Smith Anderson Presents its 21st Annual Employment Law Update

Raleigh, N.C. – On November 6^th and 13^th, Smith Anderson presented its 21^st Employment Law Update to a combined total of nearly 350 human resources professionals at the North Carolina Bar Center in Cary, N.C. This annual review of employment law provided an in-depth look at workplace trends and strategies for addressing the challenges of the ever-changing work environment.

The Employment Law Update has become increasingly popular within the industry, drawing human resources and benefits professionals, as well as in-house counsel, from North Carolina and beyond. This year, lawyers representing Smith Anderson’s Employment, Labor and Human Resources; Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation; and OSHA and Workplace Safety practice groups presented on hot topics within workplace law, including:

• Diversity, Inclusion and Employee Engagement (presented by Kimberly J. Korando)
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Enforcement Trends and Plans (presented by Zebulon D. Anderson)
• Avoiding Common Mistakes Under the Fair Labor Standards Act and North Carolina Wage and Hour Act (presented by Susan M. Parrott)
• North Carolina Unemployment Insurance Reform (presented by J. Travis Hockaday and Megan P. Black)
• Gender-Based Discrimination in Compensation Claims (presented by Kerry A. Shad)
• Hot Topics Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, and more(presented by Rosemary G. Kenyon)
• Defense of Marriage Act and Your Benefit Plans (presented by Jamison H. Hinkle and Katherine Young Biegler)
• The Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program’s Final Rules for Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act and Section 503 (presented by Kimberly J. Korando)
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration 2014 and beyond (presented by Stephen T. Parascandola and Megan P. Black)

Guest speaker Stan Carroll, a security consultant with Risk Management Associates, Inc., also presented at the seminar on “Workplace Violence – What is it?” To obtain a copy of the Smith Anderson presentations from the 2013 Employment Law Update, please CLICK HERE and visit the event page on our website.

About Smith Anderson’s Employment, Labor and Human Resources Practice Group

Smith Anderson’s Employment, Labor and Human Resources practice group and its lawyers have received significant client, peer and business community recognition in such prestigious publications and ranking lists as Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America^®, U.S. News – Best Lawyers^® “Best Law Firms” and Martindale-Hubbell^®. The group handles employment matters nationwide for many global and publicly-traded companies that are based in North Carolina. They work with clients to assist them in building and maintaining an employer-of-choice reputation, while minimizing the burden of regulatory requirements and the distractions of regulatory investigations and audits, employee disputes, and union organizing. In addition, they develop and conduct training programs for human resources professionals and line managers, offering a range of complementary compliance-support services.

About Smith Anderson’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Group

Smith Anderson’s Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Group has been recognized by “Best Law Firms” with its highest ranking since U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers first began the joint effort to identify the highest performing firms and practices in 2010. The practice group’s lawyers areexperienced with retirement plans, welfare plans and executive compensation arrangements for all types of entities, including for-profit companies and tax-exempt and governmental entities. The group has particular strength in understanding benefit plans in a transactional context. From stock option plans for start-up companies; leveraged ESOP transactions as part of succession planning; and multiple defined benefit pension plans maintained by affiliated manufacturing entities, its lawyers strive to understand an employer's goals and help translate them into reality.

About Smith Anderson’s OSHA and Workplace Safety Practice Group

Smith Anderson’s OSHA and Workplace Safety practice group is led by two former North Carolina Department of Justice (DOJ) Environmental Division attorneys, with strong support from seasoned attorneys who have practiced with some of the nation’s largest environmental law firms. As a result, the practice group’s lawyers have a keen grasp of the law, an insider’s perspective of the process, and strong relationships with state and federal regulators. In addition, the group and its lawyers have been recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Business Lawyers, The Best Lawyers in America®, North Carolina Super Lawyers and Business North Carolina “Legal Elite.” The group regularly advises clients on matters involving environmental and OSHA litigation, environmental insurance, as well as matters in connection with all major State environmental and OSHA programs, including the following:  Air and Water Quality, Solid and Hazardous Waste, Superfund, Brownfields, Groundwater and Aquifer Protection, Underground Storage Tanks, Wetlands, Riparian Buffer, Stormwater, Sedimentation and Erosion Control, Mining, Dry-Cleaning Solvent Cleanup, Endangered Species, Pollution Prevention, Asbestos, Lockout/Tagout, Personal Protective Equipment, and Hazard Communication Programs.