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NOTE: Zoom links to access the webinar will not be sent until ONE HOUR BEFORE the event,

Whether you are an experienced practitioner or new to the field of labor and employment law, the Symposium provides practical information and insight concerning recent developments, strategies, and current trends shaping this continually evolving practice area. This year’s Labor & Employment Law Symposium will be virtual, but still interactive. The Symposium will consist of four sessions split into two consecutive Thursdays, March 4 and 11, 2021. Each Thursday will have a morning and an afternoon session. A virtual happy hour will follow the afternoon session on the first Thursday. The program will offer a total of 10.25 hours of MCLE credit, including one hour of Competence Issues credit. We hope to see you there!

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PROGRAM SCHEDULE 
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 DAY 1
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THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021

SESSION 1: THE STATE OF EMPLOYMENT LAW

10:00 AM
Welcome
Cornelia Dai, Symposium Committee Chair

10:05 AM - 10:20 AM
Opening Remarks: State of the Court

Presiding Judge Eric Taylor will provide an overview of the state of the court and measures enacted to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Judge David J. Cowan, Supervising Judge for the Civil Division, will provide insight on what to expect in litigating labor and employment cases during these unprecedented times.

Panelist:
Eric C. Taylor, Presiding Judge, Superior Court of Los Angeles County
David J. Cowan, Supervising Judge for the Civil Division, Superior Court of Los Angeles County

10:25 AM - 11:55 AM
What Else Happened in 2020? The Employment Law Developments You May Have Missed

While the world grappled with the pandemic, economic disruption, and other crises in 2020, the courts and California legislature moved forward with groundbreaking developments in employment law.  Our panelists will review notable cases and legislative developments in federal and California law that will affect all California employment litigators for years to come.

Panelists:
Jennifer Baldocchi, Paul Hastings LLP
Christina Cheung, Allred, Maroko & Goldberg

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SESSION 2: RACIAL INJUSTICE, POLITICAL SPEECH & PRIVACY

1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
The Role of Race and Racial Bias in Political Decisions Affecting American Lives: Lessons from The Protest Psychosis for the Time of COVID and Black Lives Matter

Jonathan M. Metzl M.D., Ph.D. is a professor of sociology and psychiatry and the Director of the Center for Medicine, Health and Society at Vanderbilt University. His research and studies on healthcare reform, guns, and politics in terms of race relations and diversity give him a unique perspective on political issues that affect people’s everyday lives. Building off of his work on the race-based misdiagnosis of mental illness, Dr. Metzl will explore how bias in medicine and law function at structural levels in addition to individual ones. He will share these perspectives and how they relate to the current social justice movement, the pandemic, and what can be done to create a better society for everyone. Dr. Metzl’s books include the award-winning best seller Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment is Killing America’s Heartland and The Protest Psychosis.

Panelist:
Jonathan Metzl, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology and Psychiatry and Director of the Center for Medicine, Health, and Society at Vanderbilt University

2:35 PM - 3:35 PM
Racial Injustice and Political Speech, In and Out of the Workplace

In 2020, the brutal circumstances of George Floyd’s death and subsequent racial and political divides in the United States led to nationwide demonstrations. In 2021, the nation has already experienced political unrest resulting in the events at the Capitol on January 6. Naturally, differing viewpoints and expressions of opinion about these events frequently spill over into the workplace. As a result, employers are faced with a multitude of questions about racial injustice and their response to it as well as how to respond to employees’ expression of opinions about these very complex and potentially polarizing issues. This panel will explore an employee’s right of expression, both inside and outside of the workplace, as well an employer’s ability to address and/or restrict such speech.

Panelists:
Mika Hilaire, Equal Rights Law Group
Holly R. Lake, DLA Piper LLP (US)
Pilar Morin, Liebert Cassidy Whitmore (Moderator)

3:45 PM - 4:45 PM
Is Somebody Watching You? Emerging Trends in the Use of Technology and Monitoring in the COVID and Post-COVID Workplace

This panel will explore legal and practical cutting-edge issues and considerations surrounding the way employers can use technology to monitor, supervise, train, and track employee productivity under current remote and essential working environments.  We will also explore the rights and obligations from both the employer and employee perspective and provide practical advice as to how to navigate the current and emerging law as companies prepare to return to work in a post-COVID environment.

Panelists: 
Barbara Figari Cowan, Workplace Advocates
Stacey McKee Knight, Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP (Moderator)
Adam Wergeles, Executive VP and General Counsel, Leaf Group

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Virtual Happy Hour & Mixology Class

Presented by Spirit Guides Inc.

Join friends and colleagues for a mixology class on preparing the perfect Moscow Mule and Margarita followed by time to catch up and make new connections. The happy hour and mixology class are open to all registrants.

To purchase ingredients for the mixology class, go tohttps://spiritguidescocktails.com/collections/private-class-collectionand choose from the three options. To guarantee delivery in time for the mixology class, orders must be submitted no later than March 1, 2021.

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 DAY 2
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THURSDAY, MARCH 11, 2021

SESSION 3: LABOR IN CALIFORNIA

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

An Interview with the California Secretary of Labor

Secretary of Labor Julie Su will address the state of labor in California, including the steps being taken to protect workers and help businesses during the pandemic, the plans for navigating a changed economy post-COVID, the issues of unemployment and misclassification of employees unique to California, and the Secretary’s top priorities in the coming year.

Panelists:
Julie A. Su, California Secretary of Labor
Cornelia Dai, Hadsell Stormer Renick & Dai LLP (Interviewer)

10:05 AM - 11:05 AM
California Wage & Hour Update: A Look Back, a Look Ahead, and a Little COVID-19

This panel will begin by focusing on the important cases and legislative developments that came up in 2020. The panel will then address wage and hour compliance challenges for employers in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, including addressing working from home issues, expense reimbursement, and time management. The panel will close by discussing potential wage and hour law changes and trends that 2021 and a new administration may bring, and how these changes will impact the workplace as well as your practice.

Panelists:
Nina Huerta, Los Angeles Office, Locke Lord LLP
Kelly Knight, Judicate West (Moderator)
Jennifer Kramer, Hennig Kramer Ruiz & Singh

11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
Legacy of the Trump Board and the Upcoming Transition

Join Board Member McFerran of the NLRB as she discusses the legacy of the Trump Board with union and management-side panelists, who will share their views on recent key cases and what may be coming down the pipeline. Our experts will discuss employee conduct in the workplace, employer property rights, bargaining and unilateral changes, issues that have arisen due to COVID-19, and more.

Panelists:
Hector De Haro, Bush Gottlieb, A Law Corporation
Lauren McFerran, NLRB, Washington D.C.
Irma Rodríguez Moisa, Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud, & Romo, APLC
Joanna Silverman, NLRB Region 31 (Moderator)

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SESSION 4: INSIDE THE MIND OF THE TRIAL LAWYER & WELLNESS FOR LAWYERS AND THEIR CLIENTS

1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Inside the Courtroom of a Wrongful Termination Trial

In February 2017, renowned trial lawyers David deRubertis and David Ammons faced off in a wrongful termination trial that was recorded by Courtroom Video Network. In this one-of-a-kind trial presentation, Messrs. deRubertis and Ammons will show various aspects of their trial presentations, discuss their trial strategies, and critique themselves and each other using actual footage from their trial. This is a rare opportunity to be “inside” the minds of trial lawyers as you watch them in action.

Panelists:
David Ammons, LTL Attorneys
David deRubertis, The deRubertis Law Firm

3:10 PM - 4:10 PM

The Whole Lawyer: Mental Health, Well-Being, and Substance Abuse (1.0 hr. Competence Issues CLE Credit)

What are you doing to take care of yourself? This interactive panel will elaborate on science, personal experiences, and practical tools and techniques especially applicable to lawyers to promote wellness. Gain insight and tools to create and maintain a healthy lifestyle, which will benefit not only you but your clients, family members, friends, and colleagues.

Panelists:
Araceli Cole, SVP, Human Resources, Paramount Pictures (a Viacom CBS Company)
Robin Sax, JD & MSW 
Scott Tillett, Pine Tillett Pine LLP (Moderator)

CLE Credit: 
10.25 hrs. of CLE Credit (including 1.0 hr. of Competence Issues Credit). CLE Certificates will be emailed 7-10 days after the webinar.                         

Written course materials will be distributed via e-mail prior to the program. Please make sure we have your correct e-mail address at the time of registration.

Prices:

 
* Please contact Member Services at 213-896-6560 to register for this rate. 

Once you have completed your LACBA registration, ONE HOUR BEFORE the event, you will receive a link from Zoom that will allow you to join the webinar directly.   In order to receive participatory CLE credit, registrants must participate in the webinar via Zoom.  LACBA cannot provide CLE credit to those who only listen to the program audio by phone.  Individuals wishing to receive CLE credit must register independently.

Important Information:
Please log in to Zoom at least 10 minutes before the program time.You will receive a certificate of attendance via email in 7-10 business days.