Kutak Rock’s Employment Law Group proudly presents the 13th annual Employment Law Seminar. This year’s seminar is all about managing the chaos of 2020. 

This year through Zoom we will be presenting three separate one-hour long sessions on three different dates, November 5, 12, and 19 from noon to 1:00 p.m. CST. 

The November 19 session will feature a guest speaker, Judge Mark Bennett, who will provide a deep understanding of how and why people have implicit biases.

CLE credit in the following states has been approved: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Please note that attorneys in Colorado and Kansas are unable to obtain ethics credit for the November 19 presentation, but the presentation has been approved for general CLE credit.  HRCI credit for HR professionals has also been approved. CLE credit (including 1 hour of ethics) is pending approval in the following states: Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, Virginia, and Washington.  Course content may also meet qualifications for CLE credit in other states as well, including Arizona, New Jersey and New York.  

Please click here to register.

Agenda: Thursday, November 5

Noon – 12:20 PM CST
Clete Samson | The Impact of Covid-19 on the U.S. Immigration System

Clete Samson will discuss Covid-19-related travel bans, current visa restrictions impacting companies and their ability to recruit and hire foreign national workers, and the latest USCIS guidance related to immigration compliance and employment verification issues during the pandemic.

12:20 PM – 12:40 PM CST
Marcia Washkuhn | Effectively Managing Employee Activism and Political Discord

Marcia Washkuhn will discuss relevant employment laws and best practices for addressing employee expressions that impact the virtual or physical workplace, including those relating to politics, racial and gender issues, or lockdowns and mask mandates, all of which have become more prevalent and heated as a result of the pandemic and the 2020 election year.

12:40 PM – 1:00 PM CST
Gigi O’Hara | Keeping Calm During an OSHA Investigation

Employers often consider the OSHA inspection process to be confusing and intimidating. Gigi O’Hara will analyze the stages of an OSHA investigation and highlight several steps employers may take to protect their interests. She will also highlight OSHA’s standards for reporting and recording obligations in a post-Covid world.

1:00 PM – 1:15 PM CST
Question/Answer

Agenda: Thursday, November 12

Noon – 12:40 PM CST
Ryan Calley and Meaghan Gandy | Amidst the Chaos: Key Employment Law Updates You May Have Missed During the Pandemic 

Ryan Calley and Meaghan Gandy will present on new developments and changes in employment law, including updates to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the Bostock v. Clayton County Supreme Court decision that involved sexual orientation and Title VII, recent wage and hour guidance from the Department of Labor, NLRB updates and more.

12:40 PM – 1:00 PM CST
Kasey Cappellano | Unconventional Considerations In Promoting Diversity in the Workplace

Kasey Cappellano will discuss appearance characteristics that may serve as proxy for discrimination in the workplace. The presentation will provide tips on ensuring inclusive employment practices as they relate to appearance guidelines and other policies, as well as practical examples in which claims of discrimination based on unconventional dress or appearance may be raised, and how to avoid them.

1:00 PM – 1:15 PM CST
Question/Answer

Agenda: Thursday, November 19

Noon – 1:00 PM CST
Guest Speaker | Judge Mark Bennett | Getting Explicit About Implicit (Unconscious) Bias 
(1 ethics credit pending)

Judge Bennett's presentation will provide a deep understanding of how and why people have implicit biases. He will identify methods of uncovering unconscious bias, explain how these may impact decisions in the workplace, the judicial system and in everyday life, and identify techniques to help minimize their effects.

Judge Mark W. Bennett retired on March 2, 2019 as a U.S. district judge in the N.D. of Iowa during his 27th year on the bench, to teach and engage in empirical research as the first Director of the Drake University Law School’s new Institute for Justice Reform & Innovation. Judge Bennett has taught at the University of Iowa College of Law, the Drake University Law School, the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law, the University of Nebraska College of Law and the University of Florida College of Law. He has been involved in educating more than 4,000 state and federal trial and appellate judges on implicit bias from Alaska to Florida, and many more lawyers and court staff. Judge Bennett has a national reputation as an expert on implicit bias and consults with courts across the nation on strategies to reduce implicit bias in judges, lawyers, jurors and court staff.

1:00 PM – 1:15 PM CST
Question/Answer

CLE credit in the following states has been approved: Arkansas, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Washington. Please note that attorneys in Colorado and Kansas are unable to obtain ethics credit for the November 19 presentation, but the presentation has been approved for general CLE credit.  HRCI credit for HR professionals has also been approved. CLE credit (including 1 hour of ethics) is pending approval in the following states: Ohio and Virginia.  Course content may also meet qualifications for CLE credit in other states as well, including Arizona, New Jersey and New York.