This presentation is focused on how litigation avoidance is less about the violation of law than it is about how people are treated. A manager or HR representative’s conduct in listening to complaints, reviewing performance, and handling disciplinary matters and terminations plays a much bigger role than actual violations of the law. Former employees go to attorneys not because they know there was a violation of the law, but because they were treated “wrongfully.” In this presentation, we work with the perspective of “mindfulness,” borrowing some of the practical, non-theological teachings of Zen Buddhism to shed light on some of the behaviors that get employers in trouble. We examine various principles and then demonstrate how each applies to real-world situations.
About the Speaker
Rob Ghio has been practicing labor and employment law for over 20 years. A graduate of Stanford Law School, Rob has represented both management and employees in a wide variety of employment-related matters, including compliance issues, discrimination, covenants not to compete, severance agreements, unfair labor practices, and immigration. Rob formerly was a partner with a national law firm and the head of its labor and employment practice in Dallas, before opening his own firm in 2002 in Arlington. Rob is a frequent writer and speaker on employment and immigration related matters. He has been quoted in several local, national and international media, including USA Today.com; the Christian Science Monitor, Newsweek Japan, HR Magazine and the Fort Worth Star Telegram. Rob currently represents a diverse clientele that includes multinational corporations, Fortune 500 companies, and high-ranking executives.
This program is pending approval for 1.00 recertification credit toward PHR, SPHR, and GPHR recertification through the Human Resource Institute (HRCI). For more information about certification or recertification, please visit the HRCI homepage at www.hrci.org .
Stay After Our Main Speaker for a Legal Hour
Please join us for an extra hour of HRCI credit (pending approval) – Attorney Kristin Bauer will present our first legal hour presentation entitled, “That's a Reasonable Accommodation?! And Other Disability Leave Management Surprises.” Employers facing accommodation challenges have little guidance from the EEOC regarding the limits of the interactive process. This program will review examples from recent cases of interest in an engaging “case study” format to help employers understand the accommodation process and manage risk.
Ms. Bauer is a shareholder with the Dallas office of the national workplace law firm Jackson Lewis PC. Kristin represents management exclusively in workplace law and related litigation. In addition to handling an active employment litigation docket, she counsels management on preventive strategies, including termination decisions, investigations, employment agreements - including non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, wage and hour laws, policies and handbooks, and other issues affecting the workplace. Kristin also counsels employers on the numerous laws touching ill and injured workers, including the ADA, the FMLA, and related state laws, and implementing strategies to manage those risks. Kristin has been recognized seven times as a “Rising Star” by Texas Monthly Law and Politics. She has been a member of the SHRM-Texas State Council since 2007, currently serving as a legislative co-chair, and is a past president of MCHRA. Ms. Bauer has served as pro bono general counsel to The Family Place – a nonprofit agency serving the victims of domestic violence and their families since 2005. Kristin is also on the board of the National Association of Women Lawyers. Kristin recently co-authored an article entitled: Pregnancy Discrimination Re-examined – Accommodations for Pregnancy under the ADAAA, published in the Women’s Law Journal, Vol. 98, No. 3.
All online reservations are due Monday at noon prior to the meeting. Online registration will be closed at that time. Attendees not registered online will be considered walk-in registrations and will be charged the guest rate of $35.
