Continuing Legal Education at South Texas College of Law

 


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EMPLOYMENT LAW CONFERENCE
(Houston and Dallas)

July 12-13, 2007
Houston, Texas

Scroll down to view the complete schedule

Accredited by the State Bar of Texas MCLE Department for up to 14.75 MCLE hours, including 1.50 Ethics Hours.

Accredited by Human Resources Certification Institute for 14.75 recertification
credit hours towards PHR and SPHR recertification.


Thursday, July 12, 2007

7:00 REGISTRATION and Continental Breakfast

8:00 Welcome and Opening Remarks
  • James J. Alfini, Dean and President, South Texas College of Law - Houston
  • Professor Lisa L. Dahm, J.D., LL.M., Director of CLE, South Texas College of Law - Houston

Morning Moderator:
Thomas M. Anderson, Schulist Interests

8:15 Fifth Circuit Update
Our federal appeals court has had a busy 2006, and is looking at a busier 2007. And, here is a surprise: it's not all good news for Texas employers.
  • William C. Murley, Raytheon Company - Dallas

8:45 Texas Law Update
Texas courts are seeing more claims. Don't get inundated by the emerging tide.
  • Prof. Richard Carlson, South Texas College of Law - Houston

9:30 EEOC Confidential
Hear the inside scoop of what's on their mind. Educate yourself; escape the crosshairs.
  • Suzanne M. Anderson, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - Dallas

10:15 Morning Break

10:30 Three Investigative Secrets
Learn how to get to the truth.
  • Wendy H. Sicola, Employment Practices Solutions, Inc. - Houston

10:45 Second Generation Sex Discrimination Claims
Tomorrow's legal truths are today's legal heresies. Find out the latest on same sex, transgender, sexual stereotyping claims, and more.
Moderator:
  • Monte K. Hurst, Hermes Sargent Bates, LLP - Dallas
Panelists:
  • Collier M. Cole, Ph.D., Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Medical Branch - Galveston
  • Kenneth D. Upton, Jr., Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. - Dallas

11:30 Employment Law Icebergs
Drill down past the obvious and get attuned to the dangerous unseen: I.D. theft, at-will exceptions, statutory traps.
  • Michael J. Muskat, Muskat Martinez & Mahoney, LLP - Houston

12:00 Lunch Break
(pick up lunch and return to the auditorium)

12:15 Lunch Presentation
Texas Top Guns
What the government thinks matters, and it matters a lot.
Moderator:
  • Marc W. Joseph, Haggar Clothing Co. - Dallas
Panelists:
  • Martin Lee Barrow, Sr., District Director, U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division - Houston
  • Martha Kinard, Regional Director, National Labor Relations Board - Fort Worth
  • R.J. Ruff, Jr., District Director, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - Houston

1:05 After Lunch Break

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Afternoon Moderator:
Nicole Lee, Aaron Rents, Inc.

1:15 To Hire or Not To Hire
Get the latest on personality tests, the FCRA, interview dos and don'ts.
  • Erin O'Driscoll, Powers & Frost, L.L.P. - Houston

1:45 Policies: What Works, What Doesn't
It's time to refresh your handbook. Learn what gets you sued and what saves you from suit.
Moderator:
  • John B. Gessner, Texas Wings, Inc. - Dallas
Panelists:
  • Paul Schorn, Attorney at Law - Austin and Lockhart
  • Ted Smith, Cornell Smith & Mierl, L.L.P. - Austin

2:25 Arbitration Update
Hear the latest on attacking and defending ADR agreements.
  • Fred Gaona, III, Epstein Becker & Green, P.C. - Dallas

2:40 Afternoon Break

2:55 ELPI: Make It Work For You
Insurance for employment claims is here to stay, like it or not. Get the knowledge.
  • Brian, L. Pudenz, Chubb & Son, a Division of Federal Insurance Company - Dallas

3:25 The New Rules on Electronic Discovery
The rules of the game changed in 2006. Don't get caught napping.
  • Kerry R. McEniry, Harrison, Bettis, Staff, McFarland & Weems, L.L.P. - Houston

3:40 (LIVE FROM DALLAS)
What the New Rules Mean for Texas Employers

Rules are more than black and white, dos and don'ts. Catch the nuance.
  • Stephen E. Fox, Fish & Richardson, P.C. - Dallas

4:10 When an Employee's Private Life Becomes Your Business
Blogs. YouTube. Divorce. Garnishment. You don’t just hire a pair of hands, you hire a person.
Moderator:
  • Andrea M. Johnson, Powers & Frost, L.L.P. - Houston
Panelists:
  • Sean D. Greenberg, Pluckers Wing Factory & Grill - Austin
  • Julie Pastel, Pappas Restaurants - Houston
  • Charles H. Wilson, Epstein Becker & Greene, P.C. - Houston

5:00 Adjourn to reception honoring keynote speaker:
Ronald Meisburg, General Counsel, National Labor Relations Board - Washington, DC


South Texas College of Law
invites you to attend a reception honoring keynote speaker

Ronald Meisburg

General Counsel, National Labor Relations Board, Washington, DC
Thursday, July 12, 2007
5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Emilie Slohm Room - 6th floor of the Fred Parks Law Library

reception sponsored by
Platinum-Level Sponsors
• Muskat, Martinez & Mahony, LLP
• Stewart & Stevenson
• Texas Employment Law Letter


Gold-Level Sponsors
• Ford & Harrison LLP
• Sharon M. Schweitzer, JD, PHR and Protocol Academy, LLC


Silver-Level Sponsors
• Employment Practices Solutions, Inc.
• Hermes Sargent Bates, L.L.P.
• HR Houston
• Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C.
• Powers & Frost, L.L.P.


R.S.V.P. to Ben Santillán at bsantillan@stcl.edu or (713) 646-2937.



Total MCLE hours for Thursday = 7.75 hours,
(no legal ethics credit)

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Friday, July 13, 2007

7:30 Continental BreakfastContinental Breakfast Continental Breakfast

8:00 Early Bird Roundtable Discussions (Houston and Dallas)

HOUSTON

The Life of a Plaintiff Lawyer
  • Joseph Y. Ahmad, Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Anaipakos, P.C. - Houston
Public Employers
  • Jay R. Aldis, Bracewell & Giuliani, LLP - Houston
FLSA Regulations: Two Years After the New Regulations
  • Mark R. Flora, Constangy, Brooks & Smith, LLC - Austin
Persuasive Writing Tips
  • Theresa M. Gegen, Ford & Harrison LLP - Dallas
Retaliation After Burlington Northern
  • Mark J. Levine, Levine & Associates, P.C. - Houston
Communications To Clients and Executives
  • Michael P. Maslanka, Ford & Harrison LLP,
    Editor, Texas Employment Law Letter - Dallas
Non-Competes, Post-Shesnoff
  • Timothy T. McInturf, Littler Mendelson, P.C. - Houston
Summary Judgment: Tips and Tactics
  • Mark J. Oberti, Seyfarth Shaw LLP - Houston
Dean's Perspective on International Mediation with an Employment Law Perspective
  • Sharon M. Schweitzer, JD, PHR, Protocol Academy, LLC - Dallas

DALLAS

Global Employment Issues
  • Jordan W. Cowman, Aking Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP - Dallas
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Litigation
  • Ronetta J. Francis, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - Dallas
The Life of a Plaintiff's Lawyer
  • Barry S. Hersh, Hersh Law Firm, PC - Dallas
Sarbanes Oxley Retaliation
  • Roland M. Juarez, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld - Dallas

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Morning Moderator:
Lisa H. Pennington, Baker Hostetler

9:00 What the National Labor Relations Act Means for Texas Employers
Straight from the NLRB’s top lawyer.
  • Ronald Meisburg, General Counsel, National Labor Relations Board - Washington, DC

9:30 Cat's Paw: Coming Soon to a Courtroom Near You
The next blockbuster: innocent decision maker, biased subordinate, fired employee suing for discrimination. Texas employers: Guilty or not?
  • Susan R. Oxford, Appellate Attorney, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - Washington, DC

10:00 Morning Break

10:15 The Human Resources Manager as a Plaintiff and Defendant
Sooner or later it will happen. Get ready now.
(Ethics Topic)
  • Rachel M. Smith, Baker Hostetler - Houston

10:30 Class Actions: Dead or Alive?
Walmart. FLSA misclassifications. ERISA. The latest from a Lone Star perspective.
  • Samantha Barlow Martinez, Muskat, Martinez & Mahony, LLP - Houston

10:45 USERRA Update
How to handle leave requests. Managing a serviceperson's return. Getting sued. Avoiding suit.
  • Vianei Lopez Robinson, Robinson Law Firm - Abilene

11:15 LIVE FROM DALLAS
FLSA: The Latest

Hear from an employee's lawyer on what he zeros in on when sizing up an employer for suit.
  • J. Derek Braziel, Lee & Braziel, L.L.P. - Dallas

11:45 Lunch Break
(pick up lunch and return to the auditorium)

12:00 Lunch Presentation
Box Lunch Ethics
What's the latest on sanctions? Stock options scandals? How best to advise and counsel clients on doing the right thing? Ex parte contacts? Joint representation?
(Ethics Topic)
Moderator:
  • Lisa H. Pennington, Baker Hostetler - Houston
Panelists:
  • Joseph Y. Ahmad, Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Anaipakos - Houston
  • Michael P. Maslanka, Ford & Harrison LLP
    Editor, Texas Employment Law Letter - Dallas
  • Ted D. Meyer, Jones Day - Houston

12:45 After Lunch Break

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Afternoon Moderator:
Terry Hatcher, Stewart & Stevenson LLC

1:00 Rhyming Our Way Through an Internal Complaint
Fast-paced rhyming reminders of the steps to take now before you get an internal complaint, the traps to avoid when investigating a complaint, and methods of responding effectively to the results of the investigation.
  • DeDe Church, DeDe Church Consulting - Houston

1:30 FMLA: Handling the Tough Issues
Hear the latest thinking on managing intermittent leave; avoiding FMLA claims; administering the FMLA to your advantage.
Moderator:
  • Mary Michelle Mahony, Muskat, Martinez & Mahony, LLP - Houston
Panelists:
  • Stephen J. Calvert, Assistant General Counsel, CenterPoint Energy - Houston
  • Lauren Rykert, SPHR, Senior Vice President of Human Resources, The Methodist Hospital System - Houston

2:15 Release Killers, Release Savers
Make sure your settlement agreements are all they can be. Mistakes will come back to haunt you.
  • Carolyn A. Russell, Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. - Houston

2:35 Afternoon Break

2:45 Persuasion and Communication in a New World
Texas demographics are changing. Ideas on making sure you change with them, whether at the workplace or the courthouse.
(Includes .25 hour of legal ethics)
Moderator:
  • Katrina Grider, Katrina Grider & Associates - Cypress
Panelists:
  • Elaine V. Brzezinski, Nokia Siemens Networks - Irving
  • Gustavo Bujanda, Burson-Marsteller - Dallas
  • Samantha D. Holmes, Ph.D., R&D Strategic Solutions - Memphis, TN

3:30 The Real Deal: Effective Strategies and Tactics in Employment Law
Hear the latest on mediation advocacy, deposition techniques, opening statements, and much more.
(Includes .25 hour of legal ethics)
  • Michael P. Maslanka, Ford & Harrison LLP,
    Editor, Texas Employment Law Letter - Dallas


4:00 Door Prizes

4:15 Adjourn

Total MCLE hours for Friday = 6.0 hours,
(7.0 with the early bird roundtable discussion),
including 1.50 hours of legal ethics

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For Questions regarding Continuing Legal Education, Email: ksmith@stcl.edu