Join us for a discussion with Jason Solomon and Abby Frerick from the National Institute for Workers' Rights and Tanya Martinez-Gallinucci, Executive Director of the New York City Bar Association's Office for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, on how to make the best use of evidence of scaling back diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, whether in public statements made by executives, in corporate filings and company town halls, on websites, and in policies and initiatives previously embraced by the company. As corporations capitulate to political pressure by changing workplace inclusion programs, tool up with pleadings and discovery demands that harness this evidence to buttress our discrimination claims. Our presenters will explore the history and current understanding of DEI, explain how civil rights protections remain unchanged despite shifting political winds, identify strategic opportunities for leveraging any retreat from workplace equal opportunity commitments and inspire a renewed dedication to these values.
Register today!The Ministerial Exception is a judge-made doctrine emanating from the First Amendment's religious clauses protecting religious employer’s autonomy in personnel decisions. In December, the New York Court of Appeals ruled in Sander v. Westchester Reform Temple that the ministerial exception precludes liability for the Temple for terminating an employee whose job description included the job duties of a minister, including “teaching religious texts…and weekly Torah portions, as well as planning and attending religious programming” and posted blogs critical of Israel and Zionism in her personal time. Two days later, The First Department ruled in Boliak v. Reilly that the ministerial exception has limits, including that religious employer may not subject employees to a hostile work environment unrelated to their religious expression because “it was not intended as a shield from all types of workplace conduct." Can these decisions be easily squared? Join us for a conversation with the NELA/NY member litigators behind these scenes, including Steve Bergstein of Bergstein & Ullrich, Arlene Boop of Alterman & Boop, LLP, and James deBoer of Stulberg & Walsh to learn about the trajectory of the Ministerial Exception and what we can expect from New York courts and how they will balance state and federal anti-discrimination mandates against religious liberty protections.
Join emerging lawyers Jacqueline Carranza of Elefterakis, Elefterakis & Panek, Ingrid Fernandez of Mizrahi Kroub, Katlyn Palmatier of Mesidor PLLC, and Evan Richardson of Harman Green LLC for a candid and interactive roundtable about their experience as new plaintiff-side employment practitioners, including: (1) how plaintiff-side law firms can nourish a pipeline of lawyers and counteract the push to BigLaw, including by conveying how this field can be rewarding; (2) best practices for nurturing emerging lawyers, including brokering mentorship relationships, providing clear guidance and feedback, and creating safe spaces for making mistakes; (3) supporting differences in personal identity, politics, and principles with colleagues, supervisors and adversaries, particularly in the current climate; and (4) recognizing the personal challenge of dealing with the erosion of civil rights protections when one’s own rights are at issue.
Register today!
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