| 8:30 am – 9:00 am |
Registration & Breakfast
|
| 9:00 am – 9:15 am |
Welcome, Introduction and Program Overview
Committee Chair: Regina E. Faul, Clark Hill LLP
Institute Co-Chairs:
David K. Ellis, Legal Counsel, Deel Inc.
Luwick Francois, LF Law PLLC
John M. Harras, Venable LLP
Melissa Overbeck, Proskauer Rose LLP
|
| 9:15 am – 10:05 am |
Track 1A: Gig Workers Unite! Labor & Employment Law Developments in the Gig Economy
Panel Leader:
John M. Harras, Venable LLP
Panelists:
Allan S. Bloom, Proskauer Rose LLP
Jack Newhouse, Virginia & Ambinder, LLP
Jeff I. Salomon, Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLP
Track 1B: Hot Topics in Employment Mediation: Practical Challenges and Emerging Trends
Panel Leader:
Ann Lesser, American Arbitration Association Inc.
Panelists:
Tracey Frisch, American Arbitration Association Inc.
Darren Rumack, Rumack Dispute Resolution and The Klein and Cardali Law Group PLLC
Michael Starr, M Starr ADR LLC
|
| 10:05 am – 10:10 am |
Break
|
| 10:10 am – 11:00 am |
Track 2A: Preventing Employment Issues - Best Practices for Employee Policies and Handbooks for 2026
Panel Leader:
Mark J. Goldberg, Loeb & Loeb LLP
Panelists:
Lisa Fried-Grodin, Fried-Grodin Employment Law LLC
Jody Klipple, Law Office of Jody L. Klipple
Liran Messinger, Employment Counsel, Axonius
Track 2B: Strategic Selection of Dispute Venue: ADR, Agency, and Court
Panel Leader:
Luwick Francois, LF Law PLLC
Panelists:
Katherine Carroll, Deputy Commissioner for Law Enforcement, New York City Commission on Human Rights
Melissa Franco, General Counsel, New York State Division of Human Rights
Antonia Kousoulas, Kousoulas & Associates PC
Elizabeth Shampnoi, Director of the Office of Mediation & Conflict Resolution, New York City Commission on Human Rights
|
| 11:00 am – 11:10 am |
Break
|
| 11:10 am – 12:25 pm |
Track 3A: Perspectives and Insights from In-House Counsel
Panel Leader:
Melissa Overbeck, Proskauer Rose LLP
Panelists:
Larissa Boz, Senior Counsel, Squarespace
Tony Martinez, Employment Counsel, Ripple Labs, Inc.
Elizabeth Spector Louden, Deputy General Counsel, Etsy
Temitope K. Yusuf, SVP, Fair Employment & Head of Legal Inclusion, NBCUniversal
Track 3B: L&E Litigation Update - 2d Cir and SCOTUS
Panel Leader:
Evan Spelfogel, Phillips Nizer LLP
Panelists:
Stephen Bergstein, Bergstein & Ullrich
Marjorie Mesidor, Mesidor PLLC
Merrick (Rick) T. Rossein, City University of New York School of Law
|
| 12:25 pm – 1:25 pm |
Networking Lunch
|
| 1:25 pm – 2:40 pm |
Plenary Session: Legal Developments in DEI and “Reverse Discrimination”
Panel Leader:
Louis Pechman, Pechman Law Group
Panelists:
Amanda Fugazy, Ellenoff, Grossman & Schole LLP
Brian Heller, Schwartz, Perry & Heller LLP
Jenny R. Yang, Outten & Golden, former Chair of the EEOC
|
| 2:40 pm – 2:45 pm |
Break
|
| 2:45 pm – 3:35 pm |
Track 4A: Current Immigration Policy Impact on Employment Law
Panel Leader:
Luwick Francois, LF Law PLLC
Panelists:
Sandra Dieudonne, Catholic Charities Archdiocese of NY
Remzi Guvenc Kulen, Kulen Law Firm P.C.
Christopher Gregorio, Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy, LLP
Michael Bergman, Jackson Lewis P.C.
Track 4B: Recent Developments in Non-Competes & Other Restrictive Covenants
Panel Leader:
Regina Faul, Clark Hill PLC
Panelists:
Lisa Fried-Grodin, Fried-Grodin Employment Law LLC
Jerrold F. Goldberg, Greenberg Traurig , LLP
Grace E. Hart, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Daryl G. Leon, Baker & Hostetler LLP
|
| 3:35 pm – 3:40 pm |
Break
|
| 3:40 pm – 4:30 pm |
Plenary Session: Ethical Use of AI in Employment Law
Panel Leader:
Shruti Shah, Founder & Principal Consultant, ComplyScale
Panelists:
Ronald C. Minkoff, Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC
Howard M. Wexler, Seyfarth Shaw LLP
|
| 4:30 pm – 5:30 pm |
Networking Reception |