The Atlanta Lawyer January/February 2015 | Page 30

section update Labor & Employment Section By Benjamin I. Fink Berman Fink Van Horn P.C. [email protected] A fter a busy fall, including a very successful celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Labor & Employment Section is not resting on its laurels. We have more great events planned for this winter and spring. On January 15, 2015, we held a joint breakfast with the Intellectual Property Section at the Buckhead Club. Christopher B. Seaman, a Professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law, spoke about the proposed federal trade secrets legislation. He discussed reasons he and other academics have opposed this legislation which is widely supported by most business organizations. On January 22, 2015, we held another Happy Hour at the Lawyer’s Club. Members of our Section networked and socialized with lawyers from all areas of the labor and employment bar. Finally, in conjunction with Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta, our Section will be hosting a “nuts and bolts” employment law seminar during the Atlanta Bar Association’s March Madness pro bono program to help prepare local practitioners for volunteer opportunities with PBPA. The seminar will cover general employment laws affecting non-profit organizations, including guidance on the creation or review of employee and volunteer handbooks; proper compensation of employees and volunteers under the Fair Labor Standards Act; classification of workers as either independent contractors or employees; and handling unemployment compensation claims in employment terminations. We hope to see you at all of these events in the next few months. On February 4, 2015, our Section will hold a joint breakfast with the Dispute Resolution Section. Joan Grafstein, a former employment counsel for Emory University and current mediator and arbitrator with JAMS, Charles Dorsey, Director of the American \