2009 National Employment Law Update -- Speakers Page

Business & Legal Reports is proud to bring you leading employment law experts from around the country. Speakers for the National Employment Law Update include:

	Anthony Amendola, Esq. Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, LLC Amendola represents private sector and non-profit employers in all areas of labor and employment law, including: serving as counsel in single plaintiff, multi-plaintiff and class action lawsuits, including employment discrimination, wage and hour, harassment, wrongful termination, ERISA and breach of contract actions; advising employers on key human resource management issues, including personnel policies, payroll practices, workforce reductions, reorganizations, leaves of absence, accommodating disabilities, terminations, and other personnel actions; and conducting and advising on workplace investigations and compliance audits.
	Donald J. Cayea, Esq. Jones Hirsch Connors & Bull, PC Cayea has represented both insurance and corporate clients in significant matters of litigation including Title VII, Fair Labor Standards Act and other employment claims. He has served as lead counsel in arbitration and litigation arising out of many types of other commercial disputes, ranging from insurance and bond claims, entertainment, employment issues, and civil rights. His practice is national, and he has also appeared in tribunals in London to advise Lloyd’s insurers on issues of American law. He was featured in the 2007 issue of New York Superlawyers, honoring the top attorneys in their fields. He is a frequent speaker on employment law and is asked to speak on this topic by many organizations, including the Risk and Insurance Management Society where his book was presented at the 2008 conference.
	Susan Desmond, Esq. Watkins, Ludlam Winter & Stennis, PA Desmond represents management in labor and employment issues. She is a frequent speaker and author on issues facing employers and frequently speaks on discrimination in the workplace, sexual harassment, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Desmond is currently completing a book addressing unique issues employers face with regard to mothers in the workplace. Desmond was recognized by her colleagues as the Outstanding Young Lawyer in Mississippi in 1996. She has served in numerous capacities in the American Bar Association, including being chair of the Labor and Employment Committee/Young Lawyers Division.
	Doug Farmer, Esq. Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC Farmer is the managing shareholder of the firm’s San Francisco office. His litigation practice focuses on representation of management in wage and hour class action, employment discrimination, and wrongful termination matters in state and federal courts. He has tried to verdict a range of employment cases, including wage and hour, sexual harassment, age discrimination and other wrongful termination matters. His experience ranges from representing businesses in single plaintiff actions, to defending large employers in wage and hour class actions and class action prosecutions by the U.S. Department of Justice and the EEOC.
	Gregg Fisch, Esq. Seyfarth Shaw, LLP Fisch is a partner in the Los Angeles office of Seyfarth Shaw, LLP. A member of the Labor & Employment Department, he has extensive experience in all aspects of litigation, and has successfully defended management before federal and state courts and administrative agencies in defense of complaints for class action and single-plaintiff matters, involving wage-and-hour violations, wrongful termination, age, race, gender, and national origin discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, and other statutory, contract and tort-related claims, as well as in relation to union campaigns and elections.
	Laura Innes, Esq. Simpson, Garrity, Innes & Jacuzzi, PC Innes is engaged exclusively in the practice of labor and employment law. She has practiced extensively in state and federal court and before state and federal agencies including: the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal Department of Labor (DOL), the Office of Federal Contracts Compliance Program (OFCCP), and the state Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE). In addition to litigation and preventive counseling, Innes effectively employs alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation and arbitration, to efficiently and effectively resolve sensitive employment disputes.
	Marc Jacuzzi, Esq. Simpson, Garrity, Innes & Jacuzzi, PC Jacuzzi has broad experience in employment law matters. He has represented numerous employers as defendants in civil rights actions (including claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), and other state discrimination statutes), trade secret misappropriation claims, wage claims, and wrongful termination claims.
	Kristine Kwong, Esq. Hinshaw & Culbertson, LLP Kwong is a business and corporate transactions attorney with particular focus on labor and employment law. She represents both private and public sector employers in federal and state courts throughout California in counseling and litigation. Kwong advises and counsels clients on a wide range of business and employment issues, including wage and hour matters, non-compete and restrictive covenant agreements, executive compensation packages, the full range of disciplinary matters, discrimination, harassment, and leaves of absence.
	Myron D. (Mike) Moye, Esq. Hanson Bridgett, LLP Moye specializes in litigation and counseling related to employment and labor law matters. He represents employers in employment disputes in state and federal court, arbitrations, administrative hearings and before government agencies. In addition, he provides preventive advice, counsel and training to employers on a variety of employment law issues, including union organizing activity and collective bargaining.
	Steven Pearlman, Esq. Seyfarth Shaw, LLP Pearlman is a partner in the Labor & Employment Department of Seyfarth Shaw, LLP. He represents management in class action and single-plaintiff employment litigation in federal and state courts across the country, and his practice is focused on defending employers against claims of discrimination, harassment, wage and hour violations, breach of restrictive covenants, misappropriation of trade secrets, and violations of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act’s whistleblower provisions. He has served as a Special Assistant Attorney General for the state of Illinois, and also counsels employers to minimize the risk of litigation.
	Sandra Rappaport, Esq. Hanson Bridgett, LLP Rappaport is experienced in all aspects of labor and employment law. She has extensive litigation experience, including defending employers against discrimination, wrongful termination, whistleblowing, and sexual harassment claims in both state and federal court. She has substantial experience litigating on behalf of employers in other forums as well, including labor arbitrations and other administrative proceedings.
	Phillip Russell, Esq. Constangy, Brooks & Smith, LLP Russell is a labor and employment lawyer exclusively for businesses. He represents employers in all labor and employment matters. He not only defends employers before government agencies and courts and in union-organizing campaigns, he proactively advises businesses on how to best comply with the extensive and constantly changing labor and employment laws, rules, and regulations. Russell’s counseling and advice services to businesses also includes interactive training sessions for executives, managers, supervisors, and human resources departments. He helps employers develop labor and employment law compliance programs by reviewing and revising employment polices and practices.
	Rebecca Speer, Esq. Speer Associates/Workplace Counsel Speer’s professional activities place her on the leading edge of today’s employment issues. As founder and principal of Speer Associates/Workplace Counsel, she brings over twenty years of experience to her work with a wide range of organizations, providing employment law services with a specialized focus on internal investigations, employee relations management, and the prevention of workplace violence, discrimination, harassment, and other employee misconduct. Clients have included major corporations across a variety of industries, public-sector organizations, and professional firms.
	Veronica von Grabow, Esq. Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, LLC von Grabow provides guidance to clients on employee relations, performance management, training programs, recruiting issues, workers’ compensation, and legal compliance. In the past, she managed the HR function for west coast operations of a multi-national corporation,. She was also an employee relations and HR generalist for small and mid-sized businesses and Fortune 500 companies.
	Allison West, Esq., SPHR Employment Practices Specialists, LLC In 2000, after practicing law at a San Francisco labor and employment boutique, West started Employment Practices Specialists, LLC, based in Pacifica, California. Using her employment law background, coupled with sound knowledge of human resource practices and a Senior Professional in Human Resources certification, West provides proactive risk management services aimed at helping companies both prevent and resolve employment claims. West has experience litigating claims involving Title VII, ADA, FMLA, and state employment laws, wrongful discharge, breach of contract; work-related tort claims, representing employers at wage and hour hearings and in labor arbitrations, responding to administrative agency charges; developing employee handbooks, policies and procedures; and counseling clients concerning all facets of employment practices. A sought-after trainer for her dynamic presentation style, West specializes in developing and delivering interactive training programs in the U.S. and internationally that address employment law and human resources issues. West’s practice also includes conducting workplace investigations, one-on-one sensitivity training for managers and employees concerning sexual harassment, discrimination, and diversity awareness issues, coaching managers and employees with disciplinary and/or behavioral problems, providing expert witness and litigation assistance, consulting with HR departments on administrative agency charges and employee handbooks, policies and procedures, and a 24/7 employee complaint hotline.
	Stephen R. Woods, Esq. Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC Woods represents management in all aspects of labor and employment law and has significant legal and professional experience in the field. He assists national clients on traditional labor (union) issues, employment litigation, and counseling matters. Prior to practicing law, he served as the Manager of Administrative Services at The Greenville News (Greenville, S.C.), where he managed the human resources department for this 500-employee newspaper publishing company. A graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law, he was a member of the Wagner Labor Law Moot Court team and Wig & Robe, a member of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Journal, President of the Student Bar Association, and recipient of the Bronze Compleat Lawyer Award in 1996 (the highest award given to a student by the USC School of Law).
	Jeffrey Wortman, Esq. Seyfarth Shaw, LLP Wortman specializes in labor and employment law and has represented employers in cases regarding allegations of wage and hour law violations, wrongful discharge, retaliation, and discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national origin, disability, filing of workers’ compensation claims, sexual harassment, whistle-blowing, and related matters. Wortman has also represented clients in traditional labor matters under the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act, and has experience advising clients with regard to collective bargaining negotiations and union organizing campaigns, drafting employment contracts, and defending employers in arbitration of claims under collective bargaining agreements.