SECTION UPDATE
Labor & Employment
By Daniel P. Hart
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
[email protected]
From new DOL regulations on the FLSA’s white-collar exemptions and enactment of the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act to
historic decisions by the NLRB and the United States Supreme
Court, the past twelve months have witnessed significant developments in labor and employment law. In the midst of such
historic legal developments, during the 2015-2016 term the
Labor & Employment Section of the Atlanta Bar Association
has continued its long tradition of promoting legal excellence
and civility among labor and employment lawyers in Atlanta.
Promoting Excellence and Civility
Led by its indomitable Chair, Craig Cleland, the Section
filled its calendar with events and activities aimed squarely
at promoting excellence and civility among its members and
the bar at large. With its loyal sponsor and strident supporter,
Sullivan Strickler, by its side, the Section jumpstarted the
2015-2016 term on September 29, 2015 with its first of four
happy hour events. A month later, on October 28, the Section
held a second happy hour, this time jointly with the Workers’
Compensation Section. And, just a few months later, on February 2, 2016, the Section held its third happy hour.
“In the Trenches” CLE Seminar
On March 18, 2016, the Labor & Employment Section hosted
its annual advanced employment law CLE seminar, “In the
Trenches—Dispatches from Judicial, EEOC, Inhouse, Plaintiff,
and Defense Experts.” At the annual seminar, a distinguished
panel of labor and employment lawyers presented informative and practical presentations on a variety of timely topics,
including challenges facing in-house lawyers, the EEOC’s ADA
enforcement agenda, navigating the Fair Credit Reporting
Act, arbitrating employment claims, transgender issues in the
workplace, plaintiffs’ counsel perspectives on L&E trends and
practices, and the latest developments in waivers, settlement
agreements, and restrictive covenants. All attendees earned
8 CLE hours, including 1 Ethics, 2 Professionalism and 2 Trial
Practice credits.
The Section was particularly honored to have Christopher
Kuczynski and the Honorable Alan Baverman among its
seminar faculty. Having travelled from Washington, D.C., Mr.
Kuczynski, the Assistant Legal Counsel and Director of the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Policy Division (now the
ADA/GINA Policy Division) with the U.S. Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC), updated the attendees on
the EEOC’s enforcement agenda and led an insightful discussion on the ADA and the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). And later, during lunch, the Honorable Alan
Baverman, U.S. Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of Georgia, presented the keynote address,
“View from the Bench—Beyond Reasonably Calculated: The
Amended Federal Rules’ New Playing Field.”
Second Joint Happy Hour
The following month, on April 28, the Section held its second
joint happy hour of the year—the fourth overall, this time with
the Atlanta Council of Younger Lawyers.
Annual Spring Luncheon
On Friday, May 20, the Section will host its annual spring
luncheon, the last official act of the 2015-2016 Labor & Employment Section’s Board. The luncheon will be held at noon
at the Capital City Club and will feature a keynote address, “A
Perspective on Practice,” by the Honorable William S. Duffey, Jr., U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.
At the spring luncheon, the Section will honor the top laborand-employment law students from the Atlanta law schools:
Chelsea Marie Deppert (Emory), William C. McDonald
(Georgia State), and Benjamin F. Baker (John Marshall).
In addition, at the spring luncheon, the Section will recognize
all Board members and its outgoing Chair for their tireless efforts on behalf of the Section of the past year. The Section will
also recognize former Board Chair William C. (Cory) Barker
and former Communications Director and Board member Ellen B. Malow, both of whose terms expire this year. And the
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