Seyfarth Shaw Labor & Employment and Employee Benefits Partners Speaking at World’s Largest HR Conference

Contact:
Ivette Delgado, Senior Public Relations Associate
(212) 218-5273, idelgado@seyfarth.com

CHICAGO (June 24, 2011) — Seyfarth Shaw LLP Labor and Employment partners Camille Olson and Richard Lapp have been invited to speak at the world’s largest gathering of human resource professionals, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) 2011 Conference and Exposition in Las Vegas on Wednesday, June 29. Employee Benefits partners David Weiner and Jennifer Kraft will conduct a pre-conference workshop on Saturday, June 25. Together, these presentations address the two most momentous issues for employers in recent years: Dukes v. Wal-Mart, the blockbuster Supreme Court case anticipated by employers across the nation for its potentially game-changing Rule 23- and human resources-related implications, and health care reform.

With keynote speakers including Virgin Group founder and president Sir Richard Branson, editor-in-chief of the Huffington Post Ariana Huffington and actor Michael J. Fox, the annual meeting connects thought leaders, business strategists, academics and practitioners in sharing practical tool and techniques and providing comprehensive learning to HR professionals.

As counsel for SHRM, Olson and Lapp filed on the organization's behalf a pivotal amicus brief that significantly influenced the Supreme Court’s opinion in the Dukes case. Fittingly, they were the only two employment lawyers in the nation invited by SHRM to speak on the case. Olson and Lapp’s presentation at the conference, “Best HR Practices: Reviewing the Impact of Dukes v. Wal-Mart Stores,” will provide an overview and insights into the recent Supreme Court case which was nearly the largest employment discrimination case in U.S. history. The highly-anticipated court decision gives employers crucial guidance on fundamental human resources policies, practices and programs that will shape HR policy and practice for the future.

Weiner and Kraft will conduct a workshop titled "An Employer's Guide to Health Care Reform." The presentation will provide a review of the basics of health care reform, an update on recent developments and a chronological look at the changes employers can expect in 2012, 2014 and 2018. They will also cover other considerations, such as collective bargaining, penalties and communications.

Camille Olson is a member of the firm's National Labor and Employment Law Steering Committee and National Chairperson of its Complex Discrimination Litigation Practice Group. Her 25 years of practice have concentrated in all areas of litigation, with a concentration in complex labor and employment law, representing companies nationwide in challenges to the independent contractor status of workers, employment discrimination and harassment matters, and wage and hour matters. She has also regularly appeared before the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, the EEOC and the United States Department of Labor on her own behalf (as a recognized expert in various fields) and on behalf of the United States Chamber of Commerce and the Society for Human Resource Management.

Richard Lapp’s practice concentrates on labor and employment litigation before federal and state courts and agencies, and it has included numerous high profile alleged worker misclassification cases involving thousands of plaintiffs in multi-million dollar disputes. He represents employers in class and collective actions in all areas of labor and employment law.

David Weiner practices in the areas of employee benefits and executive compensation, and is the Co-Chair of the firm's Welfare Benefits Practice Group. He also is a member of the firm's Health Care Reform Team, an inter-departmental team of firm lawyers working together to assess the different ways in which health care reform will impact our clients and create cutting-edge strategies for a holistic response.

Jennifer Kraft has broad experience assisting Fortune 500 companies with all aspects of their employee benefits plans. She is also a member of the firm’s Health Care Reform Team.

Seyfarth Shaw has over 750 attorneys located in 10 offices throughout the United States, including: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Sacramento, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., as well as internationally in London. Seyfarth Shaw provides a broad range of legal services in the areas of labor and employment, employee benefits, litigation, corporate and real estate. The firm’s clients include over 300 of the Fortune 500 companies, and our practice reflects virtually every industry and segment of the economy. For more information, please visit www.seyfarth.com.

Twitter: www.twitter.com/seyfarthshawLLP 
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/seyfarth-shaw?trk=null  
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Seyfarth-Shaw-LLP/94066797503