

• Lloyd Ambinder, Virginia & Ambinder, LLP
• Lillian M. Marquez, Pechman Law Group
• ReNika Moore, Bureau Chief of the Labor Bureau in the NY Office of the Atty. General
• Chauniqua Young, Outten & Golden LLP

10:50-11:40    Litigators and Witnesses: Ethical Considerations and Limitations
Witness interactions present a series of ethical and strategic dilemmas.  Panelists will discuss best practices for engaging with witnesses by reviewing the Rules of Professional Conduct and discussing real-world hypotheticals.

• Karen Cacace, Director, Employment Law Unit, The Legal Aid Society
• Professor Bruce Green, Louis Stein Chair at Fordham Law School, Director of Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics
• Shilpa Narayan, Friedman & Houlding, 

11:40 – 11:50       Break  

11:50-12:40        Reductions in Force: Legal and Strategic Issues
Panelists will consider the legal issues related to large layoffs including under the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act, the advising of employees affected by those layoffs, and broader litigation strategies challenging the terms of the layoffs as discriminatory. 
• Laura S. Schnell, Eisenberg & Schnell
• David G. Webbert, Johnson, Webbert & Young
• Robert S. Whitman, Seyfarth Shaw

12:45-1:45    Lunch

1:50-2:50      Addiction, Drug Use, and Disability
 Addiction remains one of the most stigmatized disabilities.  This panel will address sticky issues under both federal and NY law, including: How to prove addiction as a disability?  What accommodations may be required?  What challenges should we make to workplace drug testing?  What about drug free workplace policies, off duty conduct, and legally prescribed medications?  Can you protect the sober client who returns to work after rehabilitation?  Where does medical marijuana fit into all of this?

• Brian East, Disability Rights Texas
• Virginia L. Hardwick, Hardwick Benfer
• Colleen M. Meenan, Meenan & Associates

2:50-4:05      Jury Selection: Strategies for Effectively Selecting the Right Jurors for Your Case
The panelists will discuss strategies and ideas to obtain a jury receptive to your case in both state and federal courts.  Through video vignettes, the panel will explore effective ways of conducting voir dire and handling challenging situations.

• Ellen Brickman, Ph.D. of Doar, Inc.
• Robert Herbst, Herbst Law PLLC
• Bennitta Joseph, Joseph and Norinsberg
• Delmas A. Costin, Jr., The Law Office of Delmas A. Costin, Jr., PC 

4:05- 4:15      Break

4:15-5:05      Navigating the Maze of Whistleblower Laws
This panel will provide an overview of federal and state whistleblower anti-retaliation laws, including financial services laws, such as Sarbanes-Oxley and Dodd-Frank, federal and state false claims laws, and state health care worker retaliation laws.  Panelists will discuss the protections afforded under these laws, administrative requirements, and practical considerations to keep in mind when deciding whether to pursue claims.  

• Jonathan Ben-Asher, Ritz Clark & Ben-Asher LLP
• Amy Biegelsen, Outten & Golden LLP
• Jason Zuckerman, Zuckerman Law

5:05-6:00      Reception/Happy Hour