Location:  Redwood Credit Union – Santa Rosa

7:30 - 8:00 am     Registration/Breakfast

8:00 – 11:00 am Program

 Workshop Leader: 

Greg Walsh –  Employee Terminations: How to Best Protect Your Company.  This presentation explores the perils and opportunities of employee terminations by reference to emerging case law trends and employer best practices.  The talk will answer questions of how to protect your confidential information, whether non-competes are finally enforceable and what you can do to avoid e wage claim three years from now.  You will come away from this presentation with a framework for analyzing and minimizing your company's risk for one of human resources' most difficult tasks. 

 Allan Gomes & Shane K. Anderies  – Disability Presentation Overview.  Disability accommodation can be one of the most challenging legal areas for California employers to navigate.  This presentation will review who is a covered employer for purposes of federal and state disability law, what constitutes a disability, what obligations employers have to accommodate disabled employees, what constitutes a reasonable accommodation, the consequences of failing to properly communicate with employees to determine whether reasonable accommodations exist, and the interaction of disability leave law with other types of leaves, including family medical leave, pregnancy leave, and workers compensation leave.

 Rick Rybicki - Between a Rock and a Hard Place:    Workplace Investigations.  Employers must respond to many “complaints” by conducting prompt, thorough and objective investigations – failure to do so violates many workplace laws.  And even when investigations are not legally required, they often are an employer’s best defense to claims involving employment contracts, alleged invasion of privacy, defamation and – in unionized workplaces – “good cause.”  But like any ideal, achieving truly prompt, thorough and objective investigations can seem almost impossible in the real world.  HR professionals are caught between information from employees and third parties, the credibility of complainants and respondents, requests for confidentiality, threats of defamation and discrimination claims, and a myriad real-world issues.  This seminar addresses what is expected of you, how to consider competing issues and interests, when HR should rely on established procedures or respond flexibly to individual situations, and where you should consider bringing in outside help.  We will also discuss post-investigation issues such as qualified privileges and litigation discovery.  An advance hint:  Don’t call your attorney in to investigate!

 About our speakers:

 Gregory J. Walsh is a director with Dickenson, Peatman & Fogarty’s Wine Industry Group.  Greg’s practice encompasses all aspects of labor and employment law, including advising employers on how to prevent issues before they arise, and developing workable solutions to those that do.  Greg is also a member of the firm’s Alcoholic Beverage and Litigation groups, representing clients in administrative and court proceedings.

 Greg received his B.S. while double majoring in Journalism and Sociology at the University of Oregon.  He earned his law degree from University of California, Hastings College of the Law, where he served as Senior Executive Editor of the Communications and Entertainment Law Journal.  Greg is admitted to practice in California, Massachusetts, and several federal jurisdictions.

 Allan Gomes is a partner at Anderies and Gomes.  Allan offers his clients extensive experience in employment law.  He is adept at handling all aspects of employment litigation, from inception through resolution and post-judgment pleadings in state and federal courts.  His practice areas of concentration include discrimination and harassment cases, wage and hour matters, trade secret violations and class action suits.  Allan also provides advice and counsel to both corporate leaders and individuals on discreet policy issues, including exempt status and overtime and vacation pay issues.  He has counseled executives on a myriad of employment legal matters including discrimination, wrongful termination, wage and hour issues, and workforce reductions.

 He served as the Symposium Editor in Chief of the American Journal of Law & Medicine (1999-2000) and took part in the Stone Moot Court Competition (Fall 1998).  Allan received  a B.A.  in English and Economics from UCLA in 1996 and a J.D. from Boston University in 2000.  He is admitted to practice in California and Massachusetts.

 Shane K. Anderies is a partner at Anderies and Gomes and has handled all aspects of workplace law and related litigation throughout California before federal, state, and local courts and administrative agencies.  In addition to litigation, his practice includes advice and counsel, training, and investigations regarding a myriad of workplace related subjects including, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, breach of contract, wage and hour compliance, disability accommodation, leaves of absence, and trade secrets. 

 Anderies & Gomes has over 18 years of experience representing employers in all aspects of workplace law and related litigation.  The firm litigates in California state and federal courts and before a variety of administrative agencies.  Anderies & Gomes also provides trainings, advice and counsel and investigations related to employment matters.

 Richard C. Rybicki is principal counsel with Rybicki & Associates | P.C., a management-side labor and employment law firm located in Napa and Sonoma.  He represents employers in trial and appellate courts throughout the United States, as well as handling all levels of administrative investigation and appeals.  He spends the bulk of most days dealing with employers’ day-to-day issues.  Mr. Rybicki’s clients range from the Fortune 500 to small retail, hospitality, healthcare, and wine-industry businesses throughout Northern California. 

Who should attend?

Senior HR professionals, including vice presidents, directors, senior managers of HR, and HR generalists in “business partner” or “consulting” roles, as well as the CFO’s, COO’s, and Business Unit managers who are their business partners.

 MEETING CANCELLATION POLICY

Please understand that our financial commitments for meetings and seminars are made by the cancellation date. We understand that scheduling changes are occasionally needed by our members. If you pay and then cancel before the cancellation deadline, we are unable to offer a refund and you will receive a credit for another event.   If you are unable to attend the meeting and cannot cancel before the cancellation deadline, we are unable to offer any kind of refund or credit.