Join us for Kutak Rock's 16th Annual Employment Law Seminar

This year’s seminar focuses on proactive solutions for today’s evolving work environment. We will be offering a full day of presentations in person at the Scott Conference Center. See Agenda below.

Five (5) CLE credits including 1 ethics credit approved for Nebraska and Iowa. HRCI credit pending.

8:30 AM - Registration

9:00 - 9:30 | Gigi O'Hara

Playing in the Big Leagues: Defending Wage and Hour Class or Collective Actions
Despite best efforts, wage and hour disputes in the workplace often lead to time-consuming and expensive multi-plaintiff lawsuits. Nearly every aspect of an employer’s timekeeping and pay practices will be placed under a microscope, including how it classifies workers, calculates overtime, deducts from wages, or manages meal and rest breaks. Employers facing a wage and hour class or collective action lawsuit, or hoping to avoid one, should understand the variances in these types of actions, as well as the defense strategies and underlying tools available to manage and control litigation.

9:30 - 10:00 | Clete Samson

When the Government Comes Knocking: Effective Strategies for Handling Government Investigations and Inquiries
Given the increase in federal and state agency regulatory activity in the workplace, employers must be prepared to respond to all forms of government inquiries, investigations, and requests for information. Clete Samson’s discussion will focus on an employers’ rights and responsibilities in responding to government investigation and inquiries in a manner that minimizes disruption at the workplace and protects the privacy of its employees. His discussion will be further designed to provide strategies and guidance to employers on the proper handling of subpoenas and other federal or state agency requests for information.

Break

10:20 - 10:50 | Marcia Washkuhn

Risky Business: Managing Workplace Challenges in a Tight Labor Market
With the tight labor market, the high cost of labor and the challenging economy, companies are becoming more reluctant to implement or enforce important risk management measures, often to save money or to prevent employees with already low engagement from finding employment elsewhere. While cutting costs on risk management may save in the short-term, it can cost more in the long run. Marcia Washkuhn will discuss how to proactively manage and effectively address employment law risks to set up your organization for success, even when dealing with some of the trickiest issues in these complicated and uncertain times.

10:50 - 11:50 | Kasey Cappellano and Meaghan Gandy

Investing in Investigations: Guidance and Techniques for Conducting a Thorough Investigation
Kasey Cappellano and Meaghan Gandy will take you from complaint to conclusion using real life scenarios from case law to discuss how effective investigation techniques can reduce legal exposure and cost in the long run. This presentation will include discussions on the kind of statements that constitute a complaint, when an employer is obligated to investigate, strategies for obtaining relevant and accurate information and evidence, advice for appropriately concluding and documenting the end of an investigation, and responding to allegations of retaliation after the conclusion of an investigation.

Lunch

12:30 - 1:30 | Mark Weber presentation

Ethics and Technology
Mark Weber, Counsel for Discipline, will speak on ethical implications relating to technological advances, including AI and ChatGPT. This presentation will include a discussion of Rules 1.1 (Duty of Competence); 1.3 (Duty of Diligence); 1.6 (Confidentiality); 3.1 (Meritorious Claims and Defenses); 3.3 (Candor to the Tribunal) 5.1 (Duty to Supervise); and 5.2 (Duties of Subordinate Lawyer) (among other rules) and recent Supreme Court Disciplinary Opinions.

Break

1:45 - 2:45 | Lisa Martin and Rob Toth

Employers Beware: Labor and Employment Law Changes and Trends
Staying on top of legal developments is more critical than ever, as employee rights are regularly expanding and employer obligations are routinely increasing. Lisa Martin and Rob Toth will discuss recent developments and trends in employment and labor law including recent employment cases, rising trends at the NLRB, the PUMP Act, Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, Speak Out Act, employer use of artificial intelligence for recruiting, work from home guidance, and new guidance from federal agencies.

Break

3:00 - 3:30 | Brian Bartels

Forward Thinking On Employee Benefits
In this tight labor market, current and prospective employees are closely scrutinizing benefit packages. This session will discuss emerging benefit trends and issues employers should consider before adopting new in-demand benefits. It will also focus on fiduciary issues, SECURE Act 2.0, mental health parity, and other developments affecting employee benefit plans and their sponsors.

3:30 | Raffle Drawing