Early Bird Meeting: HR Hazards: How to Assess and Avoid Employee Relations Issues Before They Become Legal Risks

SUMMARY

The goal of this presentation is to identify some common pitfalls Human Resources professionals face that can create litigation risk, and how those risks may be avoided.  

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The disability accommodation process pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act, its intersection with the Family Medical Leave Act, and the role of post-COVID remote working environments. 
• The benefits of consistent application of disciplinary procedures. 
• Best practices for investigating employee complaints and avoiding retaliation claims.

SPEAKERS

Christen Casale, Esq.

Christen Casale, Esq., an experienced employment law attorney, advisor and litigator from Salmanson Goldshaw, P.C., an award winning and top-rated Philadelphia, Pennsylvania employment law firm.  Christen’s practice is unique in that she represents and advises both employers and employees in complex workplace matters.  Her clients range from multinational corporations to family-owned businesses, as well as employees both individually and on a class basis. Christen's practice includes employment issues such as discrimination based on race, sex, pregnancy, age, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability, as well as related matters involving retaliation and harassment. She also routinely prosecutes and defends matters involving disability accommodation and the Family Medical Leave Act. Christen has experience handling whistleblower claims, including under the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. She conducts workplace investigations, often involving high-level employees and complex facts, to objectively assess potential risk and liability. Christen has worked extensively in the health and safety space, including advising and litigation related to the COVID-19 pandemic, inspections and citations brought by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and state-level equivalents, and workplace safety whistleblowing. Clients find Christen to be a knowledgeable lawyer, practical advisor, and creative problem solver, who is sincerely dedicated to each of her clients. Prior to joining Salmanson Goldshaw in 2022, Christen worked for seven years in the Labor and Employment practice group of Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP.

Scott B. Goldshaw, Esq.

Scott has practiced employment law and litigation since 1996, representing employers and employees in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Scott's practice encompasses practically every aspect of employment law, ranging from discrimination, retaliation, and harassment to wage payment, benefits, and non-competition agreements. Scott routinely litigates in federal and state courts, handling all aspects of litigation through trial and on appeal. When not in court, Scott negotiates employment and severance contracts of all kinds, provides counseling on various employment-related issues, and has served as a private mediator and an arbitrator for employment claims.

Best Lawyers in America named Scott its "Lawyer of the Year" for 2022 for Employment Law - Individuals in Philadelphia.  Scott has been included in The Best Lawyers in America list, as published in U.S. News & World Report, every year since 2013. He has been named as a Super Lawyer in Pennsylvania every year since 2012, and is on the Planning Team for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute's Employment Law Institute.

Scott is a frequent lecturer on employment-related topics and has appeared as a legal commentator on both radio and television. Watch Scott discussing age discrimination on the television show the American Law Journal here: http://youtu.be/EiiSjIaNX50.

Prior to joining our firm in 2001, Scott worked in the employment litigation department of Willig, Williams & Davidson in Philadelphia from 2000 to 2001, and the employment litigation department of Kaye Scholer LLP (now Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLC) in New York from 1996 to 2000. He served as a law clerk in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas from 1995 to 1996.

Scott received his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania cum laude in 1995 where he served on the Editorial Board of the Law Review. He was awarded Order of the Coif and the P. Pemberton Morris Prize for the top student in evidence, pleading and practice. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan in 1992, graduating magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and with Highest Honors in Economics.

Scott dedicates numerous hours of pro bono legal services to several not-for-profit organizations and indigent individuals. Outside of his legal practice, Scott has served in various roles with not-for-profit organizations. A baseball lover, Scott has coached more than twenty-five youth sports teams.

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