Category Archives: Events

The 2013 Upper Midwest Employment Law Institute is being held at the Saint Paul RiverCentre on May 20 & 21, 2013.  We are pleased to announce that three lawyers from our Employment, Benefits and Labor Section at Briggs and Morgan, P.A. will presenting this year as follows:

• Steve Brunn – “What Do Employers Small and Large Need to Know About the Affordable Care Act?” on May 21 at 11:45.
• Ann Huntrods – “Mentally Ill and Chemically Dependent Employees: Answers to Pressing Questions” on May 21 at 2:45.
• Greg Stenmoe – “Employees With Personality Disorders: Management and Litigation Risks” on May 21 at 11:45.

A copy of the seminar brochure is available here.  Several of our other Employment, Benefits, and Labor lawyers will also be at the seminar.  We hope that you can attend and that we see you there.

On April 9, 2013, employers from the Employment, Benefits, and Labor Section at Briggs and Morgan, P.A. will present “Safeguarding Employers in 2013:  Changes in Employment, Benefits, and Labor Law” at Windows on Minnesota in the IDS Center in Downtown Minneapolis.  A description of the topics that will be covered at the presentation is available here.  A copy of the invitation is available here.

The presentation is free to attend.  Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.  CLE and HRCI credits will be applied for.

It’s not too late to register to attend the presentation.  If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Dena at rsvp@briggs.com.

On April 9, 2013, employers from the Employment, Benefits, and Labor Section at Briggs and Morgan, P.A. will present “Safeguarding Employers in 2013:  Changes in Employment, Benefits, and Labor Law” at Windows on Minnesota in the IDS Center in Downtown Minneapolis.  The presentation is free to attend.  Continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.  CLE and HRCI credits will be applied for.

The agenda for the presentation will be as follows:

7:30 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. – Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:00 a.m. to 8:10 a.m. – Welcome

8:10 a.m. to 8:50 a.m. – Don’t Get Tripped Up by Federal Labor Law:  Over the past year, the current labor board has issued a number of decisions that specifically limit the right of non-union employers in their ability to manage their employees. Learn how to avoid the most recent pitfalls created by the NLRB that impact both union and non-union employers.  Presenters:  Michael Moberg and Michael Wilhelm.

8:50 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. – HIPAA Enforcement Efforts On the Rise:  What You Need to Know to Protect Your Company:  The number and severity of penalties being assessed for HIPAA privacy and security violations are increasing at an alarming rate. We will review recent HIPAA privacy and security guidance, and what employers and business associates need to do to protect against potential penalty assessments.  Presenters:  Steve Brunn and Ira Friedrich.

9:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. – Break

9:45 a.m. to 10:20 a.m. – You’ve Got a Secret – Protecting Your Company’s Intellectual Property:  You’ve invested tremendous resources into developing, manufacturing, and marketing your products and ideas. Your workforce is well aware of the ideas that have made you successful. How do you protect your investment? What role do non-compete and confidentiality agreements, copyrights and patents play in the workplace? What are the limitations of each and how do you structure and implement them with your workforce and vendors? We’ll discuss these issues and more.  Presenters:  Sally Scoggin, Andrea Bond, and Dan Rosenberg.

10:20 a.m. to 10:55 a.m. – Terrible, Rotten, No Good, Very Bad FMLA Issues

We’ve all had to deal with them and they challenge our wits and patience. We will review vexing FMLA issues that have repeatedly crossed our threshold, and through hypotheticals, offer practical tips on how to avoid having a bad FMLA day become a worse one.  Presenters:  Michael Miller and Ann Huntrods.

10:55 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. – The Impact of Electronic Evidence on Employment Litigation

Computers have dramatically changed the way employers investigate and defend employment litigation.  We will address the benefits of and the burdens imposed by electronic evidence, how information can be recovered from computers even though it has been “deleted,” and we will discuss options for preserving electronic information.  This session will also focus on non-traditional evidence sources, such as the iPhone, iPad and social media.  Presenters:  David Schooler and Mark Lanterman, CEO and Chief Technology Officer of Computer Forensic Services, Inc.

11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. – Lunch

Please RSVP:  If you are interested in attending the presentation, please contact Dena at rsvp@briggs.com.

MinnesotaEmployer.com recently launched a Twitter account, @mnemployer.  You can access the Twitter feed here.  The Twitter account provides another way that readers can follow MinnesotaEmployer.com, in addition to email subscriptions and RSS.  If you use Twitter, check it out.

On Tuesday, April 9, 2013, attorneys from Briggs and Morgan, P.A. will present “Safeguarding Employers in 2013 – Changes in Employment, Benefits, and Labor Law.”  The seminar will occur from 8:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. at Windows on Minnesota in the IDS Center in downtown Minneapolis.  CLE and HRCI credits will be applied for.

If you are interested in attending, please contact Dena at rsvp@briggs.com. Additional details about speakers and topics will be announced soon.

Next Tuesday, December 4, 2012, I will present “Intermittent FMLA Leave: The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Absolutely Worst Provision of the FMLA.”

Intermittent leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) is often one of the most difficult types of FMLA leave for employers to administer.  The presentation will include an overview of the intermittent leave requirements of the FMLA.  It will also include discussion of areas in which employers can potentially get into trouble when administering intermittent leave and strategies for reducing the risks associated with intermittent leave.

The presentation will be at noon on Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at the Hennepin County Bar Association Office at 600 Nicollet Mall, suite 390 (third floor of the City Center) in downtown Minneapolis, MN.  One CLE credit will be applied for.

If you would like information about how to register to attend the presentation in person, click here.

If you would like information about viewing the presentation via webcast, click here.

On Tuesday, December 4, 2012, I will present “Intermittent FMLA Leave: The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Absolutely Worst Provision of the FMLA.”

Intermittent leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) is often one of the most difficult types of FMLA leave for employers to administer.  The presentation will include an overview of the intermittent leave requirements of the FMLA.  It will also include discussion of areas in which employers can potentially get into trouble when administering intermittent leave and strategies for reducing the risks associated with intermittent leave.

The presentation will be at noon on Tuesday, December 4, 2012 at the Hennepin County Bar Association Office at 600 Nicollet Mall, suite 390 (third floor of the City Center) in downtown Minneapolis, MN.  One CLE credit will be applied for.  For more information on how to register for the presentation, click here.

Minnesota CLE (the continuing legal education affiliate of the Minnesota State Bar Association) is sponsoring a two-day seminar on October 29 -30 entitled “Representing the Ongoing Business.”  The seminar serves as the kick-off to a newly issued Deskbook by the same name.  The Deskbook is Minnesota CLE’s 3rd Deskbook in the Business Law Series.  The Deskbook and seminar is a guide to representing the small and medium-sized business owner.

Steve Brunn, co-chair of the Briggs and Morgan Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Group, authored the Employee Benefits chapter in the Deskbook and will be presenting “Employee Benefits Basics” at the seminar on October 29, 2012.  Steve’s presentation will cover how recent developments in health care reform, HIPAA, and reporting/disclosure requirements will affect small and medium-sized employers.  If you are interested in attending the seminar, you can register online here.

On Thursday, April 12, 2012, attorneys from the Employment, Benefits, and Labor section at Briggs and Morgan, P.A. will present Safeguarding Employers in 2012 – Changes in Employment, Benefits, and Labor Law.

The seminar is free and will occur at Windows on Minnesota on the 50th Floor of the IDS Center in Minneapolis from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  Registration and continental breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m.  Lunch will be served at 12:00 p.m.  CLE and HRIC credits have been applied for.  Parking at the IDS Center and McGladrey Plaza will be validated.  Readers of Minnesota Employer.com are welcome to attend.

For more information about the seminar, including what topics will be discussed, click here.

If you are interested in attending this seminar, please RSVP to Dena Edmiston at dedmiston@briggs.com or (612) 977-8581 by April 5, 2012.

On Thursday, April 12, 2012, attorneys from the Employment, Benefits, and Labor section at Briggs and Morgan, P.A. will present Safeguarding Employers in 2012 – Changes in Employment, Benefits, and Labor Law.  The presentation is free and will occur at Windows on Minnesota on the 50^th Floor of the IDS Center in Minneapolis from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.  Registration and continental breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m.  Lunch will be served at 12:00 p.m.  Readers of Minnesota Employer.com are encouraged to attend.

Topics discussed at the presentation will include:

Keeping Up With The Joneses, Inc.:  Maintaining a compensation and benefits package that is equal to, or better than, your competitors is critical to attract and retain the best employees. Learn the legal issues you should consider if you decide to follow some or all of these trends.  Presented by:

• Steve Brunn, Briggs and Morgan, P.A.

Hiring In the Internet Age:  Increasingly, employers use online and other searches to make sure their next hire isn’t a costly mistake. We’ll discuss the legal risks and benefits of conducting such searches and ways to avoid negligent hiring, discrimination, privacy and Fair Credit Reporting Act claims.  Presented by:

• Sally Scoggin, Briggs and Morgan, P.A.
• Michael Wilhelm, Briggs and Morgan, P.A.

What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You – Why Labor Law Matters To Non-Union Employers:  Employee Facebook posts, blogs, e-mails, discussions about wages, complaints about managers, and a whole host of other employee and employer conduct are covered by federal labor law. This session provides an overview of how labor law applies to all employers, new developments under the current NLRB, and what you can do to ensure that you don’t inadvertently subject your organization to liability.  Presented by:

• Michael Moberg, Briggs and Morgan, P.A.

What To Do When the Employee Sues?  In today’s challenging economic times, lawsuits may be unavoidable. We will address the steps necessary to reduce your organization’s exposure and protect its interests, including: evaluating whether the matter is an insured claim; preserving relevant evidence; investigating the facts and circumstances of the lawsuit and avoiding potential retaliatory claims.  Presented by:

• David Schooler, Briggs and Morgan, P.A.
• Jason Hedican, Briggs and Morgan, P.A.

Managing the Troublesome Employee – Panel Discussion:  This panel of experienced human resources and legal professionals explores how to handle employees who are absent too much, produce too little, drink too often, harass too many, threaten too frequently or lead too rarely.  The panel will include:

• Michael Miller, Briggs and Morgan, P.A.
• Ann Huntrods, Briggs and Morgan, P.A.
• John Barker – Counsel, H.B. Fuller
• Mary Jerome – Director of Human Resources, Catholic Charities
• Nathan Pommeranz – SPHR, HR Business Partner Manager, Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America

CLE and HRIC credits have been applied for.  Parking will be validated at the IDS Center and McGladrey Plaza.

If you are interested in attending this presentation, please RSVP to Dena Edmiston at dedmiston@briggs.com or (612) 977-8581 by April 5, 2012.  For more information, click here.

On October 19, 2011, Briggs and Morgan and Marsh will present an Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) Seminar at Briggs and Morgan’s Minneapolis office in the IDS Center.  Topics discussed at the seminar will include:

Emerging Trends in EPLI from the Perspective of the Underwriter and the Broker:  Learn about timely EPLI trends, including how market trends affect pricing and coverage for social media and workplace bullying claims.

EPLI Claims Attorney Panel Discussion:  EPLI claims attorneys will discuss and analyze the difficult issues EPLI policyholders experience when defending employment claims, such as panel counsel/outside corporate counsel challenges, and control and valuation of employment claims.

EPLI Litigation Strategies – Perspective from Plaintiff’s Counsel and Defense Counsel:  Veteran plaintiff’s and defense employment attorneys will discuss the mistakes employers make that lead to claims, and share their strategies on how to best prosecute and defend these claims.

How to Avoid the EEOC Knocking on Your Door:  Learn about EEOC trends and initiatives and how your company can stay in compliance.

Presenters at the seminar will include:

• Lisa Chonarzewski – Senior Claims Attorney, Monitor Liability Managers, LLC;
• Steve Cox – Regional Underwriting Manager, Chartis;
• Kerry Evensen – Vice President, Claims, OneBeacon Insurance Group;
• Paul Lukas – Attorney, Nichols Kaster, PLLP;
• Jessica A. Palmer-Denig – Trial Attorney, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission;
• Sharon Scharf – Senior Vice President, Marsh FINPRO;
• David Schooler – Attorney, Briggs and Morgan, P.A.; and
• Aaron Stone – Technical Director and Claims Counsel, Employment Practices Liability Claims, The Travelers Indemnity Company.

Registration and continental breakfast will begin at 8 a.m. on October 19, 2011.  The seminar will run from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., and will include lunch.  For more information on how to register for this seminar, click here.