Agenda / Content Covered

1. Processes, Procedures and Laws
   9:00 - 10:00, Lindsay Nichols
   
   1. Basic Stages of Employment Litigation
   2. Administrative Agency Claims and Pleadings
   3. Local and State Laws, Rules and Regulations
   4. FMLA, ADA and FLSA
   5. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
   6. State Benefit Laws
   7. EEOC, ESC, NLRB, DOL, State Regulatory Boards
2. How to Handle Top Employment Claims: Tips From the Experts
   10:15 - 11:15, Heather M. Muzumdar
   
   1. Handling Harassment Claims: #MeToo
   2. Discrimination Claims
   3. Wage and Hour Claims
   4. FMLA Claims/Leave Disputes
   5. Employer Retaliation and Whistleblower Cases
   6. Reviewing Recent Case Law
3. Conducting Internal Investigations and Handling Formal Complaints
   11:15 - 12:15, Heather M. Muzumdar
   
   1. Internal Complaint Process and Procedures (w/Sample Checklist)
   2. Documenting and Filing of the Complaint
   3. Preserving Attorney-Client Privilege and Work-Product Doctrine
   4. Conducting the Investigation
   5. How to Spot Investigation Cracks
   6. Analyzing Investigation Results
   7. Using Investigation Materials in Litigation: Plaintiff and Defense Perspectives
4. Handling Administrative Charges and EEOC Complaints: Plaintiff and Defense Perspectives
   1:15 - 2:15, Lindsay Nichols
   
   1. How to Prepare Position Statements
   2. Defending Administrative Charges
   3. Filing of the Charge with State/Federal Regulatory Boards
   4. Handling the EEOC Conciliation Process
   5. Responding to Charges
   6. EEOC Mediation Process
   7. How to Handle the Administrative Hearing
5. How to Win at Settlement, Mediation and Trial
   2:15 - 3:15, Shane C. Sidebottom
   
   1. Settlement of Claims
   2. Filing the Lawsuit
   3. Understanding the Mediation Process
   4. Investigating a Filed Lawsuit, Discovery and Evidence
   5. Preparing, Filing and Responding to the "Complaint"/Pleadings and Motions
   6. How to Win the Case at the Summary Judgment Stage
   7. Taking an Employment Case to Trial: Getting the Basics Down
   8. Trying the Case to a Judge vs. Jury
   9. Reviewing Recent Case Law
6. Upholding Ethical Standards
   3:30 - 4:30, Lisa M. Zaring
   
   1. Key Rules of Professional Conduct
   2. Confidentiality
   3. Privileged Communications
   4. Identifying and Avoiding Conflicts of Interest

HEATHER M. MUZUMDAR is counsel with Thompson Hine LLP, in the firm’s labor and employment practice. She has represented private and publicly traded companies, ranging from start-up businesses to Fortune 500 companies, in a broad range of labor and employment matters. As an experienced litigator, Ms. Muzumdar has assisted clients in successfully defending and resolving disputes in a variety of employment-related matters across many states, including wage and hour litigation, trade secret and non-compete litigation, employment discrimination claims, and other workplace disputes. She has successfully represented clients in audits conducted by the Department of Labor and administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Ohio Civil Rights Commission and similar administrative agencies, as well as before state unemployment commissions. Ms. Muzumdar regularly speaks on a variety of employment topics and was selected as an Ohio Super Lawyer Rising Star for six straight years. She is admitted to practice in Ohio and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Ms. Muzumdar is a member of the Cincinnati Bar Association and the Greater Cincinnati Human Resources Association. She earned her B.A. degree from The Ohio State University and her J.D. degree, cum laude, from the University of Cincinnati College of Law.

LINDSAY NICHOLS is an attorney in the labor and employment group of Thompson Hine LLP, where she focuses on employment litigation and counseling. On the employment litigation side, Ms. Nichols defends employers against single-plaintiff discrimination lawsuits and EEOC/state agency charges. On the counseling side, she advises employers on employee relations issues, legal compliance, hiring and terminations, and prepares employee handbooks, policies, employment agreements, and severance agreements. Ms. Nichols earned her B.A. degree, summa cum laude, from The Ohio State University and her J.D. degree, cum laude, from The Ohio State University Michael D. Moritz College of Law. While attending law school, she served as a judicial extern for Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O’Connor. Ms. Nichols is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association and the Cincinnati Bar Association.

SHANE C. SIDEBOTTOM is an attorney with the law firm of Zeigler & Schneider P.S.C. Mr. Sidebottom is licensed to practice law in Kentucky and Ohio, and is a member of the firm’s litigation practice group. He is an experienced and tested litigator and he has successfully litigated many complex and unique cases through the federal and state court process, including whistleblower actions, labor and employment disputes, federal due process challenges, and business contract disputes. In addition, Mr. Sidebottom has excelled in reaching satisfactory resolutions in his clients’ cases through mediation. Due to his consistent success in handling complex litigation, he has been listed annually as a Kentucky Super Lawyer for the previous five years. In 2009, the Kentucky Supreme Court appointed Mr. Sidebottom as the 6th Judicial District representative of the CLE Commission, where he served two terms (2009-2015). He is a past president of the Northern Kentucky Bar Association and has been the chair of the NKBA’s Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Committee since 2005. Mr. Sidebottom received his B.S. degree from Northern Kentucky University and his J.D. degree from the NKU Salmon P. Chase College of Law.

LISA M. ZARING is a partner in the law firm of Montgomery Jonson LLP, where she devotes her practice to representing professionals whose reputations - and quite often, licenses and livelihoods - are at stake. She defends insurance agents and brokers facing errors and omissions claims, and she defends other licensed professionals, including lawyers and financial advisors, in professional malpractice litigation. For more than a decade, Ms. Zaring has advised and defended judges and lawyers in cases before the Supreme Court of Ohio’s Board of Professional Conduct. She has advocated for law students and out-of-state attorneys seeking admission to the state bar in proceedings before the Board of Commissioners on Character and Fitness. She has also guided a number of professionals charged with unauthorized practice of law, including real estate agents, accountants, debt collectors, and interpreters, through proceedings before the Board on the Unauthorized Practice of Law. In addition, Ms. Zaring also represents a variety of employers, both public and private, in employment litigation. She earned her B.A. degree from the University of Colorado and her J.D. degree from Golden Gate University School of Law. She is a member of the Ohio State Bar Association, Defense Research Institute (member, Professional Liability Committee), Cincinnati Bar Association (member, Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee), and the Northern Kentucky Bar Association.