The Employer Resource Institute is proud to bring you leading California experts in the fields of employment law and human resources. Speakers for the California Employment Law Update include:

Harold Brody, Esq.
Proskauer Rose

Brody's practice is characterized by its diversity; he has represented employers in virtually every facet of labor and employment law. For over twenty years, Brody has represented employers in almost every conceivable forum. He has appeared before the National Labor Relations Board in connection with union organizing campaigns and unfair labor practice charges. He has handled numerous labor arbitrations. He has appeared before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing on a broad range of employment discrimination matters, and he has practiced before the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and the United States Department of Labor on a wide variety of wage and hour issues.

Marjorie Fochtman, Esq.
Nixon Peabody

Fochtman heads Nixon Peabody's West Coast Wage/Hour Team. She has extensive experience in wage and hour matters, representing employers in Department of Labor and California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement audits, labor commissioner hearings, and in state and federal court, both in individual wage claims and class actions. She also represents employers in preventive employment and labor law; discrimination, sexual harassment, and wrongful discharge litigation; employment training; and preparing personnel policies and procedures.

Ron Garrity, Esq.
Simpson, Garrity & Innes

Garrity has effectively represented employers before a variety of Courts and agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Labor Relations Board. He advises companies on a variety of key labor and employment law matters, including wrongful termination, drug testing, plant closures, leave of absence requirements, discrimination, harassment, affirmative action, privacy issues, proprietary information, wage and hour matters, and union relations.

Diana Gregory, SPHR
Administaff

Gregory is a senior human resources specialist with Administaff, a professional employer organization that offers full-service human resources solutions to small and medium-sized businesses. Gregory has more than 20 years of hands-on, multiple industry human resources experience, enabling her to provide guidance to business owners and managers of small and medium-sized businesses in human resources strategies, policy development and implementation, employee relations, and employment law compliance.

Marc Jacuzzi, Esq.
Simpson, Garrity & Innes

Jacuzzi has broad experience in employment law matters. He has represented numerous employers as defendants in civil rights actions (including claims under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), and other state discrimination statutes), trade secret misappropriation claims, wage claims, and wrongful termination claims.

Allen Kato, Esq.
Fenwick & West

Kato's practice concentrates exclusively on representing management in wage and hour, affirmative action and EEO compliance, unfair competition and trade secret matters and litigating individual and class action wage and hour, wrongful discharge employment discrimination, and unfair competition matters before courts and agencies. He also trains managers & HR professionals on a regular basis.

Thomas Makris, Esq., SPHR
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman

Makris has 20 years of experience in employment-related litigation, including: wrongful termination, sexual harassment, employment discrimination, wage and hour disputes, employment-related torts, and copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets disputes. Makris aids his clients in avoiding liability related to hiring decisions and employment contracts, compensation, leaves, discipline, internal investigations and terminations, and layoff decisions. He also assists clients in negotiating, drafting and implementing effective employment and executive contracts, employee policies and handbooks, and other employment documentation.

Timothy Murphy, Esq.
Fisher & Phillips

Murphy is managing partner of the San Francisco office. He has been a jury trial lawyer for more than 25 years, trying cases involving a wide variety of subjects. Since 1985, his practice has focused upon jury trial cases concerning sexual harassment, race discrimination, whistleblower allegations, retaliation, wrongful discharge, trade secret protection, and disability discrimination. His clients have included banks, public utilities, universities, manufacturers, public entities, law firms, automobile dealerships and public officials. Murphy is a frequent lecturer on the trial of employment cases to groups of trial lawyers in the employment field and to human resource professionals. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since 1989.

Diane O'Malley, Esq.
Hanson Bridgett Marcus Vlahos & Rudy

O'Malley, a Labor and Employment partner in Hanson's San Francisco office, concentrates her practice on employment-related litigation, counseling and policy drafting for private and public sector employers. O'Malley has recognized expertise in defending employers in discrimination claims, wage claims and the handling of grievance arbitrations. O'Malley also has significant experience in negotiating collective bargaining agreements and drafting employment policies and contracts for employers.

Sandra Rappaport, Esq.
Hanson Bridgett Marcus Vlahos & Rudy

Rappaport has been a member of the firm's Labor and Employment Section since 1994, and is experienced in all aspects of labor and employment law. She has extensive litigation experience, including defending employers against discrimination, wrongful termination, whistleblowing, and sexual harassment claims in both state and federal court. She has substantial experience litigating on behalf of employers in other forums as well, including labor arbitrations and other administrative proceedings.

B. Scott Silverman, Esq.
Morrison & Foerster

Silverman is engaged in the practice of labor and employment law, representing and advising employers regarding employee termination and discipline, employment discrimination, privacy, leaves of absence, wage and hour laws, employment contracts, policies and practices, union/employer labor relations and other federal, state and local regulation of the relationship between employer and employee. He has lectured and written for attorneys and personnel administrators on many employment law subjects, and he is the firm's senior employment lawyer in its Los Angeles office.

Mary Topliff, Esq.
Law Offices of Mary L. Topliff

Topliff specializes in employment law counseling, training and compliance. Her proactive approach to employee relations issues offers practical solutions consistent with legal requirements and good management principles. She regularly advises business owners and human resources professionals on all aspects of workplace issues, and designs and implements customized training and resource tools on various subjects, including harassment prevention, employment law for managers, exempt/nonexempt job classifications, disability accommodations and leaves of absence.

Allison West, Esq., SPHR
Employment Practices Specialists

As principal for Employment Practices Specialists, West specializes in developing and delivering training programs that address employment law and human resource issues both in the US and internationally. Her expertise also includes conducting workplace investigations; one-on-one sensitivity training for managers and employees concerning harassment, discrimination and diversity awareness issues; coaching managers and employees with disciplinary and/or behavioral problems; providing expert witness assistance; and customizing employee handbooks, policies and procedures.

Rhoma Young
Rhoma Young & Associates

Since 1983, Young has been principal of Rhoma Young & Associates, management consultants in personnel practices and public policy issues. Her consulting encompasses planning and problem avoidance strategies in all facets of employee and labor relations. This centers on investigating, analyzing and resolving potentially "hot," costly and politically sensitive problems. Preventive strategies include designing performance appraisal/management systems, workforce reduction planning, formal/informal mediation and tailored management training.

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Conference Schedule

Pre-Conference Workshop

The Location

HRCI and MCLE Credits

Registration Form

Back to Main Conference Page

Conference Schedule

Pre-Conference Workshop

The Location

HRCI and MCLE Credits

Registration Form