When

Thursday September 25, 2014 from 8:20 AM to 4:00 PM CDT
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Where

Villa Bellezza Vineyard (view website)
1420 3rd St
Pepin, WI 54759

This working winery is stunningly beautiful - you will think you are in Tuscany! Approximately one hour's drive south of the Twin Cities, on the shores of the Mississippi River. Take in the Great River Road with its fall colors, bluffs, valleys and quaint river towns.

Driving Directions

Cost

$150 - First person
$100 - Second person & more from same company

Contact

Julie Anna Summer
Wessels Sherman
952-746-1700
jusummer@wesselssherman.com

About the Presenters

James B. Sherman, Esq.

JAMES B. SHERMAN is the President and CEO of Wessels Sherman. He has over 20 years of experience counseling businesses and acting as lead counsel in complex litigation involving all aspects of human resource and workplace law. Mr. Sherman has successfully litigated many ground-breaking and precedent-setting federal and state court cases, and has represented employers of all sizes before a wide array of federal and state administrative agencies in over 20 states. He has also arbitrated many cases under union labor agreements as well as non-union employment contracts.

Alan E. Seneczko, Esq.

ALAN E. SENECZKO is the Managing Shareholder of Wessels Sherman's Wisconsin office and has spent 30 years defending employers before various state and federal agencies; including the EEOC, NLRB, OFCCP, OSHA, the Wisconsin Equal Rights, Worker's Compensation and Unemployment Compensation Divisions, arbitrators, and in state and federal court. He also represents a number of insurers and self-insured employers in the defense of worker's compensation claims. Al devotes much of his practice to counseling employers on difficult day-to-day issues that span the vast array of employment laws - but is a zealous advocate once those issues become the basis of litigation.

Chad A. Staul, Esq.

CHAD A. STAUL is a Senior Attorney in Wessels Sherman's Minnesota office. He focuses his practice on employment litigation, representing clients in both state and federal courts, as well as before the EEOC and other federal, state and local agencies. He has defended employers against claims involving workplace discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage and hour claims, common law tort claims, and breach of contract, including claims involving non-compete and non-solicitation agreements.

Peter E. Hansen, Esq.

PETER E. HANSEN is an Associate Attorney in Wessels Sherman's Wisconsin office, where he focuses his practice on employee benefits and worker's compensation defense, as well as general employment law. Peter has been intimately involved with the Affordable Care Act since its enactment, and has worked closely with employers of all sizes to review obligations and ensure compliance with the Act.

Phoebe A. Taurick, Esq.

PHOEBE A. TAURICK is an Associate Attorney in Wessels Sherman's Minnesota office. She is licensed to practice law in the State of Wisconsin and both State and Federal courts in Minnesota. Her practice is focused on representing management in all aspects of labor and employment law, including NLRB and other state and federal agency matters. During law school, Phoebe concentrated her studies in the field of labor and employment law and gained valuable experience while serving as an intern with the EEOC and a public sector labor organization. Additionally, she received the BNA-ABA Award for Excellence in the Study of Labor and Employment Law.

Fall Harvest Employment Law Seminar

With OVER 50 business owners, managers, HR/legal/accounting professionals already registered to attend, this seminar is turning out to be more popular than we originally anticipated!

In fact, the proprietors at Villa Bellezza have kindly accommodated our growing crowd by moving us to the winery's Great Hall which can accommodate hundreds of guests, so we will not have to turn anyone away. People are coming from near and far - as far away as Milwaukee, WI. Due to these growing numbers, we will now have TWO prize drawings!

Join Wessels Sherman attorneys along the shores of beautiful Lake Pepin - a short distance south of the Twin Cities as part of the Mississippi River - for a highly informative day of learning in the relaxed and picturesque setting of a working winery. Attendees will reap a bounty of valuable information, materials and useful forms to address many of the latest issues facing employers today. Register to attend this exciting event to also receive the following:

Continental breakfast and Mediterranean style lunch.
Chance to win one of TWO valuable door prizes - dinner for two at the award-winning Harbor View Cafe.
Complimentary winery tour during the "grape crush" season.

Villa Bellezza Winery Prescott, WI

Who Should Attend? Business owners, executives, human resource professionals, attorneys, accountants, managers and supervisors from every industry. Mingle with peers in a European setting at this one-of-a-kind event!

Topics and Schedule

8:20AM-9:00AM Registration/Continental Breakfast

9:00AM-9:05AM Welcoming Introduction (Sherman)

9:05AM-9:35AM Review of Important Developments in Workplace Law (Sherman & Hansen) Get the latest, most important legal developments of 2014 that impact employers and the workplace. From new state and federal laws, to court decisions with significant implications for employers, to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's new agenda to redefine the scope of "pregnancy discrimination," this informative presentation will provide a fast-paced update on current developments in employment law while also offering practical advice on how to adapt to these changes.

9:35AM-10:10AM Tricky Wage/Hour and Wage Payment Law Traps Employers Need to Know in Order to Avoid Class Action Lawsuits (Staul) More and more employers are learning the hard way that class action wage and hour lawsuits can involve issues beyond claims of minimum wage and overtime violations. Claims of failure to provide legally required meal and rest breaks, pay for all "compensable time," unlawful wage deductions and final pay violations, are rising to epidemic proportions nationally and on the state level. Besides covering the legal nuances of these several tricky areas of state and federal wage and hour law, this presentation will provide employers with the practical means to ensure compliance in their organizations.

10:10AM-10:45AM Test Your HR Knowledge (Seneczko & Sherman) This fun, interactive segment of the day's events will involve a question and answer format followed by solutions to a variety of important workplace legal issues.

10:45AM-10:55AM BREAK

10:55AM-11:25AM Criminal Convictions and Employment Decisions (Taurick) The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has brought several new class action lawsuits against employers for allegedly basing employment decisions on criminal history, even though no such federal law exists. EEOC/FTC background check regulations are encountering enforcement issues in the courts, but employers still face an onslaught of new state laws such as Minnesota's so-called "Ban the Box" legislation and a similar new law passed just this year in Illinois. Wisconsin's fair employment practices law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of arrest and conviction records has been around for several years, yet in recent years it has been interpreted more favorably for employees and against the interests of employers. This presentation will provide the latest information on these many federal and state developments, plus common sense advice to maximize employer discretion in hiring and other employment decisions without running afoul of the law.

11:25AM-12:00PM Labor Law Update - Unions, Protected Concerted Activities and More (Seneczko) Hear about union activities, successes and failures in the Upper Midwest and perhaps more importantly, explore how the National Labor Relations Board is shocking employers throughout the country by applying "union law" to the non-union setting as it has never done before. Learn why many employee handbooks probably contain illegal provisions under the NLRB's expansive new interpretation of federally protected "concerted activities" and why so many non-union employers are now finding themselves facing unfair labor practice charges in this previously seldom dealt with federal agency.

12:00PM-1:00PM LUNCH (provided on site) Take a break and relax with an exquisitely simple lunch including a hearty Mediterranean style soup, mixed green salad, and French baguette; or substitute a sandwich including smoked turkey, provolone, field greens and pesto on a French baguette. (Food preference options are available through the registration portal.)

1:00PM-1:35PM Lingering Issues Under ObamaCare - How Seasonal, Short-term, and Project Employees Will Affect Your Business, and How to Avoid the "Play or Pay" Penalties (Hansen) Concerned about your seasonal, short-term, or project employees? Confused about how they impact your obligations under ObamaCare, including your company's "large employer" status, or whether you must either offer them coverage under a group health plan or face a penalty? Worried about the decision to "play or pay," the potential penalties under ObamaCare, and how to avoid them? Learn from a benefits practitioner how seasonal, short-term, and project employees affect employers of all sizes, and what you can do now to protect your business in 2015 and beyond.

1:35PM-2:15PM Game Changing Solutions to Meet Employers' Legal Obligation to Reasonably Accommodate Employees Even in the Most Difficult Circumstances (Sherman) Satisfying the legal requirement to explore "reasonable accommodations" for applicants and employees with a disability (or religious constraint) is at best a sort of crap-shoot due to the many complexities and pitfalls associated with the process. A host of recent class action lawsuits brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against unsuspecting employers have alarmed even the most up-to-date and cautious human resources professionals and lawyers, as has the EEOC's newest agenda of insisting on "unpaid leave" as a potential accommodation. Get solutions and practical advice from an experienced attorney, together with check lists, forms and compliance "cheat sheets."

2:15PM-2:25PM BREAK

2:25PM-2:55PM Emerging Challenges of the Modern Day Diversified Workforce (Staul & Taurick) Whether encouraged by the government through affirmative action obligations, or due to the simple fact that demographics in the Midwest are changing drastically, today's typical workforce is perhaps far more diversified than at any other time in history. While the ongoing diversification of the American workforce presents many opportunities, it also poses challenges not previously encountered by many employers. Learn about unlawful "national origin" discrimination, legal obligations to reasonably accommodate divergent religions, unusual I-9 documentation issues and more. Get valuable practical solutions to help meet these legal obligations without joining the growing number of lawsuits in this area.

2:55PM-3:25PM Common Sense Employment Law (Seneczko) In today's litigious world, the fear of lawsuits and million dollar verdicts often clouds reason and paralyzes the ability to make a decision. "Wisdom" equates with risk avoidance and "knowledge" breeds inaction. Take a moment and revisit some common sense, often surprising, and certainly refreshing, legal "truths" as they relate to the issues human resource professionals encounter on a regular basis when dealing with difficult employees, discharge and discipline, and the decision-making process. Humorous and informative advice culled from 30 years of experience representing employers.

3:25PM-3:30PM Concluding Remarks and Prize Drawing One lucky attendee will win a fabulous gift certificate for dinner for two at Pepin's highly acclaimed Harbor View Cafe, overlooking the harbor on the shores of beautiful Lake Pepin. The King of Jordan is said to have praised this restaurant as his favorite in all of America! (Must be present for drawing.)

3:30PM-4:00PM Tour of Villa Bellezza Winery Our hosts at Villa Bellezza Winery kindly invite all participants in this seminar on a complimentary tour of their award-winning winery, immediately following the seminar. The tour promises to be fun, informative and exciting due to the fact that it will take place during the busy grape "crush" season (no, you won't be asked to stomp grapes barefoot... unless, perhaps, you want to).

*If you experience any difficulties while registering, please contact us.