Agenda / Content Covered

Day One: Hiring, Handbooks, FMLA and More

1. Hiring and Onboarding Legal Skills You Must Know
   9:00 - 10:00, Beau Howard
   1. Interview Questions
   2. Credit and Background Checks
   3. Employment Offers and Rejections
   4. Training Supervisors and Managers
2. Easy I-9 and Immigration Compliance Methods That Protect Your Employer
   10:15 - 11:00, Beau Howard
   1. Form Completion
   2. E-Verify
   3. Record Retention and Storage
   4. Immigration Changes You Must Keep Pace With
3. 6 Crucial Handbook and Policy Updates You Need to Make Before It's Too Late
   11:00 - 12:00, Timothy Holdsworth
4. Wage and Hour Basics: Mastering FLSA Compliance
   1:00 - 2:05, Brett A. Janich
   1. Wage and Hour Rules and Requirements
   2. Exemption and Classification
   3. Overtime Best Practices
   4. Contractors, Temps and Other Non-Employees
   5. FLSA Changes on the Horizon
5. Employee Benefits 101: Legal Essentials You SHOULDN'T Overlook
   2:05 - 3:10, Leslie K. Eason
   1. ERISA Demystified
   2. COBRA Made Simple
   3. Benefit Plans: Employer Obligations, Employee Rights
   4. Keeping Costs Down: Best Practices
6. Employee Leave Simplified: FMLA, ADA and More
   3:25 - 4:30, Louisa Johnson
   1. The Who's, When's and How's
   2. De-Duping Legal Overlaps
   3. Leave Requests and Certification
   4. Intermittent Leave
   5. FMLA Abuse

Day Two: Discrimination, Discipline and Employee Performance

7. Easy Workplace Bullying and Violence Legal Response Techniques You NEED
   9:00 - 10:00, Leslie K. Eason
8. Handling Discrimination and Harassment Situations the RIGHT Way
   10:15 - 11:15, Thomas J. Mew
   1. Key Laws
   2. Handling Complaints
   3. Dealing With Accusers and Accused
   4. Simple Investigation Methods
9. How to Accommodate Disabled Employees While Avoiding Legal Quagmires
   11:15 - 12:15, Salomon Laguerre
   1. Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
   2. Reasonable Accommodations
   3. Necessary Documentation
10. 4 Simple Social Media Legal Secrets That Maximize Employer Protections
    1:15 - 2:15, Marcus G. Keegan
    1. Social Media Policies
    2. Keeping Tabs on Computer Use
    3. Company Social Media Accounts
    4. Employees Who Complain on Personal Accounts
11. Performance Appraisal Fundamentals To Stay Out of Hot Water
    2:15 - 3:15, Michael M. Hill
    
    1. Objectives and Expectations
    2. Legally Defensible Documentation
    3. Keeping Things Confidential
    4. Performance Improvement Plans
12. Employment Termination Tools You Must Have to Lawfully Handle Difficult Situations
    3:30 - 4:30, Marcus G. Keegan
    1. Managing the Process (w/Checklist)
    2. Discharge Documentation
    3. Unemployment Documentation
    4. Legal Tips and Best Practices

Accreditation Details:

LESLIE K. EASON is the co-managing partner of the Atlanta office of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP. She has a national litigation practice focusing on employment law, torts and products liability, and commercial disputes. Ms. Eason’s employment practice centers on assisting corporate entities with all aspects of employment-related business operations, including the creation and implementation of policies and procedures, training for staff and supervisors, administrative investigations, mediation, litigation, trial, and appeal. A particular focus of Ms. Eason’s practice is the representation of clients against wage-and-hour claims, discrimination claims, and disability claims. Ms. Eason is a member of the Atlanta Legal Aid Society (Advisory Board Member), Gordon & Rees African-American Affinity Group (co-chair), Gordon & Rees Diversity Committee, Gordon & Rees Women’s Initiative (Atlanta office chair), Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (co-chair of Labor and Employment Section), Law360 Employment Editorial Board, Leadership Georgia (class of 2014). She earned her B.S. degree from Vanderbilt University and her J.D. degree, cum laude, from University of Georgia School of Law.

MICHAEL M. HILL is an attorney with Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP. As a member of the firm's Labor & Employment Law National Practice Section, Mr. Hill represents both public and private employers in litigation and pre-suit negotiations involving claims of alleged unlawful discrimination, harassment, and retaliation; wage and hour disputes; family and medical leave issues; and employment-contract disputes, including contracts involving non-disclosure, non-solicitation, and non-compete agreements. He also represents companies in audits by the U.S. Department of Labor and advises employers on complying with laws regarding overtime compensation, classifying employees as exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA, employee vs. independent-contractor classifications, accommodating individuals with disabilities, providing accommodations for religious observances and practices, accommodating pregnant employees, and conducting internal investigations into claims of harassment. In addition, he has spoken publicly and in webinars on best practices regarding EEO policies, overtime policies, and general employee handbook provisions. Mr. Hill is member of the State Bar of Georgia. He earned his B.A. degree, cum laude, from University of Memphis. He earned his M.A. degree from The New School and his J.D. degree, cum laude, from University of Georgia School of Law.

TIMOTHY HOLDSWORTH is an attorney in the labor and employment law section of Freeman Mathis & Gary, LLP. Mr. Holdsworth represents employers in all aspect of employment litigation, including wage and hour claims, and employment discrimination and retaliation claims. He graduated with his B.A. degree from the University of Georgia and he earned his J.D. degree from the University of Georgia School of Law. While in law school, Mr. Holdsworth served as executive editor of the Journal of Intellectual Property Law and interned for the Honorable John J. Goger in the Superior Court of Fulton County. After law school, Mr. Holdsworth clerked for Magistrate Judge Brian K. Epps in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Georgia.

BEAU HOWARD is a partner with Freed Howard LLC. He represents businesses in a myriad of labor and employment matters. He also focuses on privacy law, internet forensics, and business litigation. Mr. Howard is a member of the Virginia State Bar and the State Bar of Georgia . He is a frequent public speaker on labor and employment Law matters. Mr. Howard was selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star in both 2017 and 2018. He was listed in Georgia Trend Magazine’s “Legal Elite”- labor and employment - in 2015 and 2016. Mr. Howard earned his B.A. degree, summa cum laude, from The University of Tennessee. He earned his J.D. degree from The George Washington University Law School.

BRETT A. JANICH is an attorney with Greenberg Traurig, LLP. He maintains a practice that is fully devoted to labor and employment matters, with a particular focus on defending employers in single-plaintiff, collective action, and class action cases involving claims of discrimination, retaliation, and wage-and-hour violations. Mr. Janich also has wide-ranging experience in providing companies with employment-related advice, training, and drafting services. He is a member of the State Bar of Georgia and State Bar of Alabama. Mr. Janich received his B.A. degree, cum laude, from Birmingham-Southern College and earned his J.D. degree from The University of Alabama School of Law.

LOUISA JOHNSON is a partner with Seyfarth Shaw, LLP. She is a partner in the Labor & Employment Department and co-leader of the Atlanta office’s women’s affinity group. Ms. Johnson focuses her practice on employment-related litigation and compliance counseling involving federal and state wage-hour laws, leave issues, and discrimination. On the litigation side, she has experience with both single-plaintiff and complex class and collective litigation. On the counseling side, in addition to one-off counseling advice, Ms. Johnson conducts preventative workplace assessments for employers. She also has experience with civil and commercial litigation matters and with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ms. Johnson speaks at public and employer-specific seminars and has contributed to publications such as the Fair Labor Standards Act, Cumulative Supplement, ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law (2009 - 2010) and the firm’s definitive treatise on wage and hour litigation, Wage & Hour Collective and Class Litigation, ALM Law Journal Press (2012). She earned her B.A. degree, with honors, from University of Virginia. She earned her J.D. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

MARCUS G. KEEGAN is the sole practitioner of Keegan Law Firm, LLC. Mr. Keegan is a certified mediator, and he practices in the areas of employment law litigation, civil litigation and small business employment representation. Mr. Keegan began his legal career as a trial attorney for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Atlanta district office. While employed with the EEOC, Mr. Keegan litigated employment discrimination lawsuits throughout Georgia’s federal courts. Following his employment with the EEOC, Mr. Keegan entered private practice and expanded his practice to include general employment law, civil litigation, and consumer finance litigation throughout Georgia’s state and federal courts. Mr. Keegan was recognized as a Rising Star in Employment Litigation by Super Lawyers in 2011 and 2012, as well as being recognized as a Georgia Super Lawyer in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Mr. Keegan was also named a “Legal Elite” by Georgia Trend Magazine in 2016. Mr. Keegan earned a Criminology degree, cum laude, from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He earned his J.D. degree from Emory University School of Law.

THOMAS J. MEW is an attorney with Buckley Beal LLP, in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Mew’s practice covers a broad range of employment law matters including both individual and class action wage and hour, discrimination and harassment litigation, as well as in arbitration and mediation. He also is an advisor on employment contracts, releases, and restrictive covenant issues. Mr. Mew is the co-author of Georgia Motion Practice, a guide to civil motion practice in Georgia’s trial and appellate courts. He also is a contributing author to Employee Benefits Law (3d. Ed.) (Bloomberg BNA 2012). Mr. Mew earned his J.D. degree from the University of Georgia, School of Law.