Tuesday, March 2 Employee Handbooks and Notice Requirements:
Keeping Your Handbooks and Notices Compliant
With Federal and State Law Presented by William
A. Munoz, Kerri L. Ruzicka, Bruce A.
Scheidt and Diana
Halpenny Approved
for 2.0
California recertification credit hours
Tuesday, March 9 Exploring
the Pitfalls of Hiring, Background Checks,
Benefits, and Rehiring Presented
by Jerry J. Deschler, Jr., Dale R. Kuykendall and Reina
Minoya Approved
for 2.0
General
recertification credit hours
Tuesday, March 16
Evaluations, Retaliations, Grievances, and Discipline –
Navigating California Employment Issues Presented by Aaron
Crews, Littler and Monica S. Hans Approved
for 2.0
California recertification credit hours
Tuesday, March 23 Terminating
Employees: Avoiding Wrongful
Termination and Related Litigation Presented by
Gary R. Basham and Jennifer D. Barrera Approved
for 2.0
California recertification credit hours
The use
of this seal is not an endorsement by the HR
Certification Institute of the quality of the program.
It means that this program has met the HR Certification
Institute’s criteria to be pre-approved for
recertification credit.
Tuesday, March 2 Employee Handbooks and Notice
Requirements: Keeping Your Handbooks and Notices Compliant With
Federal and State Law Presented by
William A. Munoz, Kerri L. Ruzicka,
Bruce A. Scheidt and Diana Halpenny Approved
for 2.0 California
recertification credit hours
Maintaining a properly drafted employee
handbook and providing proper notice to employees is key to reducing
the likelihood of future litigation. Both state and federal laws
require employers to provide notice of employee rights and
responsibilities including wage and hour laws, leaves of absence and
safety requirements. Compliance with Cal-OSHA is also paramount to
preventing future litigation and or state fines for non-compliance.
Come and hear a panel of experienced attorneys who will provide you
with the fundamental practices to ensure full compliance with
statutory and regulatory notice requirements and to maintain a
proper employee handbook.
At this seminar, you will learn:
Which notices are required, what
they must contain, and how they must be communicated to comply
with the legal notice requirements;
Best practices for complying with
Cal-OSHA notice requirements;
Essential components of an employee
handbook; and
Best practices for auditing and
revising an employee handbook.
William A. Munoz is a shareholder
with Murphy, Pearson Bradley & Feeney, where he practices in all
California state and federal courts. Mr. Munoz practice focuses on
professional liability and employment law litigation, defending
clients in wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment and wage
claims. Mr. Muñoz is a member of the Sacramento County Bar
Association Labor and Employment Section, and of the American Bar
Association Professional Liability Litigation and Employment and
Labor Relations Law Committees. He also serves on the Defense
Research Institute Professional Liability Committee and Labor and
Employment Section, and is a member of the National Association of
Defense Counsel for Northern California.
Kerri L. Ruzicka is a Senior
Associate with Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney. She is admitted
to all California state courts and the U.S. Eastern District Court
of California. Ms. Ruzicka’s practice focuses on professional
liability and employment law litigation, where she counsels clients
on all matters related to general liability and employment law
claims. Ms. Ruzicka is certified as a Sr. Professional in Human
Resources (SPHR) and is a member of the Labor and Employment
section of the Sacramento County Bar and the California State Bar
Association Ms. Ruzicka also serves on the Board of the Sacramento
Area Human Resource Administrators as Legislative Team Leader and is
a member of the Defense Research Institute and the National
Association of Defense Counsel for Northern California.
Bruce A. Scheidt is a shareholder
at Kronick Moskovitz Tiedemann & Girard (KMTG). He served as the
firm’s Labor and Employment Practice Group Manager for six years.
While remaining an attorney in the firm's Labor and Employment
Group, he now serves as the new Business Services Practice Group
Manager, overseeing the firm’s commercial litigation, business law,
banking and creditor’s rights, corporate formation, real estate,
wills, trusts, probate and tax practices. Mr. Scheidt represents
clients in all areas of employment and labor law, including
defending employers in discrimination, harassment, retaliation,
disability accommodation and whistleblower lawsuits, negotiating
executive employment agreements, and representing employers in
collective bargaining.
Diana Halpenny has served as an
Of-Counsel Attorney with Kronick, Moskovitz, Tiedemann & Girard for
two and one-half years, and is the practice group manager for the
firm's Education Department. She has represented school districts
in all aspects of school law for nearly thirty years. Ms. Halpenny
provides legal advice in all areas of school law, but focuses
primarily on employment-related issues. She is the past president
of the California School Attorneys Association, a state-wide
association of school attorneys sponsored by the California School
Boards Association. She is also a member of the attorney advisory
committee of CSBA's Education Legal Alliance , which supports school
districts in litigation having a state-wide impact.
Tuesday, March 9 Exploring the Pitfalls of Hiring,
Background Checks, Benefits, and Rehiring Presented by Jerry J.
Deschler, Jr., Dale R. Kuykendall and Reina Minoya Approved
for 2.0 General
recertification credit hours
This seminar focuses on four key aspects
of the beginning of the employment relationship: hiring, background
checks, benefits, and rehiring. During this interactive panel
discussion, employment attorneys from Jackson Lewis LLP and
Klinedinst, PC will share their experiences and provide valuable
insight to help human resources professionals understand the legal
issues involved in such tasks as:
advertising job openings;
interviewing;
pre-employment testing;
performing credit and criminal
background checks;
maintaining proper hiring
documentation; and
avoiding potential discrimination
complaints in the employee selection process.
The panel discussion format will also
provide attendees the opportunity to ask questions and gain insight
into other issues that occur in their workplace relating to the
hiring process.
Jerry J. Deschler, Jr. is an
Associate in the Sacramento, California office of Jackson Lewis LLP.
He has represented management in employment law and related
litigation, including cases involving wrongful termination,
reductions in force, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, breach
of contract, wage and hour, and other labor and employment-related
actions. In addition, Mr. Deschler provides employment advice and
counsel and trains employers on proactive litigation avoidance
strategies and practices. He has provided training and seminars for
private and public employers and local chambers of commerce on a
variety of issues, including employee disability management and
leave laws, harassment prevention, EEO issues, hiring, firing, and
disciplining employees, and wage and hour issues. Mr. Deschler was
recently recognized as a “Rising Star” in the 2009 edition of
Northern California Super Lawyers.
Dale R. Kuykendall is a Partner
in the Sacramento office of Jackson Lewis LLP. He has 20 years of
experience representing management in labor and employment matters.
Mr. Kuykendall’s practice focuses on advice and counseling of
employers in the hiring, supervision, and termination of employees.
In addition to his advice and counsel practice, Mr. Kuykendall has
successfully litigated a wide variety of employment cases including
claims of unfair competition, breach of contract, discrimination,
harassment, and wrongful termination. Mr. Kuykendall is a frequent
speaker on employment topics before business and employer
associations and frequently presents seminars on behalf of the firm.
He also regularly conducts in-house training for the firm’s clients.
Reina Minoya is an
Associate with the Sacramento office of Klinedinst PC and helps lead
the office's Employment Law Practice Group. Her employment law
practice focuses on assisting California employers on a wide variety
of labor topics and counseling issues. Reina's defense of employers
has encompassed many different claims on issues such as harassment,
discrimination and failure to accommodate disability. She has also
counseled employers on matters such as terminations, misconduct
investigations, collective bargaining agreements and workers'
compensation issues.
Tuesday, March 16 Evaluations, Retaliations, Grievances, and
Discipline
– Navigating California Employment Issues Presented by Aaron Crews and
Monica S. Hans Approved
for 2.0 California
recertification credit hours
An employer’s obligations under federal
and state employment laws seem never ending. This seminar will
assist in understanding both these obligations and the complex legal
pitfalls encountered in every step of the employment disciplinary
process. By the end of the presentation, you’ll learn:
Effective use of performance
evaluations;
A blue print of conducting thorough
and transparent investigations into employee grievances;
A blue print of conducting thorough
and transparent investigations into employee retaliation claims;
Initiating and enforcing
disciplinary policies within the framework of employee handbooks
and progressive discipline policies;
Employee Evaluations--best
practices; and
Best practices for avoiding employee
retaliation claims.
Aaron Crews, Littler, represents
employers in all aspects of employment and labor law, including
civil litigation in State and Federal Courts, defending public and
private employers against class action lawsuits, and representing
employers before government agencies such as the EEOC, NLRB and DFEH.
Mr. Crews also provides practical advice on day-to-day matters for
clients in an effort to avoid litigation on issues such as
terminations, reductions in force, conducting sexual harassment
investigations, employee background checks, wage and hour problems,
and collective bargaining issues.
Monica Hans is an attorney in
Downey Brand LLP’s Labor and Employment Group in Sacramento,
California. She represents public and private employers in
litigation and counsels them on a variety of labor and employment
law issues, including but not limited to discrimination and
harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, and wage and hour
violations. Ms. Hans earned a B.A. degree in Political Science from
California State University, Chico and a J.D. degree from the
University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law. She is a member
of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the State Bar of
California as well as the Sacramento County Bar Association.
Tuesday, March 23
Terminating Employees: Avoiding Wrongful
Termination and Related Litigation Presented by
Gary R. Basham and Jennifer D. Barrera Approved
for 2.0 California
recertification credit hours
This seminar will provide a
comprehensive overview of the California and Federal laws applicable
to terminations of employment and layoffs, as well as practical tips
and strategies that attendees should consider to help minimize the
employer’s exposure to wrongful termination and related claims. The
course will be presented as an interactive discussion where the
attendees will be invited to participate with questions and
comments.
Learning Objectives:
Discussion of California and Federal
law regarding discrimination, harassment, and retaliation
applicable to individual terminations of employment.
Discussion of California and Federal
law applicable to layoffs.
Factors employers should analyze
prior to finalizing terminations of employment and reductions in
force in order to avoid liability, including protected
classifications, prior practices, and documentation.
Practical pointers on how to
communicate and document the termination of employment.
Handling DFEH/EEOC charges and
unemployment claims.
How to prepare effective severance
agreements.
When and how to communicate
discharge and layoff decisions to the remaining workforce
Gary R. Basham is a founding
partner of the law firm of Basham Parker LLP, where he exclusively
practices employment law and related litigation. He advises clients
on numerous workplace law issues and has extensive experience in
wrongful termination, sexual harassment, retaliation, employment
discrimination, wage and hour, and unfair competition litigation in
federal and state courts and agencies throughout Northern
California. Gary regularly defends employers against single and
multi-plaintiff employment claims for breach of contract,
discrimination, retaliation, harassment, wrongful termination,
unfair business practices, violation of wage and hour laws, as well
as numerous other tort and statutory employment law causes of
action. Gary regularly speaks on a wide variety of employment law
topics before a variety of organizations and associations. He also
frequently conducts training seminars on employment law issues for
clients and colleagues.
Jennifer D. Barrera is an
associate with the law firm of Carlton DiSante & Freudenberger, LLP,
where she solely focuses on advising clients regarding
employment issues in the workplace and employment related
litigation. She has successfully litigated a variety of employment
claims in both state and federal court, including wrongful
termination, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and alleged
wage and hour violations. Ms. Barrera has also defended multiple
employers in administrative hearings including hearings before the
Department of Labor Standards Enforcement, Workers' Compensation
Appeals Board, and Unemployment Compensation Appeals Board. She
also regularly speaks and writes articles on various employment
related topics, including seminars for Lorman, CDF's Monthly HR
Roundtable, California Employment Law Letter, and Sacramento Lawyer
Magazine.
