“The Heartland’s premier alliance of human resources, academic and legal advisers promoting workplace
excellence.”
27th Annual Conference
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Overland Park Convention Center
6000 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS
MCLE credit: Missouri 9.4 hours includes 2.2 ethics / Kansas pending
HRCI and SHRM credit pending
Co-sponsored by the Society for Human Resource Management of Greater Kansas City, the Society for Human
Resource Management of Johnson County and University of Missouri- Kansas City School of Law
Program chairperson & moderator: Curtis R. Summers, Husch Blackwell LLP
For more information visit law.umkc.edu/cle or call 816-235-1648.
Schedule
7:15 a.m.
Registration desk opens and will be open the entire day, Continental breakfast
7:30-8:20 a.m. EARLY BIRD Attorney Ethics session – Current Issues in Ethics for Labor and Employment Law
Attorneys
J. Nick Badgerow, Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP
8:30 a.m.
Legal Update: Key Court Decisions and Regulatory Developments
This session will address key federal, Missouri and Kansas court decisions in the past year that affect
employers, with an emphasis on lessons learned from those cases. The session also will cover major
labor/employment cases pending in the courts which are expected to be decided in the coming year. We
also will discuss important developments at the various federal agencies, including EEOC enforcement
initiatives that directly impact the workplace.
Kimberly A. Jones, Seyferth Blumenthal & Harris LLC
Casey P. Murray, Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP
9:30 a.m.
Business Immigration Update: What Immigration Reform by Executive Action Means for
Employers
This program will cover hot corporate immigration law issues facing employers, including what
immigration reform by President Obama’s executive action means for employers, increased worksite
enforcement, what to do when workers ask in-house counsel and HR about work permits and visas, and
related global mobility issues.
Mira Mdivani, Mdivani Corporate Immigration Law Firm
Bridget B. Romero, Lathrop & Gage LLP
10:30 a.m.
Break
10:45 a.m.
The Ins and Outs of Severance Agreements and Releases
This session will discuss best practices in drafting severance and release agreements with employees as
well as settlement agreements resolving disputes. The session will include analysis of recent legal
developments affecting enforceability of such agreements, the EEOC's challenges to certain provisions of
release agreements, and taxation of payments made pursuant to such agreements.
Renee Elliott, SHRM of Greater Kansas City
Patricia A. Konopka, Stinson Leonard Street LLP
Sue K. Willman, SPHR, Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP
11:45 a.m.
Lunch break
12:15 p.m
Luncheon presentation
The Current and Future Landscape of Employment Protections for LGBT Individuals
This session will discuss the developing protections for LGBT individuals in the workplace. The session
will include analysis of existing laws related to LGBT employment discrimination and theories under
which LGBT individuals have pursued claims. It will also include discussion of the future in LGBT
employment protections based on legislative activity and pending cases. Based on that landscape, we will
offer best practice suggestions for employers to promote non-discrimination.
Doug Bonney, Legal Director of the Kansas/Missouri ACLU
1:15 p.m
Lunch ends
1:30 p.m
Breakout sessions:
A. NLRB Developments - The Dawn of the New Day Has Arrived:
The NLRB's "quickie" election rules take effect April 15, 2015, ushering in the potential for a new
era of union organizing, leaving employers without a labor strategy in place with little time to
respond. In addition, recent NLRB decisions have made clear that even non-union employers need
to take heed that their policies and procedures are compliant with the National Labor Relations
Act. This panel discussion will address the new election rules and recent decisions, addressing
employer best practices going forward
Jack D. Rowe, Lathrop & Gage LLP
Kimberly F. Seten, Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete LLP
B.
Ethics issues for employment practice
In this program, Shaye Downing will cover ethics dilemmas employment attorneys and their clients
face, and an update on recent employment and business cases dealing with ethics.
Shaye L. Downing, Kansas Board of Attorney Discipline, Sloan Law Firm
2:30 p.m
Managing and Complying with Agency Investigations:
EEOC and DOL investigations are on the rise. These investigations can be very disruptive to the
workplace, and potentially very expensive. How much information does the employer have to provide?
Does the employer have to allow on-site interviews? What are the employer’s obligations to cooperate,
and to what extent should it cooperate? This session will address these questions and more. This session
will discuss the basic process involved in these investigations; methods for interacting with the
Investigator; tools for complying with the investigation; and recent EEOC and DOL tactics and
initiatives. It will also provide practical guidance on navigating through seemingly
overzealous/overbroad Agency investigations.
Kay Jarvis, Vice President, Human Resources, CST Industries Inc.
Julia R. McKee, Spinal Simplicity LLC
Eric E. Packel, Polsinelli PC
3:30 p.m
Break
3:45 p.m
Employment Policies: Sword or Shield?
Properly drafted polices can be both an effective management tool and a powerful defense to many kinds
of claims. Conversely, poorly drafted policies, failure to follow policies, or the absence of polices can
increase risk and liability for employers. This session discusses how you can successfully use policies to
your advantage, and avoid having your words turned against you.
Amy M. Fowler, HROI, LLC
Shelly Freeman, HROI, LLC
4:45 p.m
Adjourn
Heartland Labor & Employment Law Institute 2015 Committee
Chairperson: Curtis R. Summers, Husch Blackwell LLP
Michael Blumenthal, Seyferth Blumenthal & Harris LLC
Renee Elliott, SHRM of Greater Kansas City
Brian J. Finucane, Fisher & Phillips LLP
Amy M. Fowler, HROI, LLC
Shelly Freeman, HROI, LLC
Kay Jarvis, SHRM of Johnson County, CST Industries Inc.
Kimberly A. Jones, Seyferth Blumenthal & Harris LLC
Patricia A. Konopka, Stinson Leonard Street LLP
Daniel J. McCarroll, UMKC Law School CLE
Julia R. McKee, Spinal Simplicity LLC
Mira Mdivani, Mdivani Corporate Immigration Law Firm
Casey P. Murray, Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP
Eric E. Packel, Polsinelli, PC
Bridget B. Romero, Lathrop & Gage LLP
Jack D. Rowe, Lathrop & Gage LLP
Kimberly F. Seten, Constangy, Brooks & Smith, LLP
Megan Walawender, Constangy, Brooks & Smith, LLP
Sue K. Willman, Spencer Fane Britt & Browne LLP
REGISTRATION FORM
Registration Fees:
$245 includes digital course material only
$195 SHRM JC or KC Chapter Member includes digital course material only
$25 per registration for hardcopy course material
I will be attending the following breakout session at 1:30 p.m.
A) NLRB Developments
B) Ethics issues for employment practitioners
Please make check payable to UMKC and mail with completed form to UMKC Law School CLE, 4825 Troost
Ave., Suite 211, Kansas City, MO 641100.
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