NELA 2023 Convention Program Guide

2023 NELA ANNUAL CONVENTION

June 28–July 1, 2023

Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park

Dear Workers’ Rights Champions:

Welcome to Elevating Justice—the 2023 National Employment Lawyers Association Annual Convention in Chicago.

We are delighted you could join us for the nation’s largest annual gathering of plaintiffs’ employment lawyers. We extend our thanks to the members and board of NELA-Illinois for their warm and generous hospitality. We invite you to visit their exhibit table for information about attractions, restaurants, and activities in the surrounding area.

If it is not yet on your calendar, please plan to join us for NELA’s Annual Gala Fundraiser on Friday, June 30 from 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. The Gala is our yearly celebration of our collective accomplishments and the power of our voices when we unite to protect and promote workers’ rights on Capitol Hill and in courtrooms across the nation. We offer our deepest gratitude to the sponsors of the 2023 Gala for making NELA an even stronger and more influential force for working people and their advocates.

We wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge the invaluable contributions of retiring NELA Board members Wade B. Cowan and Rosemary Orsini. We salute their leadership and passion in advancing the cause for all workers.

The 2023 NELA Annual Convention Committee, along with our Convention moderators and speakers, have worked hard over the past several months to bring you extraordinary programming throughout the next three days. We hope you take advantage of the many opportunities to meet and collaborate with the best plaintiffs’ employment lawyers in the country. Learn, celebrate, connect, rejuvenate, and then return to your office equipped with new ideas, tips, and strategies that you can immediately apply to your practice.

On behalf of the Board and Staff of the National Employment Lawyers Association, thank you for joining us and for all you do to promote a more just and inclusive American workplace.

Jeffrey A. Mittman President Executive Director

Linda M. Correia

Thank

www.seelawpc.com

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“Prejudice is a burden that confuses the past, threatens the future, and renders the present inaccessible.”

-Maya Angelou

Advocates for Employee Rights

NELA-ILLINOIS WELCOMES YOU ALL TO CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. PLEASE ENJOY OUR LOVELY CITY AND ALL THAT IT HAS TO OFFER.

Dear Colleagues,

On behalf of the National Employment Lawyers Association-Illinois (NELA-Illinois), it is my pleasure to welcome you to Chicago for Elevating Justice, NELA’s 2023 Convention. We are thrilled to have you join us for this unique opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and learn from esteemed professionals in the field of workers’ rights.

At this Convention, we are proud to celebrate three of our own outstanding individuals for their exceptional contributions to the field of employment law. Congratulations to David L. Lee, Robin B. Potter, and Chiquita Hall-Jackson for their well-deserved recognition as Illinois Award honorees. We look forward to celebrating their achievements with you.

As we gather in Chicago, we cannot ignore the rich history of this great city. From the labor movement to civil rights activism, Chicago has been at the forefront of social justice movements for decades. It is this same spirit of empowerment that drives our mission to advocate for workers’ rights attorneys across the United States.

In addition to the Convention, we encourage you to explore all that Chicago has to offer. Take a stroll along the lakeshore, visit the Art Institute of Chicago, or catch a Cubs game at Wrigley Field. And be sure to join us for our networking events and receptions where you can connect with fellow attendees and share your experiences.

We are excited to have you join us for this transformative event. Thank you for your continued support and dedication to elevating justice for workers everywhere.

Sincerely,

Chiquita Hall-Jackson President of National Employment Lawyers Association–Illinois

From the labor movement to civil rights activism, Chicago has been at the forefront of social justice movements for decades.

Linda M. Correia President

Correia & Puth, PLLC

Washington, DC

Carla D. Brown

First Vice President

Charlson Bredehoft

Cohen Brown & Nadelhaft, PC Reston, VA

Mark Hanna Vice President of Public Policy

Murphy Anderson PLLC

Washington, DC

M.Nieves Bolaños

Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Fish Potter Bolaños, PC

Chicago, IL

Summer H. Murshid Secretary Hawks Quindel, SC Milwaukee, WI

Deborah Karpatkin Treasurer Law Office of Deborah H. Karpatkin New York, NY

Wade B. Cowan Immediate Past President

Nashville, TN

NELA BOARD

NELA BOARD MEMBERS

Bernard Alexander Alexander Morrison + Fehr, LLP Los Angeles, CA

Heather M. Collins HMC Civil Rights Law

Brentwood, TN

Christine T. Elzer Elzer Law Firm, LLC

Pittsburgh, PA

Amanda A. Farahany

Barrett & Farahany

Atlanta, GA

Rosemary Orsini

Orsini Law LLC

Littleton, CO

Nina T. Pirrotti

Garrison, LevinEpstein, Fitzgerald & Pirrotti, PC New Haven, CT

Scott M. Pollins Pollins Law Firm Swarthmore, PA

Donna Williams Rucker

Tully Rinckey, PLLC

Washington, DC

Robert W. Schmidt

Karla Gilbride Washington, DC

Robert W. Schmidt Law Firm

Austin, TX

Maureen Truax Holland Holland & Associates, PC Memphis, TN

Christopher Houk Houk Law Firm, PC Tempe, AZ

Ben Lebsack

Lowrey Parady Lebsack, LLC Denver, CO

Rachhana T. Srey Nichols Kaster, PLLP

Minneapolis, MN

Jeffrey N. Young Solidarity Law Cumberland Foreside, ME

Paul H. Tobias

Founder, In Memoriam

INSTITUTE BOARD

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR WORKERS’ RIGHTS BOARD MEMBERS

Diane S. King President King & Greisen, LLP

Denver, CO

Denise M. Clark Vice President Clark Law Group, PLLC

Washington, DC

Alicia K. Haynes Secretary & Treasurer

Haynes & Haynes, PC

Birmingham, AL

Patricia A. Barasch Past President

Schall & Barasch, LLC Moorestown, NJ

M.Nieves Bolaños Fish Potter Bolaños, PC Chicago, IL

Roberto L. Corrada Sturm College of Law, University of Denver

Denver, CO

Linda M. Correia Correia & Puth, PLLC

Washington, DC

Bruce A. Fredrickson Webster & Fredrickson PLLC Washington, DC

Donna R. Lenhoff

Donna Lenhoff

Associates

Washington, DC

Maria Price Cisco

Washington, DC

Phillis h. Rambsy Rambsy Law PC Nashville, TN

RETIRING NELA BOARD MEMBERS

The National Employment Lawyers Association applauds our retiring Board Members for their tireless service. Thank you for inspiring us all to Elevate Justice for workers!

WADE B. COWAN ROSEMARY ORSINI

Tacarra Andrade

Alicia Battle

Leah A. Hofkin

Karen Maoki

Erica Posey

Jason Solomon

Tiana Stewart

Pedro A. Valverde

Ashley O. Westby

Thank you!

Jeffrey A. Mittman

With deepest appreciation for the hard-working, creative and inspiring team of advocates at NELA and the Institute

NELA STAFF

NELA STAFF & VOLUNTEERS

NELA STAFF

INSTITUTE STAFF

NELA STAFF

Kieran Barasch Schall

NELA VOLUNTEERS

LLC

Daniela Bernstein

Correia & Puth, PLLC

Shanisha Cooper HMC Civil Rights Law

Karla

Elizabeth Schultz HMC Civil Rights Law

Tacarra L. Andrade Membership Director

Alicia Battle Events Coordinator

Leah A. Hofkin Director of Development

Karen Maoki Director of Strategy & Operations

Jeffrey A. Mittman Executive Director

Tiana Stewart Administrative Coordinator

Pedro A. Valverde Digital Communications & Technology Manager

Ashley O. Westby Program Director

Jason Solomon Director

Erica Posey Paul H. Tobias Attorney Fellow

& Barasch,

Patricia Losacker Tobias, Torchia & Simon/Freking, Myers & Reul, LLC

Pathmann Nichols Kaster, PLLP

Erica Runnels HMC Civil Rights Law

NELA AFFILIATE REPRESENTATIVES

Eighth Circuit NELA

Jill A. Silverstein

Alabama

NELA-Alabama

Sonya Edwards

Arizona

AzELA

Jeffrey A. Silence

California

California Employment Lawyers Association

Laura L. Horton

Bay Area Cabal

Patrice L. Goldman

Traci M. Hinden

LEFTJAW

Thomas W. Falvey

Sacramento Employment Lawyers Association

Christopher H. Whelan

Colorado

Colorado PELA

Emily R. Stevens

Connecticut

Connecticut Employment Lawyers Association

Amanda M. DeMatteis

District of Columbia

Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association

Lauren A. Khouri

Florida

Florida NELA

Alberto Naranjo

Georgia

NELA Georgia

Tamika Sykes

Hawaii

NELA-Hawaii

Elbridge W. Smith

Illinois

NELA-Illinois

Chiquita Hall-Jackson

Indiana NELA-Indiana

Tae Sture

Iowa

Iowa NELA

Thomas Bullock

Kentucky

Kentucky Employment Lawyers Association

Barbara D. Bonar

Louisiana

Louisiana Employment Lawyers Association

J. Arthur Smith, III

Baton Rouge NELA

J. Arthur Smith, III

Maine

Maine NELA

David G. Webbert

Maryland

Maryland Employment Lawyers Association

Neil R. Lebowitz

Massachusetts

Massachusetts Employment Lawyers Association

David I. Brody

Michigan

Michigan Employment Lawyers Association

Sarah S. Prescott

Minnesota

Minnesota NELA

Brian T. Rochel

Employee Lawyers Association of the Upper Midwest

Leslie L. Lienemann

Missouri

Kansas City NELA

Phillip M. Murphy II

St. Louis NELA

Jessica M. Scales

Nebraska Nebraska NELA

Joy Shiffermiller

Nevada

Nevada NELA

Joshua D. Buck

New Hampshire

New Hampshire NELA

Benjamin T. King

New Jersey

NELA-NJ

Leslie Farber

New York

NELA/New York

Laurie E. Morrison

North Carolina

NELA-North Carolina

Faith Herndon

Ohio

Ohio Employment Lawyers Association

Neil E. Klingshirn

Paul H. Tobias Cincinnati Employment Lawyers Association

Randolph H. Freking

Cleveland Employment Lawyers Association

Kami D. Brauer

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Employment Lawyers Association

Amber L. Hurst

Tulsa Employment Lawyers Association

Jonathan E. Shook

Oregon Oregon Employment Lawyers Association

Beth Creighton

Pennsylvania NELA-Eastern Pennsylvania

Michael A. Filoromo

Western Pennsylvania Employment Lawyers Association

Nicole Daller

Rhode Island

Rhode Island NELA

Charles S. Kirwan

Tennessee TENNELA

Brian Winfrey

Texas

Texas Employment Lawyers Association

Kyla Cole

Dallas/Ft. Worth NELA

Corinna Chandler

El Paso/West Texas Employment Lawyers Association

Christopher Benoit

NELA Houston

Dorian Vandenberg-Rodes

San Antonio Employment Lawyers Association

Philip J. Moss

Utah Utah Employment Lawyers Association

Galen T. Shimoda

Vermont Vermont Employment Lawyers Association

Roger E. Kohn

Virginia Virginia Employment Lawyers Association

Terry N. Grimes

Washington Washington Employment Lawyers Association

Beth Terrell

West Virginia West Virginia Employment Lawyers Association

Nicole Sanders-Meske

Wisconsin Wisconsin Employment Lawyers Association

Jeffrey S. Hynes

InIn March 1985, a dozen plaintiff employment lawyers from nine states attending the ABA’s Labor and Employment Law Section meeting in Wesley Chapel, Florida decided to form the Plaintiff Employment Lawyers Association (PELA). Led by Paul H. Tobias, the founding members envisioned that this new organization would provide the assistance and information sought by attorneys representing individual employees, particularly in wrongful termination cases. It would develop the professional network necessary for effective sharing and support of ideas, successes, problems, and frustrations. PELA also would serve as an instrument for advancing public policy and legislation affecting the rights of employees. In this regard, the founding members of PELA contemplated a publication, which later would be called The Employee Advocate, a membership directory, a brief bank, educational programs uniquely designed for plaintiff employment lawyers, and the development of state and local PELA groups around the country. In 1990, PELA changed its name to the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) to represent the growing national scope of its membership and held its first Annual Convention.

In the thirty-eight years since its founding, NELA has gained a reputation for providing exceptional educational programs for plaintiff employment lawyers. Its substantive law committees and practice groups provide technical support to NELA members and keep them abreast of recent developments, and the NELA Exchange provides a forum for members to share strategies, resources, and encouragement. With the assistance of dozens

of volunteers, the organization has participated as amicus curiae in significant employment cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and Circuit Courts of Appeals since 1985. NELA is at the forefront of major employment issues, including banning forced arbitration of employment claims, resisting reforms to the civil justice system that would make it more difficult for workers to vindicate their rights, and ensuring a fair and diverse judiciary. At the circuit, state, and local levels, NELA Affiliates across the nation are supporting workers’ rights advocates in their communities and adding their voices in NELA’s advocacy initiatives.

In 2008, NELA created a related charitable policy and advocacy organization, now known as the National Institute for Workers’ Rights (Institute). The Institute advances workers’ rights through research, thought leadership, and education for policymakers, advocates, and the public, and is NELA’s indispensable partner in pursuing our shared vision for the world: A future in which all workers are treated with dignity and respect; workplaces are equitable, diverse, and inclusive; and the wellbeing of workers is a priority in business practices.

The cornerstone of NELA is, and always has been, community. Among the original goals set at the inaugural meeting of PELA is the “PELA Pledge”: Members agree to receive calls from fellow members and render assistance. The devices used to share information have changed since 1985, but the guiding principle remains the same: NELA’s greatest strengths are the generosity and collective power of our community of workers’ rights advocates.

“We have influenced life in America, our organization. There is no question that the work that our lawyers have done has made an impact on employees—workers—all over the country for the last years. For a little organization of 2,000 members, that is something to be proud of.”

–PAUL H. TOBIAS, NELA FOUNDER

The cornerstone of NELA is, and always has been, community.

SPONSORS & EXHIBITORS

CONVENTION SPONSORS

AARP LOGO

Dundon Advisers LOGO

Morgan & Morgan LOGO

Correia & Puth, PLLC

HMC Civil Rights Law

Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation

National Institute for Workers’ Rights

NELA-Illinois

Nichols Kaster, PLLP

Schall & Barasch, LLC

Tobias, Torchia & Simon/Freking, Myers & Reul, LLC

CONVENTION EXHIBITORS

Balanced Bridge Funding

Employstats

ILYM Group, Inc.

J.S. Held

KCI Settlements

National Women’s Law Center

Rust Consulting

Scorpion

Simpluris

Stand Up for Workers

Stratejic Relationships

Workplace Fairness

CONVENTION COMMITTEE

NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT LAWYERS ASSOCIATION

2023 ANNUAL CONVENTION COMMITTEE

—————————–––––––––––––––––––––—————————— Co-Chairs ————————––––––––—–––––––––––––——————————

M.Nieves Bolaños Fish Potter Bolaños, PC Chicago, IL

Chiquita Hall-Jackson Hall-Jackson & Associates

Chicago, IL

—————–––––––––————–––––––––––––—————————— Members —————————–––––––––––––———————––––––––———

Lisa L. Clay Attorney at Law Wheaton, IL

Heather M. Collins Collins & Hunter, PLLC Brentwood, TN

Linda M. Correia Correia & Puth, PLLC Washington, DC

Maria Diaz

Allred, Maroko & Goldberg Los Angeles, CA

Loren Donnell Burr & Smith, LLP Saint Petersburg, FL

Michael A. Filoromo Katz Banks Kumin

Philadelphia, PA

Joseph D. Garrison

Garrison, Levin-Epstein, Fitzgerald & Pirrotti, PC New Haven, CT

Daniel Hutchinson

Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, LLP

San Francisco, CA

Cheryl Legare

Legare, Attwood & Wolfe, LLC

Decatur, GA

Karen Maoki

National Employment Lawyers Association

Concord, CA

John McKnight

Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP

Washington, DC

Jeffrey Mittman

National Employment Lawyers Association

Concord, CA

Camille Rodriguez

Berger & Montague, PC

Philadelphia, PA

Pooja Shethji Outten & Golden LLP

Washington, DC

Douglas Werman

Werman Salas PC

Chicago, IL

Ashley O. Westby

National Employment Lawyers Association

Washington, DC

KEYNOTE PANELISTS

2023 NELA Annual Convention Keynote Panelists

Kim Bobo is a nationally known promoter of social justice who leads Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy’s advocacy, outreach, and development work. She literally wrote the book on faith-based organizing. Kim joined Virginia Interfaith Center in 2016, where she mobilized a historic faith advocacy campaign and played a leadership role in the statewide Healthcare for All Virginians coalition advocating Medicaid expansion, which passed in 2018. Kim moved to Virginia from Chicago, where she founded and served as executive director of Interfaith Worker Justice, the nation’s largest network of people of faith engaging in local and national actions to improve wages, benefits, and conditions for workers. Prior to that, Kim was national organizing director for Bread for the World and an instructor at the Midwest Academy. Born in Cincinnati, Kim has a B.A. in religion from Barnard College and an M.A. in economics from the New School for Social Research.

Roberto Clack is the Executive Director of Temp Worker Justice. Roberto has spent time organizing in the housing, peace, and labor movements. As part of his work in the peace movement, Roberto helped organize Iraq Veterans Against War’s (IVAW) Winter Soldier event in 2008 and IVAW’s NATO Ceremony in 2012. As part of his work with worker centers, he has been a part of winning major legislation in Illinois, including the Fair Work Week campaign, the Chicago Sick Time ordinance, and the Illinois Clean Jobs Act, and helped stop new temporary staffing agency offices from gaining special use permits in his home town in Joliet. Roberto started the first worker center-based labor and environment department in the country and was a founding executive board member of the Illinois Green New Deal Coalition, along with serving as an elected board member of the Illinois Clean Jobs Coalition. Roberto has helped raise millions of dollars for grassroots organizations in his two decades of organizing and his communications work has been featured in publications including: Vice News, The New Republic, USA Today, In These Times, The Progressive, The Chicago Tribune, and WBEZ Radio, along with many others.

Stacy Davis Gates is president of the Chicago Teachers Union and executive vice president of the Illinois Federation of Teachers. Before she was elected CTU president in 2022, Stacy served four years as vice president of the union. Prior to that, she was the CTU’s political and legislative director. In fall 2019, she helped lead a 15-day strike and negotiate a historic contract that provides for smaller class sizes, ensures a nurse and social worker in every Chicago public school, secures sanctuary protections for immigrant families, and supports students and families experiencing homelessness. Stacy has spearheaded statewide legislative campaigns to pass the strongest charter school accountability measures in the country, push for the restoration of the bargaining rights of Chicago Public Schools employees and fully fund public education by ending tax loopholes for the 1 percent. Stacy is currently on leave from the classroom, where she taught high school social studies for over a decade at Englewood, Clemente, and Mason Community Links high schools.

Brandi McNease is the lead organizer of Chipotle United in Augusta, Maine. Brandi worked in the food service industry for over 20 years, three of those at Chipotle prior to 2022. When she returned to work at the Chipotle location in Augusta, Brandi led the charge to organize the staff in pursuit of safer working conditions, sustainable staffing levels, and living wages. The Augusta Chipotle was the first Chipotle in the United States to file for a union election, and the store was closed less than a month later. The National Labor Relations Board found that Chipotle broke federal law by closing the store hours before a union hearing where the election was set to be scheduled and blackballing workers. In March of 2023, a settlement was reached on behalf of the workers at the Augusta location. Brandi wants fellow workers to know they have the power to make change and ensure that corporations follow the same laws as everyone else.

COURAGEOUS PLAINTIFFS

2023 NELA Annual Convention Courageous Plaintiffs

Gerald Bostock

Bostock v. Clayton County

Represented by Edward D. Buckley & Thomas J. Mew

Gerald Bostock was the named plaintiff in the landmark case Bostock v. Clayton County, in which the Supreme Court held Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, in banning sex discrimination, also bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.

Gerald was raised in South Georgia in the city of Valdosta, where children are taught early the importance of Faith, Family, and Football. This heavily influenced the man Gerald has become. Gerald attended Valdosta State College where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a concentration in Social Work. He later earned his social services certification from the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!). Throughout Gerald’s career, he has had a passion for working with children, specifically victims of child abuse and neglect. In 2003, Gerald found his dream job working as the Child Welfare Services Coordinator at the Clayton County Juvenile Court just outside Atlanta, Georgia where he managed the Clayton County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Program, which he did for over ten years. He did so with distinction and honor and was able to reach the unprecedented feat of serving 100% of the children entering the child welfare system in that Metro Atlanta community.

In early 2013, Gerald joined a gay recreational softball league after beating cancer, and within months he was fired for alleged “conduct unbecoming a Clayton County employee.” Gerald’s legal battle to vindicate his rights under Title VII resulted in the Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. Gerald is proud to have played a pivotal role in the fight for LGBTQ rights in the workplace. As Gerald has said from the beginning, “no one should go to work fearful of losing their job because of who they are, how they identify, or who they love.” He is now employed by the state of Georgia as a Mental Health Counselor at Georgia Regional Hospital Atlanta, an inpatient psychiatric facility.

Jennifer Glover

Glover v. Centerra Grp., LLC

Represented by Jay Ellwanger

Jennifer Glover is a former Special Police Officer (SPO) who worked at the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) from 2015 to 2018. Every day she put on her uniform as an SPO, strapped on her boots, picked up her service rifle, jumped in her duty Humvee, and went to work protecting top secret assets on a site that covers over 1,360 square miles of desert. She loved her new career and won awards on several occasions. Jennifer was one of a handful of female security guards at the site, and even before she stepped foot on base, the male-dominated workforce had begun to objectify and sexualize her, ogling and catcalling her everywhere she went and placing bets as to who would sleep with her first. And then, during a training exercise, under the cover of darkness and through the din of explosions, her co-workers violently and brutally assaulted her.

On August 17, 2018, Jennifer filed an EEOC charge against her then-current employer, who retaliated against her after she reported the assault and the treatment she received from co-workers. On January 25, 2019, after a nine-month investigation, the New York Times told her story in a long-form front page article. On March 11, 2019, Jennifer filed a lawsuit against the company who employed her at the time of the assault in federal court in Las Vegas. Along the way, the matter was also investigated by the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Energy (“DOE”), the Government Accountability Office (“GAO”), and local police. The federal lawsuit was resolved, and the case dismissed on November 8, 2019. The EEOC charge was resolved and withdrawn in February 2022. Although ultimately victorious in her case, she felt defeated inside. For years she buried herself in her hobbies, but her passion to continue her career in law enforcement seemed like an unachievable fantasy from a past life. But Jennifer took a deep breath, stood back up, dusted herself off, strapped on her boots again, and has just recently passed all the required exams and checks to serve as a Police Officer.

Assata Kenneh

Kenneh v. Homeward Bound, Inc.

Represented by Gerald T. Laurie and Kelly A. Jeanetta

Born in Liberia, Assata was raised as part of a large extended family with a storied lineage to West African culture. Her direct ancestors were from the Mandingo tribe, also known as the Mandinka, who were descendants of the great Mali empire and featured in the miniseries Roots. In her teens, Assata’s family moved from war-torn Liberia to the Philadelphia suburbs. During those years she was raised by her uncle Amara, who would later become the Minister of Finance and Development Planning of Liberia, and his wife Mrs. Hawah, where the value of hard work and perseverance were instilled in her. Her mother, HadjaMakeesa, who due to gender inequalities had limited educational opportunities herself, lived close by and provided her with strength, encouragement, and above all a burning inspiration to work tirelessly to become the woman she is today.

With the odds stacked against her and little money to spare, she went on to get her Bachelor’s degree from West Chester University and a Masters in Educational Leadership from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. During that time, Assata began to research the world of real estate, and began to earn money buying and selling property.

COURAGEOUS PLAINTIFFS

She then decided she would work in direct care and vocational services for people with disabilities –her dream job. She thought she found that job in Minnesota. Although Assata’s performance earned her a promotion to a supervisor position, she began to experience a relentless pattern of sexual harassment. It was so severe that it brought her back to sexual abuse she suffered as a child in Africa. The harassment took its toll on her marriage and career.

Through unimaginable anxiety and depression, Assata courageously stood up to her sexual harasser and employer. Knowing a lawsuit would subject her to scrutiny, scorn, and embarrassment of private matters, Assata showed poise and perseverance in the face of overwhelming emotional trauma from her uncaring employer. She fought her way through every court in Minnesota and she finally won a unanimous decision by the Minnesota Supreme Court reversing summary judgment and granting her a jury trial. Importantly, the court held that from there on, courts must consider modern mores and morals in deciding sexual harassment cases. Outdated cases are not reliable authority. The Minnesota Supreme Court’s wellreasoned opinion is a beacon for those whose dignity has been challenged. Assata’s heart is an inspiration to women and plaintiffs of all sorts, everywhere. As a spiritual and religious woman, Assata continues to give freely her time, love, and compassion to persons with disabilities, older persons, and those in need. She hopes to one day start her own business in that area.

AARP Foundation and

NELA

AARP Foundation applauds

supports NELA’s e orts to:

• Fight age discrimination in the workplace

• Empower workers’ rights attorneys

• Advocate for laws and policies that level the employment playing field

We look forward to working together with NELA and its members to level the playing field for workers in the years to come.

William Alvarado Rivera Senior VP for Litigation Dean Graybill VP for Litigation (employment & consumer)

434-2060.

Elizabeth Aniskevich (Member) Benjamin Davis (Member) Lauren Naylor (Member)

NELA’s 2023 Gala will be a special celebration of our community. Please join us on Thursday afternoon as we honor five of your colleagues for their distinguished service to NELA, inspiring leadership, and strong commitment to the cause of justice for workers. Then on Friday evening, we will gather to toast another year of strong advocacy for workers and dance the night away.

AWARDS PRESENTATION

Thursday, June 29

5:15–6:30 p.m.

Imperial Ballroom (B2 Level)

Included with Convention Registration

NELA lawyers are heroes—standing up for the working people of our country even when the odds seem insurmountable. We have the privilege of honoring Katherine L. Butler (TX), David L. Lee (IL), and Robin B. Potter (IL) for their longstanding leadership and distinguished service to our community and presenting our Spotlight Award, which recognizes NELA leaders who represent our future, to Chiquita Hall-Jackson (IL) and Lauren A. Khouri (DC).

In addition, the National Institute for Workers’ Rights will be presenting its annual Impact for Workers Award to The M.R. and Evelyn Hudson Foundation.

GALA DANCE PARTY

Friday, June 30

8:00–11:00 p.m.

International Ballroom (2nd Floor)

Separate Ticket Required

Don’t miss this highlight of our time together! The evening includes music, dancing, and sweet and savory snacks. Every Gala attendee will receive two complimentary drink tickets courtesy of Dundon Advisers LLC. Drop in anytime! vvvv

NELA’s 2023 Gala Fundraiser reinforces NELA’s mission of empowering workers’ rights attorneys through legal training, promoting a fair judiciary, and advocating for laws and policies that level the playing field for workers. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to our Gala sponsors for their commitment to making NELA an even stronger and more influential force for working people and their advocates.

Tickets are still available and may be purchased in advance at the Registration Desk or at the door.

2023 NELA GALA HONOREES

Please join NELA in honoring five of your colleagues for their inspiring commitment to justice for workers. The Awards Presentation takes place on Thursday, June 29 at 5:15 p.m. in the Imperial Ballroom (B2 Level).

University of Houston School of Law. She has recently retired from the practice of law. If you are ever in Houston, give her a shout!

Katherine L. Butler, Houston

The NELA community has benefited greatly from the strong commitment and dedicated involvement of Kathy Butler, whose inspiring leadership in NELA and the Texas Employment Lawyers Association (TELA) extends well beyond the many official roles she has held. She served on the NELA Board for six years, including terms as Secretary and Treasurer; has been a longstanding member of the NELA/Institute Joint Fundraising Committee and NELA’s Judicial Nominations Committee; and previously served on the Amicus Advisory Council. Kathy is also a past president of TELA, Houston NELA, and the State Bar of Texas’ Labor and Employment Law Section. She founded and then planned TELA’s annual south of the border seminar for more than twenty years. For decades, she had an active employment law practice in Houston and wrote and lectured extensively on trial and appellate practice, particularly in the area of employment law. She is a fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and is board certified in Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Kathy is a graduate of Duke University and the

David L. Lee, Law Offices of David L.Lee, Chicago

For many NELA members, David Lee may be best known as one of the most helpful expert voices on the NELA Exchange, exemplifying one of NELA’s core values—generously providing assistance and advice to other plaintiffs’ employment lawyers. David’s commitment to the NELA community also is evidenced by his strong record of leadership, including ten years on the NELA Board, including two years as President (2013–2015). He was co-chair of the Affiliate Relations Committee for four years and still participates on NELA’s Membership Committee. He also is a past president of NELAIllinois. David has spent most of his forty-six-year legal career concentrating on representing employees. Among many other accolades, David is a fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. He was a full-time clinical professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law’s nationally recognized clinic on

employment discrimination from 1984 to 1991. From 1992 to 2015, David was a Hearing Officer for the Cook County Commission on Human Rights. He writes and speaks frequently on employment law, including at NELA events. David earned his BA and JD from Northwestern University.

Robin B. Potter, Fish Potter Bolaños, PC, Chicago

Robin Potter is a pioneer in representing unions and workers and advancing workers’ rights. From a working-class family and raised in a New York housing project, Robin has devoted her life to serving the people. A founding member of NELA and NELA-Illinois, she has remained unwavering in her commitment to our community. Robin has been a frequent speaker for NELA as well as other bar associations, unions, and rank and file labor groups. In her forty-five-year career, Robin built a successful practice litigating cases involving labor and employment, discrimination, sexual harassment, whistleblower, wage and hour, and under the False Claims Act in individual, class, and collective actions. She has served as counsel to the Chicago Teachers’ Union,

United Steelworkers of America, Teamsters for a Democratic Union, the Association for Union Democracy, and the brave and visionary union members and leadership working to reform their unions and create democracy, equity, and justice in the workplace. Robin and her client Helen Brooms testified before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Labor to amend Title VII and usher in the Civil Rights Act of 1991. Robin stands on the shoulders of giants who are her mentors, including NELA Founder Paul Tobias, founding member Mike Leech, former Executive Director Teri Chaw, her late husband Pete Camarata, family and friends, her law partners and everyone at her firm, and the NELA members and other folks who fight every day for a better world. She is a graduate of the City College of New York (CCNY) and University of Iowa Law School (1977).

Chiquita Hall-Jackson, Hall-Jackson & Associates, PLLC, Chicago

Chiquita Hall-Jackson was selected to receive a NELA Spotlight Award because of her fierce commitment to the rights of individuals in the workplace and her dedicated service to the NELA community. She is the founder of Hall-Jackson and Associates, PLLC, an employment law firm in Chicago, and current President

NELA GALA HONOREES

of NELA-Illinois, the first black woman to hold the position. After facing race and gender bias in her own career, Chiquita has

used her personal experiences to power her professional purpose as an advocate for marginalized employees, speaking up for those whose voices have been silenced by workplace discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. She has devoted her life’s work to ensuring minorities are seen, heard, and respected from the backroom to the boardroom. Chiquita is also an adjunct law professor with a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from Cornell University. She earned her BA from Northern Illinois University and her JD from Southern University Law Center.

Lauren A. Khouri, Correia & Puth, PLLC, Washington, DC NELA is honoring Lauren Khouri with a Spotlight Award because her dedication to the civil rights

of individuals in the workplace and leadership within the NELA community have been and will continue to be essential to our mission. Lauren is a Partner at Correia & Puth, PLLC in Washington, DC, the current President of the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association, and a frequent speaker at NELA CLE events. Her practice includes fighting employment-based discrimination and retaliation of all kinds. Lauren also litigates a broad range of cases under Title IX.Since 2019, Best Lawyers has recognized her as a leader in civil rights law, and Superlawyers has recognized Lauren as a Rising Star in Employment Law. Before joining Correia & Puth, Lauren was a fellow at the National Women’s Law Center. She received her law degree from American University Washington College of Law.

2023

2023 NELA GALA SPONSORS

It is with gratitude that we acknowledge our generous sponsors of this year’s Gala Fundraiser. Drink tickets graciously provided by

CHAMPIONS OF JUSTICE

Getman, Sweeney & Dunn, PLLC

Haynes & Haynes, PC

HKM Employment Attorneys LLP

HMC Civil Rights Law

King Employment Law

NELA-Illinois

NELA-NJ

Pitt McGehee Palmer

Bonanni & Rivers

PRESIDENT’S CABINET

Minnesota NELA

Jeffrey A. Mittman

Murphy Anderson PLLC

Pollins Law Firm

Ritz Clark & Ben-Asher LLP

Donna Williams Rucker

Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe, LLP

The Sanford Firm

Sedey Harper Westhoff, PC

Schall & Barasch, LLC

Robert W. Schmidt Law Firm

Solidarity Law

BENEFACTORS

Stephen R. Bruce Law Offices

Katherine L. Butler

Lichten & Liss-Riordan, PC

Lieff, Cabraser, Heimann & Bernstein, LLP

Nichols Kaster, PLLP

Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP

COMMUNITY LEADERS

Charlson Bredehoft Cohen

Brown & Nadelhaft, PC

Kaplan Law Firm, PLLC

Outten & Golden LLP

Texas Employment Lawyers Association

FOUNDER’S CIRCLE

Bernstein & Lipsett, PC

Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, PLLC

Filippatos PLLC

Garrison, Levin-Epstein, Fitzgerald & Pirrotti, PC

California Employment Lawyers Association

Colorado PELA

Coyle & Benoit, PLLC

Creighton & Rose, PC

Donelon, PC

Fish Potter Bolaños, PC

Florida NELA

Freking Myers & Reul LLC

Gillespie Sanford LLP

John W. Griffin, Jr.

Hawks Quindel, SC

Houk Law Firm, PLLC

The Law Office of John C. Ireland

Johnson & Webbert LLP

Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, PA

James H. Kaster & Joellen M. Kaster

Lowrey Parady Lebsack

Marsili Mediation

McCracken Law Office

Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association

Werman Salas PC

Williams Law Firm, PC

ADVOCATES

Alexander Morrison + Fehr, LLP

Armstrong & Associates

Beck & Eldergill, PC

Bertelson Law Offices, PA

Borealis Law PLLC

Carla D. Brown

Butler Curwood PLC

Clark Law Group, PLLC

Carmen Comsti

Connecticut Employment Lawyers Association

Cornish & Dell’Olio, PC

Wade B. Cowan

The Day Law Practice, LLC

Donati Law, PLLC

Ellwanger Henderson

Elzer Law Firm, LLC

Fiedler Law Firm

Fitzgerald Law, PLLC

Friedman & Houlding, LLP

Goldman Davis Krumholz & Dillon, PC

Barry Goldstein

Hammons, Hurst & Associates

Leah A. Hofkin

Law Offices of David C. Holmes

Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, Ltd.

Impact Fund

Kalijarvi, Chuzi, Newman & Fitch, PC

Kator, Parks, Weiser & Wright PLLC

Matt Koski

Kulwin, Masciopinto & Kulwin, LLP

Law Offices of David L. Lee

Liu Peterson-Fisher LLP

Livingston, Adler, Pulda, Meiklejohn & Kelly, PC

The Maddox Firm LLC |

Long Term Disability/ERISA

Karen Maoki & Cassandra Chen

NELA-Alabama

NELA-Eastern Pennsylvania

NELA Georgia

NELA Houston

NELA/New York

New Hampshire NELA

Law Office of Robert S. Notzon

Patricia A. Podolec, Attorney At Law

The Poerschke Law Firm, PC

Rambsy Law PC

Sherin and Lodgen LLP

Smith Law Firm

Tycko & Zavareei LLP

Upton & Hatfield, LLP

The Villegas Law Firm, APC

Webster & Fredrickson, PLLC

Western Pennsylvania Employment Lawyers Association

Wienand & Bagin

Wilkinson Law Firm, PC

Winebrake & Santillo, LLC

Wisconsin Employment Lawyers Association

PARTNERS

AARP Foundation

Litigation Attorneys:

Ben Davis & Dan Kohrman

Accountability Ignited/ Paula Brantner

Arizona Employment Lawyers Association (AzELA)

Irene Bassock

Betz + Blevins

Buchanan Angeli Altschul & Sullivan LLP

Cashdan & Kane, PLLC

Deutsch Atkins & Kleinfeldt, PC

Eisenberg & Schnell, LLP

Law Office of Anne Glennon Green Savits, LLC

Lorna Griffin

Law Offices, PLLC

Henrichsen Law Group, PLLC

Holland & Associates, PC

Hynes & Kreuser, SC

Law Office of Deborah H. Karpatkin

Ben Lebsack

Messing, Rudavsky & Weliky PC

Murray, Plumb & Murray

Ogborn Mihm LLP

Oklahoma Employment Lawyers Association

O’Malley & Madden, PC

Nina T. Pirrotti

Poncio Law Offices, PC

The Popham Law Firm, PC

Renaker Scott LLP

Mark Risk, PC

Law Offices of Kell A. Simon

Swain Law, LLC

The Wood Law Office, LLC

Zipin, Amster & Greenberg, LLC

Zuckerman Law

SUPPORTERS

Aiello Law

Altshuler Berzon, LLP

Richard K. Blundell

Law Firm

Bracker & Marcus LLC

Brown & Curry, LLC

Center For Employment Law

The Coffey Law Office, PC

Sean W. Cook, Esq.

Dow Golub Remels & Gilbreath, PLLC

Federal Practice Group

Patrick M. Flynn, PC

Gaul and Dumont

Golden Law, LLC

Law Office of Steven

Granberg, PA

Graybill & Hazlewood, LLC

Charles E. Guerrier

Janet Hill

Hommel Law Firm

Horne Daller LLC

Law Office of Douglas B. Janney III

Law Office of Susan Jewell

Robert B. Landry, III, PLC

Dolores Y. Leal

Chet Levitt Fund for Employment Law

David Lichtenstein

Lieber Hammer Huber & Paul, PC

Lubin & Enoch, PC

Maine NELA

Law Offices of Glen D. Mangum

Jonathan J. Margolis

Robert E. McKnight

Mensing Law LLC

O’Brien Coleman & Wright

Olivier & Schreiber LLP

Rosemary Orsini

Pontikes Law LLC

Law Offices of Carol G. Silverman

Law Offices of Jason Smith

Swan Employment Law

TCORS

Tran Law Firm, LLP

Pedro A. Valverde

Venick Austin & Rosen, PLLC

John A. Wenke – Attorney at Law – El Paso, TX

FRIENDS

Allen Law Firm

Joyce L. Collier, Esquire

Patrick Cowlin

DeGolia Law LLC

Brian East

Fair Labor Law

Law Office of Lenore C. Garon, PLLC

Karla Gilbride

Isaacs Bernstein, PC

Donna Lenhoff Associates

Law Office of Guy D. Loranger

Law Offices of Colleen M. McLaughlin

Merrick Law Firm, LLC

Jennifer Morton Law, PLLC

Gregory A. Rich

Tobias, Torchia & Simon

Colin Walsh

Ashley O. Westby & Sean P. McKee

Anonymous

Every effort was made to ensure the accuracy of the individuals, firms, and organizations acknowledged here. We apologize for any errors or omissions. Sponsors as of May 26, 2023.

In Honor of the Real Stars of

Tacarra Alicia Leah

Karen

Jeffrey

Erica Jason

Tiana

Pedro Ashley

LIEFF CABRASER PROUDLY

Lin Y. Chan

Christopher E. ColemanJallé H. Dafa

Kelly M.

Jessica A. Moldovan

Michael Levin-Gesundheit

Michelle A. Lamy

Daniel M. Hutchinson

Dean M. Harvey

Anne B. Shaver

Caitlin Nelson Frank

M.Dermody

Rachel Geman

Levin-Gesundheit

Jahi Liburd

J.White

Tiseme G. Zegeye

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CODE OF CONDUCT/HEALTH & SAFETY

2023 Annual Convention Code of Conduct

At NELA we strive to create continuing legal education programs that are educational, collaborative, respectful, and enjoyable for all attendees. To create a safe and inclusive environment for our entire community, we expect all attendees, speakers, exhibitors, volunteers, and staff at NELA events to conduct themselves in a respectful and collegial manner.

NELA is dedicated to providing harassment-free inperson and virtual events for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment, discrimination, or other unwelcome or unlawful behavior at our events.

Harassment includes but is not limited to:

• Offensive verbal comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, or religion.

• Deliberate intimidation, threats, stalking, or following.

• Inappropriate, unwanted, and/or unsolicited physical contact.

• Sexual propositions or posted/texted sexual images.

• Unwelcome sexual attention, comments, jokes, remarks, or gestures.

• Sustained disruption of talks or other events.

• Unwelcome photography or recording.

• Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.

Violations of this Code will be addressed by the Executive Director to the offending individual who may – based on the severity or continuity of the conduct – be asked to leave the event.

2023 Annual Convention Health and Safety Policy

The health and safety of our members, guests, NELA and Institute team, and the hotel team is our foremost priority.

Vaccinations have reduced many of the COVID-19 guidelines/mandates regarding face masks, social distancing, and travel. In some states and cities, guidelines are still in place, including vaccination mandates, while in others, guidelines/mandates have been eliminated. On May 5, 2023, the World Health Organization lifted the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) for COVID-19. The Department of Health and Human Services has announced that the federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19, declared under Section 319 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, expired on May 11, 2023.

We will continually monitor public health information and may amend our protocols consistent with changes to public health guidance. Notification will be sent if there is a change in our policy.

Vaccination

To allow for participation by the greatest number of members in our community, up-to-date vaccination as defined by the CDC is strongly encouraged.

Masks

Masking at the 2023 Annual Convention is optional but encouraged when not actively eating or drinking. Should public health guidance change or the spread of COVID-19 becomes a concern at the event, NELA may require masking at all sessions and events.

Participants may be denied entry or asked to leave if experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.

NELA will have masks, hand sanitizer, and a limited supply of COVID-19 rapid tests available at the registration desk.

For questions at any time, please visit the registration table or find a staff member.

CONVENTION INFORMATION

NELA Convention meeting rooms Wi-Fi

Network: Fairmont_Meeting

Network Name: NELA

Password: nela2023

Password: nela2022

2023 Annual Convention Materials and Microsite

The written materials for the Convention are available for download at nela.org/nela23. Wi-Fi is available in all guest rooms and Convention meeting rooms at the Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park, but we strongly encourage you to download the materials in advance of the sessions you will be attending.

Use the Convention Attendee Microsite to make the most of your time with us.

• Start networking by completing your Directory Profile to share information about yourself with other attendees.

• Begin or continue a discussion, reach out to a speaker, organize an outing, or simply say hello on the Attendee Discussion List.

• Check out the biographies of our incredible faculty.

• We have created an online CLE Tracker to help you report the sessions you attended.

• The Convention Program Evaluation is also easily accessible from the Convention Attendee Microsite. Help us shape future CLE by submitting a Program Evaluation.

Please note that a valid email address must be provided in order to access the online Convention materials.

Session Recordings

Hungry Mind Recordings (HMR) will professionally record the Convention’s plenary and concurrent sessions. Individual audio MP3 files will be available for purchase at the HMR table in the Imperial Foyer. Audio recordings and accompanying written materials of all plenary and concurrent sessions will be available for online purchase at nela.org/ online-learning after the Convention.

Wi-Fi

Lobby Level

CONVENTION MEETING ROOMS

LOBBY LEVEL

President’s Welcome Reception Concurrent Session (1)

THE BAR

CONVENTION MEETING ROOMS

SECOND FLOOR

Kosher Kitchen

THIRD FLOOR

Affiliate Leadership Workshop

Law Student & New Practitioners Program

Concurrent Sessions (2)

Pantry

Emergency Exit Crystal Room Chancellor Room

Telephones

EscalatorsPre-Function DowntoAllLevels Pre-FunctionDiplomat Room

Exit PublicElevatorsServiceElevators

Room

3rd Floor

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WEDNESDAY PROGRAM

Program subject to change without notice.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2023

9:30–10:00 a.m.

2023 Affiliate Leadership Workshop Registration & Networking Breakfast

3rd Floor Lobby

(Open to NELA Affiliate Leaders)

10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. 2023 Affiliate Leadership Workshop & Forum

Chancellor Room (3rd Floor)

(Open to NELA Affiliate Leaders)

2:00–8:00 p.m.

2023 Annual Convention Registration

Imperial Foyer (B2 Level)

4:00–6:00 p.m. NELA Law Students & New Practitioners Program

Crystal Room (3rd Floor)

Speakers: Shifa Alkhatib, Clara Coleman, Joseph W. Gibson & Sacred B. Huff

Law students, recent law graduates, and those new to plaintiffs’ employment law are invited to join NELA and the National Institute for Workers’ Rights for an engaging and interactive discussion on how a career in plaintiff-side employment law offers a unique and meaningful way for new lawyers to use their skills to drive progressive social change. Experienced employment law practitioners will discuss their work as advocates for workers’ rights and how it intersects with and advances other social justice issues including civil rights, immigration, environmental justice, LGBTQ rights, and gender equality. The panelists also will address how to enter the plaintiffs’ employment law field and what skills and experience can help law students be successful advocates as they begin their legal careers.

6:00–6:30 p.m. NELA Law Students & New Practitioners Reception Rouge (Lobby Level)

The NELA Law Students & New Practitioners Program and Reception are generously sponsored by Barrett & Farahany

6:30–8:00 p.m. President’s Welcome Reception

Rouge (Lobby Level)

Convention participants are invited to join NELA President Linda M. Correia, the NELA Board, and the 2023 Annual Convention Committee for an informal gathering to celebrate 38 years of workers’ rights advocacy, renew friendships, and make new ones. First-time Convention participants are especially encouraged to attend.

The President’s Welcome Reception is generously co-sponsored by AARP Foundation Litigation and NELA-Illinois.

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2023

7:00–9:00 a.m.

7:00–8:30 a.m.

2023 Annual Convention Registration

Imperial Foyer (B2 Level)

Continental Breakfast

International Ballroom (2nd Floor)

Continental breakfast is available to Convention registrants only.

8:30–9:15 a.m.

Paul H. Tobias Roll Call of the States & Opening Remarks

Imperial Ballroom (B2 Level)

Linda M. Correia, NELA President, Carla D. Brown, NELA First Vice President & Jeffrey A. Mittman, NELA Executive Director

9:15–10:30 a.m.

Elevating Justice: Honoring Courageous Plaintiffs

Imperial Ballroom (B2 Level)

Moderator: Linda M. Correia

Courageous Plaintiffs: Gerald Bostock, Jennifer Glover & Assata Kenneh

Advocates: Edward D. Buckley & Thomas J. Mew, Jay Ellwanger & Gerald T. Laurie

The Convention’s opening plenary session will bring to life the stories of three remarkable individuals who stood up to their employers and held their ground in the face of immense adversity, not only to vindicate their own rights, but to improve the lives of others as well. Our honorees embody the change we want to see in the American workplace, and their courage will inspire us to continue the fight to elevate justice for all workers. Their lawyers will share their legal theories and litigation strategies that led to their clients’ extraordinary victories.

10:30–11:00 a.m.

Exhibitor Open House

Imperial Foyer (B2 Level)

Please take this time to visit our Convention exhibitors in the Imperial Foyer and complete your Passport to Success! Get a stamp from each of our exhibitors and return your passport to the Registration Desk to be entered into a raffle for a complimentary 2024 CLE of your choice!

11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m. CONCURRENT SESSIONS

Litigation Strategy & Damages

Best Techniques for Getting Your Opposing Party to Provide Fulsome Discovery

Imperial Ballroom (B2 Level)

Moderator: Adreanna Sellers

Speakers: Angela N. Gray, Neil L. Henrichsen & Paige Sparks

Discovery is a vital piece of any case and ensuring that you get the right discovery (without the defense swamping you with unnecessary documents) is an essential skill any lawyer should have. Our panelists will discuss overcoming common objections, issues when obtaining devices for digital forensic analysis, how to use third-party discovery tools, and other key techniques to ensure you have the discovery you need to succeed.

Fundamentals of Employment Law

Common Evidentiary Issues in Employment Law

Rouge Room (Lobby Level)

Moderator/Speaker: Christine T. Elzer

Speakers: Kira Y. Fonteneau, Lauren A. Khouri & Summer H. Murshid

How do you get helpful evidence in? How do you keep prejudicial or irrelevant evidence out? The panel will cover common evidentiary issues in employment cases, from discovery through trial.

THURSDAY PROGRAM

11:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m.

CONCURRENT SESSIONS (continued)

The State of Arbitration

Gold Room (2nd Floor)

Moderator/Speaker: Michele R. Fisher

Speakers: Jennifer Bennett & Shelby Leighton

Arbitration is changing rapidly, with some notable advances for workers in both the legislature and the courts. Our experts will discuss the current state of forced arbitration in the workplace, including how you can effectively use the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act of 2021 to advocate for your clients.

Database Discovery—Metadata, Forms, and Fields

Regent Room (3rd Floor)

Moderator/Speaker: Anita M. Chambers

Speakers: Max P. Barack & Carlos A. Baradat

Our panelists will provide an overview of data discovery basics—how databases work, what terms you should know, why data discovery is helpful and necessary, what to ask for, and how to ask for it. Practitioners will also highlight recent decisions and developments in database discovery.

Leveraging New Equal Pay and Pay Transparency Laws

Crystal Room (3rd Floor)

Moderator/Speaker: Andrea L. Johnson

Speakers: Danielle Fuschetti & Seher Khawaja

This panel will give an overview of recent equal pay law trends and discuss how employment lawyers are using these new laws in employment litigation and the potential they hold for closing gender and racial wage gaps for our clients and our country. The panel will also discuss the important role NELA attorneys can play in advocating for these laws in their states and localities.

12:15–1:45 p.m.

Annual Luncheon & Keynote Address

International Ballroom (2nd Floor)

Moderator: Kimberly A. Bobo

Speakers: Roberto Clack, Stacy Davis Gates & Brandi L. McNease

NELA is proud to welcome worker organizers who are leading the charge in uniting their co-workers in pursuit of living wages, safer working conditions, and freedom from harassment and discrimination. Join our moderator Kim Bobo (Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy) and panelists Roberto Clack (Temp Worker Justice), Stacy Davis Gates (Chicago Teachers Union), and Brandi McNease (Chipotle United) to hear their incredible stories of grassroots advocacy and how NELA members can support workers as they engage in the fight to unionize.

2:00–3:15 p.m. CONCURRENT SESSIONS

Litigation Strategy & Damages

Maximizing and Valuing Emotional Distress Damages

Imperial Ballroom (B2 Level)

Moderator/Speaker: Paige Fiedler

Speakers: Walt L. Auvil & Carney R. Shegerian

Putting a realistic dollar value on your client’s emotional distress doesn’t have to be a shot in the dark. We’ll provide you with illuminating considerations from experienced practitioners to assist you as you value and maximize emotional distress damages for your clients.

2:00–3:15 p.m.

Fundamentals of Employment Law

CONCURRENT SESSIONS (continued)

How to Make Your Workers’ Rights Practice Profitable

Rouge Room (Lobby Level)

Moderator/Speaker: Christopher Houk

Speakers: Amanda M. DeMatteis & David J. Fish

Law school teaches many things about employment law—except how to manage a workers’ rights practice. From case selection to budget considerations, our experienced panel will provide many practical tips on how to do well while you are doing good.

Wage & Hour Successful Wage & Hour Mediations

Gold Room (2nd Floor)

Moderator/Speaker: Douglas M. Werman

Speakers: Amy L. Coopman & Jason C. Marsili

Success in mediation requires more than showing up, making a demand, and having the mediator go to work. This is true of all mediations, but especially in wage and hour cases, which often focus on systemic pay practices related damages. Experienced counsel and neutrals will discuss what practitioners can do before and during mediation to increase the chance of resolving a case successfully.

Show Me the Money…Ethically

Regent Room (3rd Floor)

Moderator: Deborah H. Karpatkin

Speakers: Lisa L. Clay, Matthew Lango & Cheri L. McCracken

From fee agreements to settlement negotiations, ethical pitfalls abound when money is part of the discussion. This panel will follow the money through a case, identifying potential ethical issues, and help practitioners handle financial decisions in a practical, ethical, and financially sound manner.

The

Impact of Dobbs on Employment Law

Crystal Room (3rd Floor)

Moderator/Speaker: Gillian Thomas

Speakers: Ming-Qi Chu, Phillis h. Rambsy & Rebecca L. Salawdeh

This panel will grapple with how we can best protect workers in the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision overturning Roe v. Wade. As states implement a patchwork of laws codifying, limiting, or eliminating the right to abortion, myriad related employment law considerations are emerging, particularly for low-wage and other marginalized workers. From discrimination against people seeking abortion care to the need for time off to travel to obtain such services, the new landscape implicates rights under numerous federal statutes, including the PDA, ADAAA, FMLA, and the newly-enacted Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), as well as state and local laws. The inclusion in PWFA of a religious exemption also potentially compromises the protections for workers seeking accommodation of pregnancy and related medical conditions. While the session will emphasize practical solutions and litigation strategies, policy solutions such as increased access to paid job-protected leave will be discussed.

3:15–3:45 p.m. BREAK

Imperial Foyer (B2 Level)

THURSDAY/FRIDAY PROGRAM

3:45–5:00 p.m

The Damage is Done: Compensatory and Punitive Damages in Title VII Cases

Imperial Ballroom (B2 Level)

Moderator/Speaker: Linda M. Correia

Speaker: J. Bernard Alexander, III, Heidi R. Burakiewicz & Professor Lynn R. Zehrt

The caps imposed on plaintiffs for compensatory and punitive damages in Title VII cases are outdated and unjust. Join us for a discussion of how caps work to entrench discrimination and retaliation in the workplace and how attorneys can fight back against enabling discrimination as a cost of doing business. Learn practical steps you can take to help your client achieve more just damage results and what the future holds (and how you can help!) when it comes to ending damage caps for good.

5:15–6:30 p.m.

2023 Gala Awards Presentation

Imperial Ballroom (B2 Level)

NELA Distinguished Service Honorees: Katherine L. Butler, David L. Lee & Robin B. Potter

NELA Spotlight Honorees: Chiquita Hall-Jackson & Lauren A. Khouri

Institute Honoree: The M.R. and Evelyn Hudson Foundation

Speakers: M. Nieves Bolaños, Linda M. Correia, John W. Griffin, Jeffrey A. Mittman, Phillis h. Rambsy, Rebecca L. Salawdeh, Jason Solomon & J. Bryan Wood

All are invited to help us honor five of your colleagues for their inspiring contributions to the NELA community and the cause of justice for workers. The National Institute for Workers’ Rights will also present its annual Impact for Workers Award.

6:30–7:30 p.m. Annual Reception

International Ballroom (2nd Floor)

The Annual Reception is included in the registration fee for Convention registrants only. Guest tickets for the Annual Reception may be purchased at the Registration Desk or at the door.

FRIDAY, JUNE 30, 2023

7:00 a.m. Tobias 5K Run Meet in Hotel Lobby

7:30–9:00 a.m. 2023 Annual Convention Registration

Imperial Foyer (B2 Level)

7:30–8:45 a.m.

Continental Breakfast

International Ballroom (2nd Floor)

Continental breakfast is available to Convention registrants only.

8:45–9:30 a.m. EEOC and DOL: Tackling Systemic Barriers to Opportunity to Foster Equal Opportunity for All

Crystal Room (3rd Floor)

Speakers: Charlotte A. Burrows, Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission & Seema Nanda, United States Solicitor of Labor

Join Chair Burrows and Solicitor Nanda as they share the priorities and policies of the EEOC and Department of Labor, and how they are supporting a whole-of-government approach to advancing workplace equity. Topics to be discussed include advancing racial justice in our employment systems, promoting equal pay, and dismantling systemic barriers to hire, including tech-based hiring systems that rely on artificial intelligence, and much more. Attendees will also be given the opportunity to ask panelists questions.

9:30–10:15 a.m. A New Chapter for the National Institute for Workers’ Rights: Shaping Our Priorities, Making an Impact

Crystal Room (3rd Floor)

Meet Jason Solomon, the inaugural director of the National Institute for Workers’ Rights, and Erica Posey, the Paul H. Tobias Attorney Fellow, and hear about their plans to work on issues of economic dignity, workplace justice, and the future of worker advocacy. They are eager to hear your thoughts on how best to make a difference for workers and their advocates.

10:30–11:45 a.m. Revisiting The Classics

Imperial Ballroom (B2 Level)

Moderator: Carla D. Brown

Speakers: Charles E. Guerrier, Paul W. Mollica & Diane I. Smason

With ever-changing jurisprudence in the realm of employment law, it can be easy to overlook some of the most vital cases that you should have in your repertoire. Our experts will discuss the stalwart workers’ rights cases that should not be ignored.

11:45 a.m. –12:00 p.m. BREAK

Imperial Foyer (B2 Level)

12:00–1:15 p.m. CONCURRENT SESSIONS

Litigation Strategy & Damages

The Intersection of Employment & Labor Law

Imperial Ballroom (B2 Level)

Moderator/Speaker: Meredith Stewart

Speakers: Yona Rozen & Jeffrey Neil Young

With the substantial rise in worker organizing across the country, this intersection is more important than ever for employment lawyers to understand. Panelists will discuss how the National Labor Relations Act can be used in non-union settings, the ways in which the National Labor Relations Board is expanding workers’ rights to engage in protected concerted activity, and the administration’s recent guidance regarding immigration protections for workers engaged in labor disputes.

12:00–1:15 p.m.

Fundamentals of Employment Law

CONCURRENT SESSIONS (continued)

The Nuts & Bolts of Arbitrating an Employment Case Rouge Room (Lobby Level)

Moderator/Speaker: F. Paul Bland

Speakers: Krysten L. Connon & Christina Le

There are substantial differences between arbitration and court. As more employment cases are forced into arbitration, it is vital for plaintiffs’ employment lawyers know how to successfully arbitrate a case. The panel will cover how to choose an arbitrator, how to prepare for a case management conference, how to deal with discovery restrictions often present in arbitration, whether pre-hearing and/or post-hearing memoranda are advisable, and how to present a winning case to an arbitrator.

Practicing in Hostile Territory Gold Room (2nd Floor)

Moderator/Speaker: Heather Newsom Leonard

Speakers: Amanda A. Farahany, Tae Sture & Deontae D. Wherry

Practicing plaintiff-side employment law is already an uphill battle, but how do you succeed in a hostile district, state, or circuit? Our panelists will share their experience working on behalf of workers in unfavorable jurisdictions and provide practical advice for how to succeed in these venues.

Representing Federal Employees 101 Regent Room (3rd Floor)

Moderator: Tamika Sykes

Speakers: Kristin D. Alden, Andrew J. Perlmutter & Ricardo J.A. Pitts-Wiley

So, you want to represent a federal employee? Our experienced federal sector practitioners will share their tips for establishing a successful practice serving federal employees before the EEOC and the Merit Systems Protection Board. If you think you want to represent federal employees before EEOC administrative judges or have already started doing so and have some questions, this session is for you.

Helping Clients Navigate the ADA and FMLA for Mental Health

Crystal Room (3rd Floor)

Moderator: Brian East

Speakers: Denise M. Clark, Cyrus E. Dugger & Laura Lefkow-Hynes

As societal understandings of the impact of mental health on individuals progress, employment law needs to progress as well. Our panel of experts will discuss strategies for helping clients who need accommodations, leave, or disability for their mental health navigate the ADA and FMLA.

1:15–1:30 p.m. Boxed Lunch Pickup

International Ballroom (2nd Floor)

1:30–2:30 p.m. NELA Committee & Practice Group Meetings

Please see insert in the registration packet for room assignments

2:30–3:45 p.m.

Litigation Strategy & Damages

CONCURRENT SESSIONS

I Like What I See: The Most Successful Strategies Decisionmakers Identify in Employment Lawyers

Imperial Ballroom (B2 Level)

Moderator/Speaker: Parisis “Gerry” Filippatos

Speakers: Deborah Gage Haude & The Honorable Rebecca R. Pallmeyer

Join our highly experienced panel to hear what strategies they have identified in successful lawyers during their years of deciding employment cases. Our panel features a respected judge, mediator, and arbitrator who will share their views of what makes employment attorneys successful in each of these distinct venues and what common mistakes you should avoid making.

Fundamentals of Employment Law

Remedies in Employment Law

Rouge Room (Lobby Level)

Moderator/Speaker: Adam W. Hansen

Speakers: M. Nieves Bolaños & Brian P. Sanford

In employment cases, courts have broad authority to formulate remedies to further statutory objectives. This panel will examine the basic underlying principles of civil rights remedies and discuss both the traditional and creative remedies you can pursue on behalf of your clients.

Wage & Hour FLSA Hot Topics

Gold Room (2nd Floor)

Moderator/Speaker: Maureen A. Salas

Speakers: Joshua D. Buck & Sabine Jean

The FLSA wage and hour landscape is constantly evolving. Join our panelists for a discussion of the most recent developments in FLSA litigation, ranging from never-ending compensable time questions, the current state of jurisdiction in collective actions, and the Supreme Court’s decision in Helix Energy Solutions and other notable appellate litigation from the last year.

Rights of the Remote Worker

Regent Room (3rd Floor)

Moderator/Speaker: Adam C. Breihan

Speakers: Donna H. Clancy & Michelle G. Lee

As remote work became the norm for many employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is now common to find employees still working from their homes and, in some instances, working from out-of-state residences. From employer surveillance to wage and hour considerations, what causes of actions can you pursue on behalf of workers who are engaging in remote work?

Issue Spotting in Whistleblower Cases

Crystal Room (3rd Floor)

Moderator/Speaker: Michael A. Filoromo

Speakers: Renée Brooker, Rachel Geman & John McKnight

One of the biggest challenges for employment lawyers is identifying a potential whistleblower tip or False Claims Act qui tam claim amid facts that may also give rise to an employment claim. Properly vetting these cases from the start is key to preserving the paths to substantial awards for our clients. This panel will provide practical guidance on identifying fact patterns that may give rise to a qui tam or form the basis for successful tips under one of the growing number of whistleblower award programs, including those administered by the SEC, the CFTC, the IRS, the Treasury Department, and the Department of Transportation, as well as the DOJ’s bank fraud program.

4:00–5:15 p.m.

Fundamentals of Employment Law

CONCURRENT SESSIONS

Negotiating Agreements in Employment Law

Imperial Ballroom (B2 Level)

Moderator/Speaker: Maria G. Diaz

Speakers: Sue Ellen Eisenberg, David L. Lee & Qiaojing Ella Zheng

Want to know how to deal with “take-it-or-leave-it” offers? How to deal with “standard” or non-negotiable terms? This panel will provide practical guidance on negotiating both the monetary and non-monetary terms of employment and settlement agreements to help your client achieve the best job offer or settlement agreement.

Wage & Hour

Taking Wage & Hour Class & Collective Actions To Trial Rouge Room (Lobby Level)

Moderator/Speaker: Brendan J. Donelon

Speakers: Eve H. Cervantez & C. Ryan Morgan

Very few practitioners have ever taken a wage and hour class or collective action all the way to trial. These practitioners have. Our panelists will discuss their experiences, the best strategies for preparing a class wage and hour trial, and what is required for success.

We Are Not Absolved from Racism Gold Room (2nd Floor)

Moderators/Speakers: Sacred B. Huff & Luis M. Melendez

As plaintiff-side attorneys, we often pride ourselves on doing “good work” in seeking justice for our clients. Though this may be true, we must regularly check our biases, recognize our inability to fully understand the struggles of groups to which we do not belong, and examine how we uphold racist systems and practices that oppress the people we desire to help. This panel, comprised of queer Black and Latine attorneys, will discuss ways to implement anti-racist practices and engage in more self-awareness when interacting with Black and Latine colleagues and clients.

Harnessing

the Collective Power of Small Firms

Regent Room (3rd Floor)

Moderator/Speaker: Sarah J. Arendt

Speakers: Rebecca Peterson-Fisher & Scott M. Pollins

Most NELA (almost all!) members work in small firms. The panel will discuss how small firms can best work together to take on large matters and impact cases, including co-counseling agreements, best practices for work sharing, how to create efficiencies through technology and best platforms for doing so, and considerations for fee splitting.

25 Years After Faragher-Ellerth

Crystal Room (3rd Floor)

Moderator/Speaker: Michal Shinnar

Speakers: Allegra L. Fishel & Phillip M. Kitzer

This session will take an in-depth look into when and how courts are applying and denying the Faragher-Ellerth and Vance defenses. This will include constructive knowledge; flawed reporting systems; the harasser’s real and/or perceived authority over the employee; fears of retaliation for making a report; negligence standards; and the ways in which there has been potential shifts in the courts since #MeToo shed public light on the reasons employees can’t and don’t report. The panel will include strategies for case investigation and discovery on these issues.

8:00–11:00 p.m. 2023 Gala Dance Party

International Ballroom (2nd Floor)

Please join us for our annual celebration of the NELA community. The evening includes music, dancing, and other treats. Every Gala attendee will receive two complimentary drink tickets courtesy of Dundon Advisers LLC. Drop in anytime.

The Gala requires a separate ticket to attend. Tickets may be purchased at the Registration Desk or at the door.

SATURDAY, JULY 1, 2023

7:30–9:00 a.m. 2023 Annual Convention Registration

Imperial Foyer (B2 Level)

7:30–9:00 a.m. Continental Breakfast

International Ballroom (2nd Floor)

Continental breakfast is available to Convention registrants only.

9:00–10:15 a.m. CONCURRENT SESSIONS

Emerging Issues with Non-Disclosure Agreements & Non-Competes

Imperial Ballroom (B2 Level)

Moderator/Speaker: Mark Hanna

Speakers: Gaylynn Burroughs, Kirby F. Cañon & Angie Cowan Hamada

NDAs have proven to be a ubiquitous villain in #MeToo abuse and corporate frauds like Theranos. With fast-moving administrative and legislative developments, including the 2023 McLaren Macomb decision, the Speak Out Act of 2022, and numerous state laws banning these types of agreements, NDAs and non-competes are finally coming under scrutiny. This panel will provide the latest on legal and legislative changes combatting NDAs and noncompete provisions and provide practical guidance to practitioners dealing with settlement negotiations.

Litigation Strategy & Damages

Class & Collective Action Discovery

Rouge Room (Lobby Level)

Moderator/Speaker: Sarah R. Schalman-Bergen

Speakers: David Blanchard & Michael C. Danna

Our experts will share tips for handling opt-in discovery in large collective cases, including soothing opt-in nerves in potentially being deposed and negotiating written discovery and number and length of depositions.

Fundamentals of Employment Law

Putting Theory Into Practice: Effectively Litigating Age Discrimination Claims

Gold Room (2nd Floor)

Moderator/Speaker: Daniel B. Kohrman

Speakers: Amit S. Bindra & Brian T. Rochel

Age discrimination claims can often be complex to evaluate and litigate. Our panelists will guide you through the best practices for selecting and litigating age discrimination cases. They will also provide general tips, recent legal updates, discuss key legal decisions, and provide explanations of cases to help the audience go from the theatrical to the practical of litigating age discrimination cases.

9:00–10:15 a.m.

CONCURRENT SESSIONS (continued)

The Board is Back—An MSPB Case Law Update

Regent Room (3rd Floor)

Speakers: Debra D’Agostino & Alexis N. Tsotakos

Now that the Merit Systems Protection Board is once again deciding cases, it has been steadily clearing a case backlog spanning almost 5 years. Join our panelists as they provide an update on the cases you need to know when you represent federal workers.

Practical Wellness for Lawyers

Crystal Room (3rd Floor)

Moderator/Speaker: TBD

Plaintiffs’ employment lawyers work with clients who are often experiencing extreme trauma, financial hardship, and life-changing events. Add those factors to the already elevated rates of mental illness and substance abuse in the legal profession, how can you stay mentally healthy? Our session will discuss compassion fatigue, second-hand trauma, and techniques to ensure you are caring for yourself and your clients.

10:15–10:40 a.m. BREAK

Imperial Foyer (B2 Level)

10:40–10:45 a.m. Ethics and Sanctions Presentation

Imperial Ballroom (B2 Level)

10:45 a.m.–12:30 p.m

The Year in Review: Significant Developments in Employment Law

Imperial Ballroom (B2 Level)

Moderator: Ashley O. Westby

Speakers: Heather Newsom Leonard, Professor Eric Schnapper & Professor Suja Thomas

The 2023 Annual Convention will close with a robust discussion of the employment cases decided by the U.S. Supreme Court during its 2022–2023 term, significant appellate court, legislative, and state law developments, as well as emerging issues in plaintiffs’ employment law.

12:30 p.m. Convention Adjourns

NELA ENHANCED MEMBERS

Thank you to those members who generously support NELA through their enhanced annual membership dues.

Champions

Norman Blumenthal

Wayne N. Outten

Defenders

Clif Alexander

Alicia K. Haynes

April L. Hollingsworth

Advocates

Kelly Applegate

Patricia A. Barasch

John P. Batson

Megan Bonanni

Stephen R. Bruce

David A. Burkhalter, II

Roxanne B. Conlin

Stephen G. Console

Sean W. Cook

Lawrence Disparti

Sue Ellen Eisenberg

Bruce A. Fredrickson

Evan L. Goldman

J. Gary Gwilliam

Stephen B. Lebau

Angeli Murthy

Scott M. Pollins

Donna Williams Rucker

Peter Winebrake

Sustaining

Lisa J. Banks

Jonathan Ben-Asher

David Blanchard

Kathleen L. Bogas

Bert S. Braud

D. Alexander Burkhalter, III

Stephen Z. Chertkof

Denise M. Clark

Linda M. Correia

Wade B. Cowan

Bill Day, Jr.

Donald A. Donati

Dennis E. Egan

David Fielding

Parisis G. Filippatos

Daniel F. Johnson

Debra S. Katz

Richard P. Neuworth

Joshua Parkhurst

Gregory George Paul

Patricia A. Podolec

Jonathan C. Puth

Mary Anne Sedey

Michael C. Subit

Geraldine Sumter

Trang Q. Tran

Merle Joy Turchik

Angela Walker

Benjamin H. Yormak

Jason Mark Zuckerman

Contributing

Walt Auvil

Scot D. Bernstein

Renee Brooker

Lori Bullock

David R. Cashdan

Heather Moore Collins

Doris J. Dabrowski

Arthur R. Ehrlich

Jonathan Marc Feigenbaum

Mitchell Feldman

Elizabeth Jubin Fujiwara

Hal K. Gillespie

Harold M. Goldner

Laura L. Ho

William Hommel, Jr.

Peter Michael Hoogerwoerd

Vicki Kuftic Horne

Thomas Gregory Jarrard

Susan E. Jewell

Deborah H. Karpatkin

James W. Kytle

David L. Lee

David Lichtenstein

Cheri L. McCracken

Sean M. McGivern

Ellen J. Messing

C. Ryan Morgan

Summer H. Murshid

Ann Olivarius

Louis Pechman

J. Heydt Philbeck

Kathryn S. Piscitelli

Nancy Pridgen

Tad Roumayah

Rebecca L. Salawdeh

Glen D. Savits

Dan Siegel

Kirby G. Smith

Christine E. Webber

Clayton Wire

Jeffrey Neil Young

NELA’s strength is in our community of individual members, law firms, Affiliates, allied organizations, and coalition partners. We extend our deepest gratitude to the following for their generous financial contributions.

Legislative & Public Policy Fund

Eric Bachman

Beth E. Bertelson

Donald F. Burke

Stephen Z. Chertkof

Timothy J. Coffey

Heather Moore Collins

David Conforto

Kurt Patrick Cummiskey

Lawrence Disparti

Cyrus E. Dugger

Sonya Edwards

Herbert Eisenberg

William H. Ewing

Parisis G. Filippatos

Christine Forsythe

Alan H. Garber

Nancy Grim

Joshua D. Gruenberg

William Hommel, Jr.

Sarah Jane Hunt

John C. Ireland

Lisa G. Lambert

David Lichtenstein

Leslie L. Lienemann

Deborah Kristine Marcuse

Jonathan J. Margolis

Jeannie Simonoff Marx

Matthew Maddox

Barbara A. Moore

C. Ryan Morgan

Patricia A. Podolec

Richard Quintilone, II

Craig Reynolds

Barry D. Roseman

Donna Williams Rucker

Alix Simonetti

Susan M. Swan

Trang Q. Tran

Jack Bryant Tuckner

Thomas A. Warren

Steven E. Wolfe

J. Bryan Wood

Evangeline Young

Jason Mark Zuckerman

Sanctions Assistance Fund for Emergency Relief

Patricia A. Barasch

John P. Batson

Greger Borglum Calhan

David R. Cashdan

Stephen Z. Chertkof

Timothy J. Coffey

Herbert Eisenberg

William H. Ewing

Parisis G. Filippatos

Alan H. Garber

Nancy Grim

Chiquita Hall-Jackson

Alicia K. Haynes

Athena M. Herman

William H. Hommel, Jr.

Christopher Houk

Sarah Jane Hunt

John C. Ireland

Ben Lebsack

David Lichtenstein

Ann Lugbill

Matthew Maddox

Jonathan J. Margolis

Jeannie Simonoff Marx

Cheri L. McCracken

Messing, Rudavsky & Weliky PC

Robert Mitchell

C. Ryan Morgan

Summer H. Murshid

Joey S. Niskar

Joshua Parkhurst

Patricia A. Podolec

Melissa A. Pomfred

Richard Quintilone, II

Barry D. Roseman

Donna Williams Rucker

Alix Simonetti

Susan M. Swan

Trang Q. Tran

Jonathan Wall

J. Bryan Wood

Jason Mark Zuckerman

We also acknowledge the Peggy Browning Fund for making possible the Workers’ Rights Advocacy Fellowship Program.

Every effort was made to ensure the accuracy of the individuals, law firms, and other organizations that are acknowledged. We apologize for any errors or omissions. Donors from May 14, 2022–May 4, 2023.

The ILYM Group is proud to support NELA and the "Elevating Justice"

Class Action Administration & Legal Notification Experts

The ILYM Group, Inc. is an organization that is dedicated to exceeding our client's expectation while delivering exceptional value and service. We provide consultative expertise, professionalism and experience in the areas of Class Action Administration, Legal Notification and Media Representation and Class Data Management.

2023 Annual Convention www.ILYMgroup.com

THE LEGAL NETWORK FOR GENDER EQUITY

connects individuals facing sex discrimination at work, at school, and as patients receiving health care with legal help. We do this in partnership with the attorneys in our Legal Network— a nationwide network of attorneys committed to helping people fight for their rights to be free from sexual harassment and other sex discrimination.

JOIN THE LEGAL NETWORK FOR GENDER EQUITY.

The Legal Network, a project of the National Women’s Law Center Fund, is FREE to join and connects those facing sex discrimination with legal assistance.

Attorneys in the Legal Network for Gender Equity agree to give a free initial consultation to individuals coming through the Legal Network. The Legal Network also offers free legal trainings and other resources to members. Attorneys in the Legal Network may also apply for litigation related funding from the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund for cases involving workplace sexual harassment.

If you practice in these areas, we invite you to join by using the QR code below, or visiting our table in the exhibit hall.

The Power of Your Legacy to Advance Workers’ Rights

By including NELA or the Institute in your estate plans, you can create a meaningful personal legacy to build our community and fuel the pursuit of justice for workers for years to come. Anyone can leave a legacy to advance workers’ rights, while taking care of your family and other loved ones.

Please visit the NELA Advocacy or Institute table in the Imperial Foyer to learn more about the power of naming NELA or the Institute as a beneficiary in your will, retirement account, or life insurance policy.

IMPACT FOR WORKERS AWARD

The National Institute for Workers’ Rights, NELA’s sister organization, is proud to present our second annual Impact for Workers Award to the M.R. and Evelyn Hudson Foundation for its leadership support of the Institute’s work.

The Hudson Foundation has made significant grants to the Institute every year since 2012, fueling our mission of advancing workers’ rights through research, thought leadership, and education for policymakers, advocates, and the public.

Join Jason Solomon, the Institute’s inaugural director, and Erica Posey, the 2022-2024 Paul H. Tobias Attorney Fellow, to hear about their vision for the future of the Institute and find out how you can get involved.

A New Chapter for the National Institute for Workers’ Rights: Shaping Our Priorities, Making An Impact Crystal Room (3rd Floor)

Friday, June 30 | 9:30 a.m.

Founded in 2008, the Institute is the related charitable public interest organization of NELA. The Institute advances workers’ rights through research, thought leadership, and education for policymakers, advocates, and the public.

THE EXAMPLE OF PAUL H. TOBIAS

Paul H. Tobias, NELA’s Founder and First Executive Director, was a pioneer in the field of plaintiffs’ employment law. For more than 50 years, he was the source of boundless inspiration for our community of workers’ rights advocates. Whether or not you knew Paul, his prolific accomplishments in advancing equality and justice in the American workplace have touched you. He was a true workplace hero whose passion for employment law came from a deep desire to help individuals.

THE PAUL H. TOBIAS ATTORNEY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

Named in his honor, the Paul H. Tobias (PHT) Attorney Fellowship Program exemplifies our commitment to cultivating the next generation

Invest In Our Future: Honor

The Legacy of Paul H. Tobias

of workers’ rights advocates. The PHT Attorney Fellowship provides a new lawyer who embodies Paul’s indomitable spirit with the opportunity to work on cutting-edge issues at the Institute for two years.

JOIN THE INSTITUTE’S NEXT CHAPTER

Our PHT Fellows have always been at the heart of the Institute. They have played a central role in the Institute’s research and advocacy related to forced arbitration, the gig economy, summary judgment, and other topics germane to workers’ rights. As the Institute celebrates our 15th anniversary of advancing workers’ rights, we welcome both inaugural director Jason Solomon and 2022-2024 PHT Fellow, Erica Posey. Together, they are expanding the Institute’s work and setting

new priorities under three pillars: economic dignity, workplace justice, and the future of worker advocacy.

VISIT WITH THE INSTITUTE

To learn more and share your ideas with Jason and Erica, be sure to drop by the Institute’s table in the Imperial Foyer or come to the Institute’s discussion Friday at 9:30 a.m. in the Crystal Room (3rd Floor).

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

The PHT Attorney Fellowship Program is made possible by the generous commitment of members of the NELA community. Please help us carry out Paul’s legacy by joining our fight for workers’ rights. You can make a tax-deductible contribution during the Convention at the Institute table or online anytime at bit.ly/ForWorkers.

The Institute and NELA acknowledge the visionaries of workers’ rights who have made financial contributions to support our work. The giving levels listed below reflect our supporters’ combined contributions from June 1, 2022 through May 4, 2023.

FOUNDATION GRANTS

The M.R. and Evelyn Hudson Foundation

Kazan McClain Partners’ Foundation

GENERAL SUPPORT

$5,000

Stephen R. Bruce

$2,500–$4,999

Haynes & Haynes, PC

Frances J. Hollander

Outten & Golden LLP

Schall & Barasch, LLC

$1,000–$2,499

Bernard Alexander

Ambler-Reuter Family Fund

In Honor of Herbert Eisenberg

Blanchard & Walker

Katherine L. Butler

Kerry K. Cahill

Carmen Comsti

Bill Day, Jr.

Dennis E. Egan

Sue Ellen Eisenberg

Amanda A. Farahany

Filippatos PLLC

The Law Offices of

Gilda A. Hernandez, PLLC

HMC Civil Rights Law

In Honor of the NELA Staff

King & Greisen, LLP

Deborah K. Lim & Michael J. Woo

Karen Maoki

Jeffrey A. Mittman

Maria Lloyd Price

Jonathan C. Puth & Mira F. Courpas

$500–$999

M. Nieves Bolaños

J. Gary Gwilliam

Daniel B. Kohrman

Donna R. Lenhoff & Michael F. Jacobson

Messing, Rudavsky & Weliky PC

Nina T. Pirrotti

Mary Anne Sedey

Fern M. Steiner

Christine E. Webber

$250–$499

Debra P. Chaw

Victoria Chin

William H. Ewing

Bruce A. Fredrickson

In Honor of Nina T. Pirrotti, In Memory of her father

John C. Ireland

Deborah H. Karpatkin

Lawless, Lawless & McGrath

David Lichtenstein

Kathryn S. Piscitelli

Roberta L. Steele

In Honor of Karen Maoki

Turchik Law Firm, PC

Carl M. Varady

Jason Mark Zuckerman

$100–$249

Alan Banov

Thomas J. Duff

Elzer Law Firm LLC

Hal K. Gillespie

Leon Greenberg

Leah A. Hofkin

Phyllis C. Hofkin

William Hommel, Jr.

Maureen T. Holland

Patricia Ito

In Honor of Teri Chaw

Sean M. McGivern, Graybill & Hazlewood, LLC

Barbara A. Moore

Marilou Righini & Massimo Righini

Barry D. Roseman

Maria Salacuse

Randall D. Schmidt

Liane Scott & Eric Scott

For the Chaw Legacy Fund

In Honor of Teri Chaw

Michal Shinnar

Susan M. Swan

William R. Tamayo

J. Bryan Wood

Up To $99

Kirby F. Cañon

Eve H. Cervantez

Lawrence Disparti

Cyrus E. Dugger

Herbert Eisenberg

Alan H. Garber

Lenore C. Garon

Nancy Grim

Sarah Jane Hunt

Matthew Maddox

Deborah Kristine Marcuse

C. Ryan Morgan

Stacy Neumann

Richard Quintilone, II

Donna Williams Rucker

Nina B. Shapiro

Alix Simonetti

Pedro A. Valverde

Steve G. Wilson

Louie A. Wright

Evangeline Young

THE PAUL H. TOBIAS ATTORNEY FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM

$1,000+

Terisa E. Chaw & James A. Hendriksen

Phyllis Tobias

In Honor of Paul H. Tobias’ grandchildren, Hannah Holbrook, Hans Holbrook, Constance Sharp, Helen Sharp & Sam Wilson

$500–$999

M.Nieves Bolaños

Bruce A. Fredrickson & Kristin K. Fredrickson

In Memory of Paul H. Tobias

Alicia K. Haynes

In Memory of Tammy Edwards

Janet E. Hill

In Memory of Tammy Edwards

Patricia A. Podolec

Rebecca L. Salawdeh

Schall & Barasch, LLC

$250–$499

Wade B. Cowan

Alan R. Kabat

Karen Maoki

Solidarity Law (Jeffrey Neil Young)

$100–$249

Jonathan L. Gould

Leah A. Hofkin

Lowrey Parady Lebsack

Jeffrey A. Mittman

Pacesetters ($2,500–$4,999)

Frances J. Hollander

Haynes & Haynes, PC

Outten & Golden LLP

Schall & Barasch, LLC

Visionaries ($1,000–$2,499)

Bernard Alexander

Ambler-Reuter Family Fund

The Visionary Circle

Members of the Visionary Circle make an annual commitment of $1,000 or more to support the ongoing work of the Institute. We are honored to recognize the members of the 20222023 Visionary Circles.

Leader ($5,000–$9,999)

Stephen R. Bruce

Blanchard & Walker

M.Nieves Bolaños

Katherine L. Butler

Kerry K. Cahill

Terisa E. Chaw & James A. Hendriksen

Carmen Comsti

Bill Day, Jr.

Dennis E. Egan

Sue Ellen Eisenberg

Amanda A. Farahany

WORKERS’ RIGHTS ADVOCACY SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

Paul H. Benoist

Joshua D. Buck

Bill Day, Jr.

Gerardine M. Delambo

Amanda A. Farahany

David A. Lowe

Matthew Maddox

Deborah Kristine Marcuse

Rebecca Peterson-Fisher

Donna Williams Rucker

Richard D. Schramm

Cynthia Forman Wilkinson

Filippatos PLLC

Bruce A. Fredrickson & Kristin K. Fredrickson

The Law Offices of Gilda A. Hernandez, PLLC

HMC Civil Rights Law

King & Greisen, LLP

Deborah K. Lim & Michael J. Woo

Karen Maoki

Jeffrey A. Mittman

Maria Lloyd Price

Jonathan C. Puth & Mira F. Courpas

Phyllis Tobias

Every effort was made to ensure the accuracy of the individuals, law firms, and other organizations that are acknowledged. We apologize for any errors or omissions.

THE POWER OF CY PRES TO ADVANCE WORKERS’ RIGHTS

Cy pres awards have been and will continue to be critical to the Institute’s ability to advance workers’ rights through research, thought leadership, and education for policymakers, advocates, and the public. The Institute has an excellent track record as a cy pres beneficiary, and since 2008 has been the recipient of nearly $1.5 million in cy pres awards in 60 class or collective actions brought on behalf of workers. The Institute is a compelling designee in employment discrimination, wage and hour, and other litigation concerning workplace violations.

Please join us in extending our gratitude to the following attorneys and law firms who have designated the Institute as a cy pres recipient since 2008. They have made a tremendous difference not only to us, but to the lives of the workers we touch.

Abbey Spanier, LLP

Altshuler Berzon, LLP

Beaumont Costales

Berger & Montague, PC

Betz + Blevins

Burr & Smith, LLP

Maia Caplan

Chavez Law Firm

Cummins & Cummins, LLP

Donati Law, PLLC

Donelon, PC

Dworken & Bernstein Co., LPA

Eisenberg & Schnell, LLP

Fish Potter Bolaños, PC (formerly Potter Bolaños LLC)

Foote, Mielke, Chavez & O’Neil, LLC

Bruce C. Fox

Jamie S. Franklin

Suzanne Garrow

Goldstein, Borgen, Dardarian & Ho

Law Offices of Janice Goodman

Law Offices of Geoffrey L. Gross, LLC

Haines Law Group

Hawks Quindel, SC

Hayber, McKenna & Dinsmore, LLC

Heisler, Feldman, & McCormick, PC

Hua Gallai & Gonzales, LLP

Johnson Becker, PLLC

Kern Law Firm, PC

Tuvia Korobkin

Lewis Kuhn Swan PC

McGuinn, Hillsman & Palefsky

Law Offices of Colleen M. McLaughlin

Rowdy Meeks Legal Group LLC

Miller O’Brien Jensen, PA

Nichols Kaster, PLLP

Law Office of Thomas Rutledge

Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP

Schneider Wallace Cottrell Konecky Wotkyns LLP

Law Offices of James M. Sitkin

Soderstrom Law PC

Sprenger & Lang, PLLC

Thomas & Solomon LLP

Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs

The Law Office of Rob Wiley, PC

Woodall Law Offices

Take a moment and look through the following greetings and advertisements from your friends, colleagues, NELA members, NELA Affiliates, and the many firms and organizations that support NELA.

We are grateful for your continued support of our work.

Our gratitude & appreciation to NELA’s Affiliates Members Committees & Practice Groups for your invaluable contributions.

TEXAS EMPLOYMENT LAWYERS ASSOCATION

WISHES TO TOAST OUR FOUNDING MEMBER

MENTOR AND DEAR FRIEND

KATHY BUTLER

THANK YOU, KATHY, FOR YOUR TIRELESS SERVICE AND YEARS OF LOVE, FRIENDSHIP, AND LAUGHTER!

GARRISON LEVIN-EPSTEIN FITZGERALD & PIRROTTI JOYFULLY JOINS NELA IN HONORING THE INCOMPARABLE KATHY BUTLER, DAVID LEE, AND ROBIN POTTER FOR THEIR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO THE NELA COMMUNITY.

We also congratulate Chiquita Hall-Jackson and Lauren Khouri for receiving NELA’s Spotlight Award and express our appreciation for the hard work of NELA’s Board members who will be retiring this year.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SERVICE! YOU PERSONIFY NELA’S DEDICATION TO EMPOWERING WORKERS AND WE ARE GRATEFUL.

GARRISON LEVIN-EPSTEIN FITZGERALD & PIRROTTI IS PROUD TO BE PART OF THE NELA COMMUNITY AND JOIN FORCES WITH IT IN ELEVATING JUSTICE FOR ALL WORKERS.

E l e v a t i n g

C o u r a g e o u s

V o i c e s f o r W o r k p l a c e

E q u a l i t y

WE HONOR ALL THOSE WHO PASSIONATELY HELP PEOPLE OVERCOME INJUSTICE IN THE WORKPLACE.

Plantiffs’ Employment Law Leaders: Katherine L. Butler (TX), David L. Lee (IL), Robin B. Potter (IL)

NELA Spotlight Award. The Leaders who Represent the Future: Chiquita Hall-Jackson (IL), Lauren A. Khouri (DC)

Why are NELA lawyers so charming?

Because they have their own appeal!

CELA thanks you for your dedication to advancing equality and justice in the workplace.

Donelon, P.C. is a law practice focused on litigating complex matters such as class action claims for wage and hour, consumer fraud, and victims of data breaches. We also handle “whistle blower” claims under the False Claims Act. We serve clients throughout the U.S. from our office locations in Kansas City and St. Louis. To date, Donelon, P.C. has obtained over $110 million on behalf of class members.

It often takes strength in numbers to challenge large corporations’ practices of denying employees just compensation, protect the public from unfair business practices, protect your personal data, and support whistle blowers.

816-221-7100

brendan@donelonpc.com

Fighting Workplace Injustice For 46 Years

We are so honored to have Robin Potter, one NELA’s founding members, as one of our own. NELA’s recognition of Robin’s tremendous impact on working people’s lives is incredibly well deserved. Robin’s years of unwavering support of social justice and her zealous representation of working people has contributed to the precedents, laws, and movements that improve our work and our clients’ lives. Whether the fight for justice is in the streets or in a courtroom, be like Robin and take it on!

Congratulations, Robin, Katherine, David, Chiquita, and Lauren!

We are proud to congratulate Adria Lynn Silva on her election to a three-year term on the National NELA Board. Adria has dedicated over 20 years to representing individuals in discrimination, harassment and retaliation cases and advocating for laws and policies that ensure fairness and equality.

Adria!

Joe Gillespie, Hal Gillespie, & Jim Sanford

Charlie Cai (Paralegal )

TRUSTED ADVOCATES. PROVEN RESULTS. REAL PEOPLE.

It takes a team of specialized employment lawyers to cover today’s Wisconsin employment laws, and it takes a trusted association to support that team.

Our continued support to the National Employment Lawyers Association ensures expert legal training and resources to all attorneys of workers’ rights. It’s an investment in the future of promoting fair judiciary, laws, and policies through a united organization.

Together, we’ll continue to advocate for Wisconsin’s workers and jobs.

Hawks Quindel is proud to be home to many of the state’s most sought-after employment lawyers—all committed to delivering results. We’ve built our business on our hard-earned record for success in both individual and class-action lawsuits. We are proud of our reputation as smart, ethical, and effective attorneys.

Hawks Quindel S.C. | www.hq-law.com

Tempe, AZ 85282

Phone: 480-569-2377

Se Habla Español

www.houklawfirm.com Changing

Kathy Butler

David Lee

Robin Potter

Chris Houk, Attorney

Marina Kovačević, In-House Counsel

Tanika Sherman, Paralegal

Isa Ramirez, Legal Assistant

Nicole Houk, Accounting

Jay Holland

Jay Holland leads a strong team of lawyers who represent Whistleblowers in federal False Claims Act cases nationwide. The JGL team works on a wide variety of fraud cases, including health care, government procurement, and Small Business Administration fraud. Jay, who has decades of experience, is frankly regarded by many of his clients as “The best lawyer a client could ever have”. Jay has been lead counsel in several high-profile cases on the national stage.

Jay and the JGL team are proud to represent whistleblower clients, who are usually the only people from their companies who are brave enough to come forward to report fraud on the government. For more information please email Jay at jholland@jgllaw.com or phone 240-553-1198.

240-553-1198 / JHOLLAND@JGLLAW.COM

Joellen and Jim Kaster welcome their newest granddaughter, Leona Ellen Kaster, who joined us on May 1, 2023, just in time for this year’s NELA Convention.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR SETTLEMENT. WHO

DID YOU USE?

Lauren dedicates her practice to the civil rights of individuals in the workplace and in schools. She represents clients in all aspects of litigation practice, including fighting pregnancy and disability discrimination, sexual harassment, student and employee rights. Super Lawyers has recognized Lauren as a leader in civil rights law and as a Rising Star in employment law annually since 2019.

We are proud to call Lauren one of our own!

The Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association is a vibrant NELA affiliate, and is 350+ lawyers strong. As advocates for employee rights and civil rights, we work to protect the rights and privileges of employees in both the private and public sectors in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Northern Virginia.

We are pleased to support the programs and activities of NELA.

Congratulations to MWELA President, Lauren A. Khouri, partner of Correia & Puth, PLLC, as she is honored with NELA’s 2023 Spotlight Award.

The lawyers of Murphy Anderson are honored to join NELA in Chicago in the fight for civil rights and economic justice for all workers. Alongside NELA, we strive for justice and equality in workplaces across the nation.

-

Murphy Anderson extends its most sincere congratulations to this year's award recipients: Katherine L. Butler, David L. Lee, Robin B. Potter, Lauren A. Khouri, and Chiquita Hall-Jackson.

We look forward to building an exciting and equitable future with you all!

Pollins Law Creating Great Futures

We are proud to belong to this great family of lawyers dedicated to vindicating employee rights.

A special thank you to this year’s honorees

Katherine L. Butler, David L. Lee, Robin B. Potter, Chiquita Hall-Jackson and Lauren A. Khouri for your extraordinary commitment to NELA and tremendous support for the plaintiffs’ employment bar.

Ritz Clark & Ben-Asher LLP

StrategicEmploymentLawyers

Jonathan Ben-Asher

Miriam F. Clark

Susan Ritz

One Liberty Plaza

165 Broadway, 23rd Floor New York, NY 10006-1404 Phone: 212-321-7075

www.rcbalaw.com

RUDY

&

Elevating Justice and Celebrating the Huge Contributions of Kathy Butler

David L. Lee and Robin B. Potter

Brian Sanford and BB Sanford

J.Bernard Alexander, III Michael Morrison Tracy Fehr Joshua Arnold

T: 310.394.0888 1900 Avenue of the Stars, Suite 900 Los Angeles, California 90067

Employee Justice.

Congratulations to Katherine L. Butler (TX), David L. Lee (IL), Robin B. Potter (IL), Chiquita Hall-Jackson (IL) and Lauren A. Khouri (DC)!

One goes to the unprotected –those, precisely, who need the law’s protection most! – and listens to their testimony. –James Baldwin, No Name On The Street

Rebecca L. Salawdeh Salawdeh Law Office, LLC Wauwatosa, WI

If one really wishes to know how justice is administered in a country, one does not question the policemen, the lawyers, the judges, or the protected members of the middle class.

Here’s to the Worker Organizers who listen to the testimony of the unprotected and unheard every day and make sure they find justice.

“We take pride in the reputation we’ve acquired for high-quality client services, which has earned us the respect of judges, former clients, and the lawyers we face off against in court.”

— Mark E. Hammons, Sr. Founding Partner

Employment Law

Sexual Harassment

Disability Discrimination

Age Discrimination

Race Discrimination

Gender Discrimination

Pregnancy Discrimination

Overtime Pay

Wrongful Termination

Family Medical Leave Act

Mark E. Hammons, Sr.* and Amber L. Hurst

Thank you, NELA and the Institute, for another incredible year of elevating justice for workers.

Thank you, David, Kathy, and Robin for the good you have done for NELA, your clients, and all workers.

Thank you, Chiquita and Lauren, for your inspiring leadership.

Thank you, Amy and the Hudson Foundation, for investing in the Institute.

Thank you, to my colleagues on the staff, for your support and friendship, and congratulations Erica, Jason, and Tiana for passing Convention 101.

You are all my heroes.

The attorneys of Kator, Parks, Weiser & Wright are proud to celebrate the work of NELA, and the work of all NELA members on behalf of America’s workers.

Celebrating NELA and its members for working every day to level the playing field and tip the scales in favor of workers.

Matt Koski

McGuinn, Hillsman & Palefsky

Welcome to Chicago!!

And many thanks for all their hard work and dedication to:

Jeffrey A. Mittman Executive Director

Tacarra Andrade Membership Director

Alicia Battle Events Coordinator

Leah A. Hofkin Development Director

Karen Maoki Director of Strategy & Operations

Erica Posey Paul H. Tobias Attorney Fellow

Jason Solomon Institute Director

David L. Lee

Tiana Stewart Administrative Coordinator

Pedro A. Valverde Digital Communications & Technology Manager

Ashley Westby Program Director

Ours is not the struggle of one day, one week, or one year. Ours is not the struggle of one judicial appointment or presidential term. Ours is the struggle of a lifetime, or maybe even many lifetimes, and each one of us in every generation must do our part.

— John Lewis

NELA-Alabama

Civil Rights Advocates from the Heart of the Civil Rights Movement

NELA friends – Thank you for being in the struggle. – Karen Maoki & Cassandra Chen

www.nelaga.org

President- Tamika Sykes

P President Elect-Julie Oinonen

P Past President- Teresa Saggese Mills

B Board Members

Jennifer K. Coalson

Amelia A Ragan

Paul Sharman

Nina Maja Bergmar

Ianna Richardson

S Secretary- Cherri Shelton

T Treasurer-Dean R. Fuchs

Many Thanks

For all you and your members do for workers –keep up the good fight; For all your members do for each otherkeep up your inspiring teamwork; and For all you have done for me, including scheduling this Annual Convention, my 20th, in Sweet Home Chicago, my birthplace!

Dan Kohrman AARP Foundation

We advocate for individuals in workplace disputes throughout Oregon and Washington

Buchanan, Angeli, Altschul & Sullivan, LLP

Employment Law Group

We represent employees in cases of:

n Wrongful Termination

n Discrimination based on age, race, gender, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation, sexual harassment, and gender identity

n Violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act

n Hostile Environment

n Violations of the Equal Pay Act

law@uptonhatfield.com uptonhatfield.com

MICHAEL MCGRATH

BROOKE SHILO

SUSAN LOWRY

LAUREN IRWIN HEATHER BURNS

Here’s

Cynthia Forman Wilkinson Wilkinson Law Firm, PC Birmingham, AL

Messing  Dahlia C. Rudavsky  James S. Weliky

WEIIR R GREENNBBLATTT PIERCCE E LLLP IS S A PROOUUD SPONSSOOR OF THHE NEELLA A 2023 GALA FUNDDRRAAIISEER R

THHANNK K YOOU FOR ALL L YOUUR HARD WOORKK!

and professionalism. We manage our , while focusing on finding innovative solutions to their most

PHILADELPHIA

1339 Chestnut Street , Suite 500 Philadelphia, PA 19107

(215)665-8181

NEW JERSEY

35 Kings Highway East

Haddonfield, NJ 08033

(856) 429-7750

DIRECT CONTACT S: Patricia V. Pierce

ppierce@wgpllp.com

Ronald L. Greenblatt

rgreenblatt@wgpllp.com

WEBSITE

WWW.WGPLLP.COM

The fight for dignity in the workplace, fair wages, and safe spaces to gather is at our doorstep.

We stand for workers’ rights with our fellow NELA members.

David, your creativity makes me want to be more creative. You’ve taught that every action we take, whether required by a rule or in response to someone else’s action, can be used to advance a client’s interests. What is often formulaic serves a purpose. And what is often resisted makes opposing counsel wish they had never asked in the Þrst place.

Kathy, you’ve been a great friend since I joined the board. Your dedication to whatever project or role you have taken on is inspiring. But even more inspiring is your dedication to enjoying life while being a phenomenal lawyer. Eres la Blue Demon de NELA.

-Ben Lebsack

Congratulations to the 2023 Gala Honorees

Kelly Mulloy Myers

George M. Reul, Jr.

Jon B. Allison

Katherine Daughtrey Neff

Laura Welles Wilson

Niroshan M. Wijesooriya

Paige E. Richardson

Jeffrey M. Silverstein

LLR applauds NELA for its critical support and advocacy for workers and their counsel

Lichten & Liss-Riordan, P.C. is a nationally recognized law firm that is dedicated to vindicating the rights of workers around the country through class actions and individual litigation. The firm has brought and won landmark cases throughout the United States on behalf of workers who have been deprived of their wages, tips, and overtime, or wrongfully misclassified as independent contractors, or who have suffered discrimination or retaliation. The firm has been recognized by numerous organizations and publications for its innovative and vigorous advocacy on behalf of workers.

— Ruth Bader Ginsburg