In This Issue

• The Secretary’s Scene

• College Program in New Orleans

• 24th Annual Induction Dinner

• Dinner Book Messages of Congratulations

• Annual Fellows’ Happy Hour – San Francisco

• Upcoming Regional Meetings

• Spotlight on Fellows

• Fellows on the Move

• In Memoriam – Melva Harmon and Rafael Medina

The Secretary’s Scene –
Why I Belong to the College

So, why do I belong to the College? My answer is quite simple, the nurturing power and joy of being in community. I have been blessed to have been part of a number of communities that have enabled me to grow personally and professionally and have supported me in times of need and celebrated with me in times of joy. As a college student, I worked in the Chicago Labor/Management community working for past College President Joel D’Alba and the late Marvin Gittler. Professionally I have been part of the Philadelphia Labor/Management Community since I joined Region 4 of the NLRB after graduation from Law School. During my brief years at the Board I worked with a number of colleagues who are now Fellows and who remain great friends like Margaret Brogan and Dorothy Moore. Margie and I started at the Board together along with former Board Chairman and Fellow Mark Pearce.

The Philadelphia area Labor/Management community has always been close. Traditionally we have met together monthly between October and May as the Philadelphia Chapter of IRRA, now LERA. It was this group that selected me and gave me a chance as a new arbitrator enabling me to generate successful practice that has sustained me and my family for over 30 years. As an arbitrator I have been able to work with esteemed practitioners in both labor and management and well as many well-known neutrals. I was initially nominated to the college by George Nicolau my good friend and mentor in the National Academy of Arbitrators a community of neutrals that continue sustain excellence in the profession.

My friends and colleagues have supported me in a number of personal ways. Friends and colleagues turned out en masse to support me as I mourned the passing of my first wife, Debra, ten years ago. Debra was with me in Hawaii when I was inducted in 2005. I met my wife Vanessa Bullock through this community. Vanessa, a mediator with the FMCS, and I would constantly run into each other on trains and in adjoining hotel conference rooms as we engaged in our forms of dispute resolution. Of course, my friends and colleagues from across the country celebrated when Vanessa and I married four years ago.

The induction as Fellows in the College is a recognition of contributions to our professional communities. As a former member of the 3rd Circuit Credentials Committee and now on the Board of Governors, I have had the opportunity to read the nominations and references of many recent Fellows and continue to be impressed by the accounts of the contributions each of you have made to your communities. Serving the College has allowed me to meet individuals who have become good friends. In particular, it continues to be a joy working with Susan and Jen as they handle the day to day affairs of the College. Many of our Board meetings are in conjunction with the gatherings of Fellows from different circuits. I have had the particular privilege of joining Fellows in the 4th, 5th and 11th Circuits during their CLE conferences. They regularly present very informative programs and it has been a pleasure socializing with them over the years. Recently the Board met with members of the 4th and 11th Circuits for their recent CLE meeting in Charleston. As you see above many of us were able to enjoy each other’s company as we toured the historic town despite the marginal weather.

We normally view the achievement of becoming a Fellow as a recognition of past accomplishments. I like to think that membership will also provide additional opportunities to do more for our communities by being resources for other Fellows and by serving as mentors for future members. This requires each of us to become more involved in the College, especially in our local areas.

One of the central projects of the College’s strategic plan has been to encourage more regional activity among Fellows throughout the United Stated and Canada. The Board Regional Activities Committee or (BRAC) has been actively supporting dormant regions as they plan activities. I strongly encourage you to become involved in your regions. The College will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2020. We are a growing community supporting colleagues recognized for their civility, and professionalism. Groups like ours are needed now more than ever. Membership is a valuable benefit to all of us. So, join us and get involved!

Alan Symonette
Secertary

College Program in New Orleans

Join us for a fascinating journey of the past fifty years of Labor and Employment Law. Our tour guides are acclaimed veterans in the field, with almost 150 years of combined experience between them, each having been involved in critical and iconic developments that are still relevant today. Their enduring reputations are exceeded only by the scope of their achievements as trailblazers in the field of labor and employment law. Professor Cynthia Nance will moderate the discussion as tour guides Ted St. Antoine, Chai Feldblum and Peter Hurtgen share experiences and recollections gained in landmark cases, ground-breaking negotiations, and historic mediations which left an indelible mark on the field of labor and employment law.

Saturday, November 9th from 12:30 to 2:00 pm
at The Hilton Riverside Hotel, 2 Poydras St, New Orleans, LA
RSVP is necessary for admission. Seating is limited.
Please contact Jennifer Motley at
Phone: (410) 972-4712 or Email: jmotley@laborandemploymentcollege.org

24th Annual Induction Dinner
in New Orleans

Invitations were mailed this week for the 24th Annual Induction Dinner. Don’t forget to return your rsvp by the October 30th deadline. Once your rsvp has been received, you’ll receive an email from Jen Motley confirming your reservation and asking for names of any Fellows or guests you’d like to be seated with at the dinner. In order to honor these requests, we suggest that you rsvp as early as possible

Although the College did secure a room block at the brand new Higgins Hotel, the block, and in fact the hotel, is now sold out. Please check back in September as some of the rooms may open up after the Labor Day weekend. We’ve identified a few other hotel options that are close to the Museum. However, please note - we HAVE NOT negotiated any room rates or secured a block at these hotels. This is for your convenience only.

Fellows can access the room block at the ABA Labor and Employment Law Section’s CLE Conference headquarter hotel, the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, by mentioning the CLE Conference when making your reservations. Please don’t hesitate to contact Jen Motley with any questions.

Dinner Book Messages of Congratulations

This year’s class of incoming Fellows is comprised of eighty-two distinguished lawyers, law professors, mediators, arbitrators and government officials, who will be recognized and honored during the 24th Annual Induction Dinner. The annual dinner book offers Fellows, and their firms, a special opportunity to salute friends and colleagues by publishing expressions of support and congratulations in a commemorative program distributed to all attendees. We encourage Fellows to send a message or congratulatory greeting to individual members of the Class of 2019, to the entire Class, or simply to express your ongoing support for the College. Not only is the book a valued memento of the evening, but proceeds from the dinner book fund the College’s Stephen E. Tallent Video History Project (VHP) and are tax deductible.

Earlier this year, we embarked on a new documentary with a focus on the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike. We have already completed interviews of six key figures and are working on collecting archival footage and images to be used in this production. There is much that remains to be done in order for this documentary to be completed and distributed, and we hope College Fellows will continue the tradition of generous giving to support this important effort.

The VHP library is an impressive compilation of interviews with pioneers in the fields of labor and employment law, women’s rights, and ERISA to name a few. Three completed documentaries, including The Art and Science of Labor Arbitration, are also available for use by law schools, bar associations, professional organizations and Fellows. We invite you to visit the College website to learn more about the Video History Project and to view clips of interviews and completed projects. http://www.laborandemploymentcollege.org/

Please help us capture and preserve the history of labor and employment law, as well as congratulating our new Fellows. A form for your ad copy and contribution can be found here. Contact Susan Wan with any questions.

UPCOMING REGIONAL MEETINGS

1st CIRCUIT – Boston, MA

Seyfarth Shaw’s Boston office will host a Welcome Reception for new Fellows from the 1st Circuit on Thursday, September 26th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. There will be a no-host dinner following the reception. Please email Jen Motley if you would like to attend either the reception or the dinner.

7th CIRCUIT – Chicago, IL

The 7th Circuit will once again host the Law Student Program on October 4-5 in Chicago. Starting with a Friday evening networking reception, law students from all 7th Circuit law schools are invited to attend the day long program on Saturday where they will hear from Fellows on hot topics in labor and employment law, as well as advice on the all important hiring process after law school. Please email Susan Wan if you are interested in participating in this very successful program.

9th CIRCUIT SOUTH – Los Angeles

The 9th Circuit South Regional Committee has organized a program titled “The Masters Talk Civility Ethics and Bias in labor & Employment Law Advocacy” which will take place on October 2nd at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. The panel will include experienced judges, neutrals and practitioners who will talk about the types of attorney conduct that rankles them the most in labor and employment law litigation and arbitration. Panelists will also address incivility, unethical conduct, implicit bias and other behaviors that discredit the legal profession and violate the ABA and California State Bar Rules of Professional Conduct, as well as the CLEL’s Principles of Civility and Professionalism. Dinner will precede the program. Please contact Jen Motley if you are interested in attending.

Spotlight on Fellows

•  Fellow Esta Bigler of the ILR School's Labor and Employment Law program and Rob Scott of the Cornell Prison Education Program discuss their work with incarcerated men. While Ms. Bigler helps prepare incarcerated men for reentry and to rejoin the workforce, Scott’s program offers them the opportunity to earn an associates degree. Listen to the entire conversation here: https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/labor-and-employment-law-program/criminal-justice-employment/interviews-and-conversations

•  Fellow Mark Carter was appointed to the West Virginia Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission by Governor Jim Justice last month. He will be examining judicial candidates in his position to determine the best fit for vacancies. "Service on the Judicial Vacancy Advisory Commission provides a welcome opportunity to contribute to the selection of judicial officers who share the commitment of our bar to the highest levels of integrity and scholarship in the litigation of cases in our state courts," Carter said in an interview with The West Virginia Record.

•  Fellow Kelly Dermody was one of five recipients who received this year’s Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award during the ABA’s Annual Meeting in San Francisco. Ms. Dermody is managing partner of the San Francisco office of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein where she chairs the firm’s Employment Practice Group, specializing in class and collective actions on behalf of employees and consumers. She is a past president of the Bar Association of San Francisco and a past member of the ABA Labor and Employment Law Section Governing Council. She also previously served as co-chair of the section’s annual conference, Committee on Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Profession and the Equal Employment Opportunity Committee.

•  Fellow Gregg Corwin is running for City Council in Hopkins City, Minnesota. Inducted in the College in 2011, he has represented employees, unions and union members for over forty years. As a trained mediator and arbitrator approved by the Minnesota Supreme Court and a member of the American Arbitration Association, Mr. Corwin is often called upon to help bring about peaceful resolutions to labor and employment issues.

•  Fellow Ed Hopson was selected to receive the 2019 Alumni Fellow Award for the Brandies School of Law. The University of Louisville Alumni Association established the Alumnus/a of the Year and the Alumni Fellows program in 1983. These prestigious awards recognize graduates who have distinguished themselves in their professional fields and are exemplary ambassadors for the university and their college or school. Mr. Hopson will be recognized at the Alumni Awards ceremony on October 24th and on the field during halftime of the Louisville vs. Virginia homecoming football game that weekend.

•  Fellow Stephane Lacoste, former Counsel at Teamsters Canada in Laval, has been appointed a Judge of the Superior Court of Québec for the district of Montréal. Mr. Lacoste previously served as president of the Québec branch of the Canadian Bar Association in 2016-17 and has also been chair of the CBA’s Labour and Employment Section. The Bar of Québec awarded him the title of Advocatus Emeritus in 2018, which recognizes members who have distinguished themselves throughout their careers.

•  Fellow Cecilia Morgan was recognized by JAMS on the occasion of her 25th anniversary. Praised for her intuitive strategy and indefatigable determination in hotly contested cases, Ms. Morgan is one of JAMS’ most renowned and sought-after mediators and arbitrators. Ms. Morgan has over 40 years of experience as an attorney and dispute resolution professional. Ms. Morgan recently received the prestigious Steve Brutsché Award, the highest award given by the Association of Attorney-Mediators.

•  Fellow, and member of the Board of Governors, Cynthia Nance will be recognized for her accomplishments at the Arkansas Alumni Association’s 75th Anniversary celebration in November when she will receive the Honorary Alumni Award.

•  Fellow Cynthia Sass authored Chapter 11, Discovery and Deposing the Alleged Harasser and Defense Witnesses: The Plaintiff’s Perspective, in the recently published book Sexual Harassment and Retaliation: A Practical Handbook for Plaintiff and Defense put together by the Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section of the American Bar Association. Cynthia is also Regional Editor of the southeast for Employment at Will: A State-by-State Survey, and she co-authored the Florida chapter, as well as each annual supplement, as published by BNA Bloomberg and the ABA.

•  Fellow Steve Suflas received the New Jersey Institute of Continuing Legal Education’s Distinguished Service Award on June 17. This award is given annually to recipients who have made significant contributions to NJICLE’s educational mission. “It’s an honor to be recognized by the NJICLE,” Suflas said. “It’s important that we, as professionals, keep our thinking current and stay up-to-date with respect to trends and changes in the law. I’ve been proud to help educate fellow attorneys throughout New Jersey and expand understanding with regard to labor and employment issues.”

•  Fellow Reggie Turner has received the Neal Shine Award for Exemplary Regional Leadership from the Detroit Free Press and the Metropolitan Affairs Coalition. This honor is part of the Coalition’s annual Shining Light Awards, and it recognizes Mr. Turner’s continual commitment to service and his contributions in supporting regional cooperation and progress. A profile on Mr. Turner and more about the honor can be found here.

•  Fellow, and member of the Board of Governors, Peter Zinober has been named to The Business Journals’ 2019 Influencers: Law List of 100 Executives who are driving business for their employers, and for their clients, in cities across the country. Mr. Zinober is a shareholder in Ogletree Deakins’ Tampa office where he specializes in defending cases involving employment discrimination, disability discrimination and wage and hour cases.

Congratulations to the following Fellows who were recently recognized by Lawdragon as
the “500 Leading Plaintiff Employment Lawyers” for 2019
who have dedicated their careers to protecting workers and unions.

Congratulations to the following Fellows who were recently recognized in the
2020 Edition of Best Lawyers in America.

Congratulations also to Fellow Daniel Bretz who was named Detroit MI “2020 Labor Law Management Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers in America.

Fellows on the Move

In Memoriam

The College mourns the recent passing of Fellows Melva Harmon and Rafael Medina.

Fellow Melva Harmon, inducted in the Class of 2003, passed away on July 3rd at the age of 71. After finishing law school at University of Texas, Ms. Harmon began a long and distinguished career in Little Rock as a union and employee lawyer for over forty years. Later in her career, she also worked as a mediator and arbitrator and was active in service to both the American and Arkansas Bar Associations. For over twenty years, she was named in The Best Lawyers in America. A diligent and determined advocate for her clients, an anecdote detailed in a 2018 Super Lawyers magazine feature article best described the obstacles she faced early in her career - when representing a woman in a settlement hearing, a judge asked Melva's client if she was well represented, since her lawyer "was only a woman." This was one of many reasons that formed the basis of Melva's tireless crusade to successfully litigate for each of her clients' justice. Donations can be made in Melva’s honor at the following: Twentieth Century Club, 4011 Maryland Avenue, Little Rock, AR 72204, https://www.hopeawayfromhome.org/memorials-honorariums/ or to Little Rock Humane Society, 14600 Colonel Glenn, Little Rock, AR 72210, https://warmhearts.org/.

Fellow Rafael Medina, elected in June of this year as a member of the Class of 2019, passed away suddenly on August 4th at the age of 66. Mr. Medina served as in-house counsel at McDonald’s for over thirty years, overseeing all litigation issues for McDonald’s labor and employment practice group, before recently retiring. He also helped McDonald’s grow in Latin America in his previous role as managing counsel for all employment and labor issues in the region. He served as a mentor and friend to many, and provided an unwavering commitment to helping others, especially to attorneys of color who were just starting their legal careers. Mr. Medina started his career at the National Labor Relations Board in Puerto Rico after graduating law school from the University of Pennsylvania in 1977. His wife, Nuncia, has requested that donations be made to the Rafael E. Medina In-House Scholarship, which was founded in 2017 for in-house counsel who wish to attend NELC’s annual conference but face cost constraints.

Members of the College strive to promote achievement, advancement and excellence in the practice of labor and employment law. Both of these Fellows distinguished themselves as leaders in the field, and the College was proud to have been able to call them Fellows.

College Logo Is a Sign of Distinction

Fellows are encouraged to include the College logo on their website or as part of their email signature block. Two different formats are available for download - .jpg or .eps. Please contact Susan Wan if you would like a logo file in a different format.

Download jpg File       Download eps File

The College of Labor & Employment Lawyers

1997 Annapolis Exchange Parkway
Suite 300
Annapolis, MD 21401
(410) 972-4711 Telephone
(410) 972-4701 Fax
www.laborandemploymentcollege.org

The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, Inc.