Overview

Our Annual Legal Summit partners with attorneys and subject matter experts who understand the needs of the NEHRA community. They closely follow regulations, laws and changes that are applicable to you and your organizations. The sessions at the Legal Summit will be interactive, informative, and critical for today’s HR professionals.


PRICING:
NEHRA Members - $399
Non-Members: $499


SCHEDULE AT-A-GLANCE

8:15 - 9:00AM: Registration, Breakfast, & Networking

9:00 - 10:15AM: Welcome Remarks & Opening Keynote:  Changes Employers Need to Make Following The Massachusetts SJC Decision Mandating Triple Damages For Any Late Wage Payment Or Underpayment

10:15 - 10:45AM: Break

10:45AM - 12:00PM: Breakouts (choice of 2)
1: Pay Transparency: Best Practices and Processes
2: The Changed Workplace: Hybrid Workforce Considerations

12:00 - 1:00PM: Lunch & Networking 

1:00 - 2:15PM: Breakouts (choice of 2)

1: Do You Know Who You're Hiring in 2022?
2: Piecing Together the Puzzle of the Paid Leave Landscape

2:15 - 2:45PM: Break

2:45 - 4:00OPM: Closing Keynote Panel: Cultural and Legal Considerations: Substance Use and Mental Health in the Workplace




AGENDA


8:15 - 9:00AM - REGISTRATION, BREAKFAST, & NETWORKING

 


9:00 - 10:15AM - WELCOME REMARKS & OPENING SESSION
Latest Updates and Developments: Reuter Decision by the MA Supreme Judicial Court and Potential Triple Damages Liability for Late Wage Payment / Impacts on Commission Plans, Bonuses, Etc.
Speaker: Dan Klein, Partner, Seyfarth Shaw, LLC

On April 4, 2022, in  Reuter v. City of Methuen , the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court interpreted the Wage Act to require treble damages for any late payment or underpayment of wages in the Commonwealth, including those resulting from honest mistakes and errors that are promptly fixed.  This program will examine how employers should revamp payroll systems and terminations to operate in a zero-margin-for-error environment. 

Specific topics will include:

  • Wages that an employer must pay a Massachusetts employee at the time of termination;
  • Suggestions for how to handle unplanned terminations and/or unexpected resignations relative to any wage payments due;
  • What Massachusetts employers could - and should - do to insulate their commission and incentive compensation plans from Wage Act claims in light of  Reuter;
  • Potential pitfalls and recommended strategies for settling threatened and/or pending wage claims in light of  Reuter;

 

10:45AM - 12:00PM: BREAKOUT SESSIONS (CHOICE OF 2) -
1 - Pay Transparency: Best Practices and Processes
Speakers: Divya Curtin, Senior Principal, Mercer & Aaron Moore, Principal, Mercer

Pay transparency has the power to build or bog down an organization’s employee experience.  While most organizations identify pay transparency as important, based on Mercer’s research, less than 20% give pay transparency more than a “moderate” level of attention.  This disconnect between acknowledgment and action provides an opportunity. Given the “new normal” of pay transparency in modern business and society, it’s time to go one step further and put your pay transparency story into action in a way that impacts employee experience.

Please join Divya Curtin and Aaron Moore from Mercer to discuss the new realities of Pay Transparency, and why it matters!

 

2 - The Changed Workplace: Hybrid Workforce Considerations
Speaker: Julayne Lazar, Shareholder, Foley & Foley

We are all happy to be getting back to business as the pandemic has entered a more controlled phase — but it is not business as usual. The workplace has undoubtedly changed with more employees expecting flexibility and ability to work remotely. Most employers find themselves now offering a hybrid workplace as a means to attract and keep top talent. This session The Changed Workplace: Hybrid Workforce Considerations lead by Julayne Lazar, Shareholder at Foley & Foley PC, will discuss legal considerations and best practices for a hybrid workplace. Attorney Lazar will cover the importance of policies and expectations in a remote workplace, the remote telework agreement, out-of-state employees, and cautions such as proximity bias.  

 

12:00 - 1:00PM: LUNCH & NETWORKING

 

1:00 - 2:15PM: BREAKOUT SESSIONS (CHOICE OF 2) -
1 - Do You Know Who You're Hiring in 2022?
Speaker: Christine Cunneen, CEO, Hire Image LLC

More states are enacting laws restricting the information employers can access when hiring, including redacting information at the source, than ever before. Without accessing this information, how sure can you really be that the people you hire are who they say they are? In this session, we will review best practices for staying compliant under these state laws, as well other laws, including FCRA, Ban the Box, and Salary History, while understanding what can be done to ensure you hire who you expect to hire.

Additionally, as drug screening laws continue to change across various states, we will discuss where we stand now and what to expect next. Finally, we will talk about the industry trends that affect us all. Throughout it all, we will emphasize EEOC best practices and the importance of proper processes, documentation, and communication in light of new privacy laws. This session will provide participants with actionable information that can be used in assessing their own background screening programs in order to mitigate legal and financial risk. 

Key Learnings:
1. Attendees will walk away with increased knowledge of new laws restricting available information for employers in the hiring process, including redaction of identifying information in certain states.
2. Attendees will be updated on important topics including, but not limited to, FCRA compliance, Ban the Box, Fair Chance Acts, Salary History Laws, Marijuana Laws, Drug Testing Changes, and Industry Trends.
3. Attendees will leave with actionable steps they can take back to their office and implement immediately to help stay compliant and avoid lawsuits.

 

 

2 - Piecing Together the Puzzle of the Paid Leave Landscape
Speaker: Teri Weber, MBA, PMP, GBA, ICCIE, Senior Vice President, Spring Consulting Group, An Alera Group Company, LLC

With a handful of states actively administering a Paid Family and Medical Leave program, and others in the development stage, it is a rising trend that HR and benefits professionals need to be looped in on. We will provide a national overview of the paid leave statuses in different states, provide best practices for integrating a state paid leave policy into your company’s existing leave programs, and offer our predictions for the paid leave landscape in the future. We will discuss things like the employee experience, private versus public plans, equity around paid leave, and more. We will walk through client examples to illustrate key concepts.


Key Learnings:
1. Understand the current state of paid leave in the U.S., both at the national and state levels.
2. Outline a strategy for preparing for or incorporating a statewide policy into your existing programs.
3. Learn about the importance of paid leave as a benefit, and be aware of how it may affect equity if your population spreads throughout various states.

 

           
2:15 - 4:00PM: CLOSING KEYNOTE:
Closing Keynote Panel: Cultural and Legal Considerations: Substance Use and Mental Health in the Workplace
Moderator: Todd Whitridge, Director of Project Connect & New England Team Lead, Recovery Centers of America

Panelists: Desiree Murphy, Esq., Senior Labor & Employee Relations Specialist, UMass Memorial Health Care & Kat Stevens, CEO, Recovery Centers of America / Westminster 

Our closing panel will be led by industry experts in employment law, human resources, mental health, and substance use disorder who will discuss the intricacies navigating mental health and substance use disorder within your organization. We will also hear from someone with lived experiences that faced the same challenges many of your team members are facing. Attendees will learn about the legal implications in addressing these issues, how to identify team members who are struggling, the basics of treatment options, and how to cultivate a more supportive and stigma-free environment in your organization.

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NEHRA's Legal Summit - May 26, 2022
05/26/2022 at 8:30 AM (EDT)   |  7 hours, 30 minutes
05/26/2022 at 8:30 AM (EDT)   |  7 hours, 30 minutes Convene 201 Washington St, Boston, MA 02108
NEHRA's Legal Summit Survey
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SHRM/HRCI Credit Info & Certificate
5.00 SHRM & HRCI credits  |  Certificate available
5.00 SHRM & HRCI credits  |  Certificate available
Live In-Person Event
05/27/2022 at 11:46 AM (EDT)   |  0 minutes  |  Attendance Required
05/27/2022 at 11:46 AM (EDT)   |  0 minutes  |  Attendance Required

Speaker(s)

Christine Cunneen

CEO of Hire Image LLC

Hire Image LLC

As CEO of Hire Image LLC, Christine Cunneen sets the company’s vision and strategy while overseeing the operations, finance, and business development functions nationwide.

Christine is the past chair of the Professional Background Screening Association (PBSA) and held leadership roles on the Global Advisory Council, Government Relations Committee, Advocacy Committee, Finance Committee, and Ethics Committee for PBSA. She is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) at both the national and local levels. She is a director of the Rhode Island SHRM Board and serves on the Advocacy team, Legislative Committee, and Sponsorship Committee. She serves on her town’s planning board and is a past Board member of her local Chamber of Commerce. She is proud to have been an Advisor to the Sue Weaver C.A.U.S.E. (Consumer Awareness of Unsafe Service Employment) and to have served on the Board of Directors and Governance and Finance Committees for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ocean State.

A frequent guest speaker at business, human resource, and background screening association events throughout the U.S., Christine educates employers and other professionals about background screening, and is often quoted for her expertise in the news media. She travels to Washington, DC to meet with legislators, and is active in campaigns and advocacy pertaining to laws and regulations that impact the background screening profession, business owners, and small business entrepreneurs.

Christine is a 1990 graduate of Hofstra University, where she received a bachelor of Business Administration degree in accounting. Prior to joining Hire Image, she enjoyed a 13-year financial career in New York as a certified public accountant specializing in taxation for such companies as Barnes & Noble and ING, and maintains her Certified Public Accountant designation.

A 2006 recipient of the “Make Mine a Million $ Business™” (M3) award from Count Me In™ and AMEX Open and, when breaking the $1M revenues barrier, Christine credited the program for helping her achieve that goal and contributing to her growth and success. In 2016, she participated in the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, as a member of the national cohort based out of Babson College and serves as a mentor to other women-owned business leaders.

Divya Curtin

Senior Principal

Mercer

Divya Curtin is a Senior Principal in Mercer’s Career business based in Boston, MA. She has over 10 years of consulting experience working with executives, boards and senior teams across a broad array of industries. She also has corporate experience in large, multi-national organizations. She has experience with, compensation benchmarking for executives, broad employees, and non-employee directors, compensation philosophy design, short-term and equity incentive plan design and peer group development.

Divya holds a B.A. in Economics from the University of Madras, India and a Masters from the School of Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) at Cornell University, with a concentration in Human Resource Management.


Daniel B. Klein, Esq.

Partner

Seyfarth Shaw LLP


Daniel Klein is a partner in the Labor and Employment Department of Seyfarth Shaw's Boston office. Mr. Klein's practice includes the representation of management in employment and non-competition litigation matters before state and federal courts, at trial and appellate levels, as well as federal and state agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights & Opportunities.

Mr. Klein also counsels national, regional and local employers on a wide variety of employment matters, including disability accommodation, family and medical leave, workplace investigations, wage and hour compliance, commissions disputes, performance assessment and discipline, terminations, reductions-in-force, training, background checks, whistleblower claims, defamation, handbook and policy review, and trade-secrets protection strategies.As a member of the firm's Complex Discrimination Litigation Practice Group, Mr. Klein has defended employers in a variety of complex discrimination cases, including multi-plaintiff discrimination lawsuits, EEOC pattern and practice cases, and collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Mr. Klein also has defended employers against the full spectrum of cases involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, defamation, and wage and hour violations, as well as representing employers in non-competition and contract disputes.Mr. Klein regularly assists clients in drafting employment contracts, severance agreements, non-competition, non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements, personnel policies and company handbooks. He has represented employers in a variety of industries, including healthcare, retail, manufacturing, hospitality, staffing, professional services, transportation, and technology.Mr. Klein lectures frequently on a variety of employment law topics for human resource specialists and in-house counsel, including regular presentations on behalf of the Northeast Human Resources Association, the Massachusetts Hospital Association, and Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education.

Mr. Klein served as a legal intern at the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. From 2005 through the present, Boston Magazine and Law and Politics have named Mr. Klein one of Massachusetts' and New England's "Super Lawyer Rising Stars." Mr. Klein received his J.D., from Boston College Law School, and his B.A. from Colgate University.


Daniel B. Klein 

Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Phone: (617) 946-4840

Email: dklein@seyfarth.com

Online Bio

Julayne Lazar

Attorney

Foley & Foley, LLC

Julayne has focused her twenty year legal career exclusively on employment and labor law, and leads the firm’s Administrative Agency defense practice. Julayne has worked at several of the agencies she practices before today including the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the Office of the Attorney General, and the Department of Unemployment Assistance. This experience gives her unique first-hand knowledge of the agencies’ regulations that other attorneys do not possess. Her experience directly benefits Foley & Foley clients.

Julayne has also held director-level positions at several entities where she functioned as in-house employment and labor counsel, overseeing all employment litigation and HR. In this capacity, Julayne served as a subject-matter expert to all of HR and management and provided practical advice on all aspects of the employee life cycle. Since joining the firm, Julayne has assisted several Foley & Foley  clients with auditing overall HR processes, then recommending suggested improvements to policies and practices. This allows for a more productive HR department, with more compliance and less risk.

Julayne also co-manages the firm’s Labor Relations practice, bringing her background of working with unionized workforces. In these positions, Julayne oversaw the grievance/arbitration processes and assisted with bargaining. She is frequently retained to work with Foley & Foley clients in a unionized setting in an effort to improve union relations based on her own personal successes. Most recently, Julayne has worked with employers in non-unionized settings to improve overall employee relations without unions.

Julayne also has a passion for helping organizations achieve their diversity goals in the workplace: she is a certified Senior Diversity Trainer by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and a graduate of the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination’s Train the Trainer course. Julayne also started her legal career working full-time as a mediator while attending law school in the evenings, making dean’s list each semester. As a member of law review, she authored a note on the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Foley & Foley clients benefit from Julayne’s high-level expertise in employment litigation in a broad depth of industries, in both unionized and non-unionized workforces. Julayne utilizes her vast  knowledge of employment and labor law and HR and risk management to partner with Foley & Foley clients and find creative solutions that drive business.

Aaron Moore

Principal at Mercer

Mercer

Aaron Moore is a Senior Principal in Mercer’s Career business, based in Boston. Aaron has been with Mercer for 15 years and works with clients to assess the competitive positions of their compensation practices, design job architectures and career frameworks, develop salary structure and compensation administrative guidelines. He specializes in executive and broad workforce compensation and has experience working with companies across a variety of industries. His experience includes clients that are not-for-profit organizations, publicly traded, and privately held.

Aaron holds a B.A. with honors in finance and marketing from Northeastern University and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Desiree Murphy

Sr. Labor & Employee Relations Specialist

UMass Memorial Health Care

Experienced attorney with a demonstrated history of working in the field of labor and employment law, particularly grievance arbitration, contract negotiations, employment discrimination and harassment.

Kat Stevens, LMHC

Chief Executive Officer at Recovery Centers of America

Recovery Centers of America

Kat Stevens is the CEO of Recovery Centers of America at Westminster and Interim CEO of Recovery Centers of America at Danvers. She has a BS in Psychology, with a concentration in Women’s Studies. She also has an MA in Counseling Psychology with concentrations in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Child & Family Interventions and is a Massachusetts Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC). With over 13 years of experience in Behavior Healthcare, including 10 years of working especially with substance use and co-occurring disorder treatments, Kat has provided leadership in multiple modalities of treatment, including acute treatment services, inpatient and residential services, and community-based support professionals. In recognition of her outstanding achievements, Kat was awarded 40 under 40 Top Leader by the Worcester Business Journal.

Kat’s background is in project management, clinical treatment, direct care, training facilitation, and quality improvement, with clinical experience in CBT, suicidality assessment, motivational interviewing, group, individual, community-based, and family therapies. She also has experience working with diverse populations, such as trauma survivors, LGBTQI, adolescents, adults, and families. Stevens provides quality, patient-centered, individualized treatment to help engage and support patients and their families in a safe, therapeutic environment.

Teri Weber

Senior Vice President

Spring Consulting Group

Teri Weber, MBA, PMP, GBA, ICCIE is a Senior Vice President with Spring Consulting Group, An Alera Group Company, LLC. She has fifteen years of experience in health and welfare plan strategy, design, pricing, and implementation. She also works with absence management programs, including disability, family medical leave and leave of absence tracking. Her areas of expertise have allowed her to work with diverse employers and vendors to streamline processes and programs to meet the needs of insurers, administrators, employers and employees. Prior to joining Spring, Teri worked with Watson Wyatt, Buck Consultants and AON Consulting. Teri earned a BS at the University of Connecticut and a MBA at the University of Massachusetts. She is a licensed broker in the states of MA and CT, has ACI and PMP certifications and is on the Board of Directors for the New England Employee Benefit Counsel (NEEBC). Teri was one of five finalists for BenefitPro’s 2020 Broker of the Year Award.

Todd Whitridge

Director, Project Connect

Recovery Centers of America

Todd Whitridge is the Director of Project Connect at Recovery Centers of America, a program designed specifically to partner with Human Resource professionals. Project Connect offers professional peer support, education, resources, and treatment navigation to working professionals and their families. Todd joined Recovery Centers of America in 2018 after an 18-year career in the advertising and media technology space. Todd is in recovery from Substance Use Disorder himself, and is an alumni of Recovery Centers of America at Danvers. His own lived experience in corporate America, and his personal recovery journey, is the driving factor behind his passion for Project Connect.

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