April 2006 News

                                            

          

 Laura Steel to speak to Johnson City Kiwanis Club

 

Laura Steel, an attorney with Hunter, Smith & Davis law firm will speak to the Johnson City Kiwanis Club Wednesday, April 5th about a current hot topic- employers’ legal obligations to returning veterans.

 

Ms. Steel practices in the areas of labor and employment law and commercial litigation, with specific emphasis on defense of management in discrimination and harassment claims and unemployment compensation actions, affirmative action compliance, and general employer counseling.  She has spoken before a wide variety of groups on various employment, labor and employee benefits issues. 

 

Employment/Labor Team to take part in HR Expo

 

Members of the Hunter, Smith & Davis Employment/Labor team will take part in the upcoming HR Expo at the Johnson City Holiday Inn April 5-8.  The Firm will have its trade show booth present and attorneys will speak at three different legal sessions.

The presentations will be as follows:

 

Workers’ Compensation Mental Disability Claims

 

Presenters:  Leslie T. Ridings and Michael L. Forrester

 

The presentation will address recent court decisions pertaining to claims for workers’ compensation benefits based on mental/emotional disability.  We will discuss the latest legislative directives on compensability and proof requirements for depression claims.

 

 

 

Panel Discussion

 

Presenters: Michael L. Forrester, Stephen M. Darden and Julie P. Bennett

 

At times, the combination of the ADA, FMLA and workers’ compensation law can seem like a 3-headed monster.  During this panel discussion, attorneys Julie Bennett, Mike Forrester and Steve Darden will use factual scenarios and an interactive format to explore and explain this ever-evolving subject matter.  Also, while employees seem to be holding all the cards, some useful employer approaches to the scenarios will be suggested as well.

 

Union Update and Avoidance

Presenter: Stephen M. Darden

 

Last year, in a much-publicized split, several unions left the AFL-CIO fold.  In this session, attendees will learn what is going on with organized labor in our region, what is on the horizon, how to avoid becoming the target of a union organizational drive, and what a campaign involves in a targeted workplace.