Correcting Toxic Employee Environments Caused by Hard Economic Times

Cornell Law School, The School of Industrial and Labor Relations and Littler Mendelson Cordially invite you to attend an alumni networking reception and program

"Correcting Toxic Employee Environments Caused by Hard Economic Times”

Thursday, September 13, 2012
6:00 PM - Registration and Networking Reception
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM Presentation
8:00 PM – 8:30 PM - Q&A

City Club on Bunker Hill
333 S. Grand Avenue 54th Floor
Los Angeles Cost:

$20 per person
Please register on-line or by calling the Alumni Affairs Office at 607.255.5251. Registration deadline date is Thursday, September 6th.

See Who's Coming

Special thanks to Littler Mendelson for co-sponsoring this event! 

In the new economy, it can be harder to manage a healthy work environment when employees who need to transition out have nowhere to go. What happens when someone on your team is the source of significant unrest in the workplace? As companies demand greater efficiency and productivity, employees who fail to keep up become problematic, and sometimes seek to manipulate legal protections or file "pre-taliation" claims to avoid searching for a new job. When negativity damages morale and saps company resources, how should you respond?

Join Robert F. Millman, JD ’74, Keith A. Jacoby, AB ’87, Andrea R. Milano, BS ’08, JD ’11 and Michael B. Margolis, JD '79 as they explore:

• • The warning signs of a toxic employee environment
• • Early intervention techniques
• • Avoiding and responding to pre-taliation claims
• • Effective performance management and termination strategies
   

Meet our Panel

Keith A. Jacoby, AB ’87
Shareholder, Littler Mendelson
Keith represents employers in all types of employment litigation, acting as trial counsel and obtaining defense verdicts in both class action and single defendant cases. He has prosecuted and defended theft of trade secret claims in state and federal court and has extensive experience representing employers and insurers in welfare benefit matters governed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act.

Among his notable successes, Keith obtained defense verdicts in a whistleblower/fraud jury trial, a class action bench trial challenging the employment status of 1,000 independent contractors, and a fraud/ breach of contract jury trial. He also defended a major railway corporation in a disparate impact claim challenging a nationwide reduction-in-force.

In non-litigation settings, Keith regularly provides counseling and frequently lectures on sexual harassment avoidance and conducting legal internal investigations of employee misconduct.

Keith serves on Littler Mendelson's Board of Trustees. Prior to joining the firm, he served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Stephen Reinhardt of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Michael B. Margolis, JD ’79
Mike is a founder of the firm and the head of the Los Angeles office. For more than 30 years, Mike has represented clients in a variety of disputes, including: trade secrets; unfair competition and misappropriation of intellectual property; fraud; international joint ventures; sexual harassment; employment discrimination and other employment matters; real estate; lender liability; class actions and other complex commercial cases.

In the area of labor and employment, Mike ‘works both sides of the street’, representing employees as well as employers. Among Mike’s more recent successes are: defeat of a former employer’s motion for injunction against alleged unfair competition by a former employee; jury verdict against commercial real estate brokers for fraud and punitive damages; summary judgment for an apparel company against business interference claims; jury verdict for a large law firm against multi-million dollar malpractice claims; and summary judgment for a transportation company against disability discrimination claims.

In addition to his trial practice, Mike counsels businesses and business owners on a wide range of international and domestic issues.

Andrea R. Milano, BS ’08, JD ’11
Associate, Littler Mendelson
Andrea represents employers in a broad range of traditional labor and employment law matters arising under federal and state laws.

During law school, Andrea worked in the Labor and Employment Law Division of the New York City Law Department, representing the City as an employer in its labor and employment law matters. Additionally, she worked at the Labor Law Clinic at Cornell Law School, where she gained practical experience handling traditional labor law issues. She was a teaching assistant for an introductory labor and employment law class and a research assistant to a labor law professor, who was studying the intersection of federal anti-discrimination and immigration laws.

Prior to law school, Andrea studied traditional labor law at the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations, focusing on labor history, labor law, collective bargaining, and labor arbitration. During this time, she gained labor relations experience by working in a human resources department that supported a dually-organized workforce, specifically training newly-hired managers in basics of contract administration.

Robert F. Millman, JD ’74
Shareholder, Littler Mendelson
For close to 40 years, Robert has represented employers in proceedings and unfair labor practices before the National Labor Relations Board and in employment discrimination and wrongful termination litigation, including complex class actions. He also represents clients in arbitration and mediation, and in collective bargaining negotiations.

Appearing in federal and state courts at the trial and appellate levels, Robert also practices before the Department of Labor, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, and the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement.

Robert offers compliance counseling and provides his clients with employment law training. He also helps management develop employment law problem prevention modules and policies, and provides transactional employment advice designed to prevent litigation. Most often, Robert works with clients in the healthcare, hospitality, retail, and transportation industries.

Robert frequently speaks throughout the country on contemporary labor and employment law topics. He is interviewed regularly on radio and television, and has been published in, and interviewed for major national trade publications. His views and opinions are valued by senior management and employee relations professionals throughout the country.

The founder of the firm's Los Angeles office, Robert is the former chairman of Littler Mendelson's Board of Directors. He joined as the firm's 18th lawyer and has been an essential and integral part of the growth, development, and success of Littler over the past three decades.