Employment Law Practice Basics for Beginners - DENVER
November 2010
Original Program Date was October 28, 2010
Employment Law Practice Basics for Beginners
Program Highlights
What You Will Learn:
- Overview of the Federal and State Employment Laws that Give Rise to the “Bread and Butter” Claims an Employment Lawyer Handles
- Case Evaluation
- Types of Damages and How to Calculate Them
- Settling an Employment Law Case
- Frequently Encountered Legal Ethics Issues When Handling an Employment Law Case
- How to Be an Effective Employment Lawyer: Top Tips From the Bench
Who Should Attend:
- Newly-admitted and newer attorneys exploring a career as an employment lawyer
- Experienced attorneys who want to expand their practices to include employment law
- Anyone who needs to learn about these important employment law practice issues!
Program Description
Are you a newly-admitted or newer attorney in Colorado exploring employment law as a practice area? Maybe you are an experienced attorney who wants to expand your practice into employment law? If so, you owe it to yourself to attend this superbly practical CLE program!
The Colorado Bar Association's Labor and Employment Law Section has created a great CLE program to jump-start your employment law practice! Learn from experienced, highly-regarded employment law practitioners, including both plaintiff and defense counsel, these core issues in employment litigation: Statutes and common law claims that give rise to causes of action, case evaluation, damages, and settlement. The veteran, expert members of the faculty will shorten your learning curve by giving you their valuable insight into such critical issues as:
- Deciding whether you should take a case in the first place
- Determining your client's chance of success on the issue of liability
- Assessing the amount of damages your client has experienced, and increasing the likelihood of obtaining punitive damages
- Negotiating a fair and effective settlement
In addition, the program includes two bonus segments: Legal ethics and tips from the bench. Don't let an unfortunate legal ethics violation shipwreck your new employment law career just as you get started - find out about the most common legal ethics traps and avoid them right up front! Also, wouldn't it be great to get tips from the court on how to be a great employment lawyer at each stage of your case? You can get those tips - just attend Magistrate Judge Mix's segment of the program!
In addition to the discounts for CBA membership and section membership, newer attorneys (those in practice 2 years or less) who register will receive a discounted tuition rate for this seminar. Members of the Colorado community bar associations listed in this brochure will also receive a significant discount off the normal tuition rates.
Great employment law fundamentals and significant tuition discounts make this program a superb CLE value. Don't miss this opportunity to start or expand your employment law practice - register today!
Agenda
8:30 - 9:00 am
Registration
9:00 - 9:10 am
Welcome and Introduction
Extended by Brock R. Wood, Esq., CBA-CLE Program Attorney
9:10 - 10:10 am
Overview of Federal and State Employment Laws that Give Rise to the “Bread and Butter” Claims an Employment Lawyer Handles
- Principal statutes that give rise to the most frequently encountered employment law claims
- Administrative prerequisites for asserting federal statutory claims: Strategies for choosing your forum
- Effective use of state common law claims
Presented by Joan M. Bechtold, Esq. and Kristi Walton, Esq.
10:10 - 11:00 am
Case Evaluation
- Types of cases that employment law attorneys most frequently encounter
- ”Good” facts for an employment law case - for both plaintiff and defense counsel
- ”Bad” facts for an employment law case - for both plaintiff and defense counsel
- Evaluating the likelihood of success on liability
- How the issue of damages affects your case evaluation
- Understanding your client's motivation and other characteristics
- Strategies for getting clients to set realistic expectations for the outcome of the case
- When not to take an employment law case
Presented by Lynn D. Feiger, Esq. and Gregory A. Eurich, Esq.
11:00 - 11:10 am
Break
11:10 am - 12:00 pm
Types of Damages and How to Calculate Them
- Factors to consider when determining the damages your client has suffered
Front/back pay damages
- Benefits lost as damages
- Emotional distress damages
- Punitive damages
- Evidence judges usually deem necessary when you are trying to prove damages
- Mitigation of damages issues
Presented by Charlotte N. Sweeney, Esq. and Amy L. Miletich, Esq.
12:00 - 1:15 pm
Lunch - on your own
1:15 - 2:05 pm
Settling an Employment Law Case
- Preparing your case for settlement
- Why you should begin settlement negotiations early in the process
- Key facts you need to know when negotiating a settlement
- Communicating with your client during settlement negotiations
- The costs and benefits of mediation
- How risk is assessed and then used in determining bargaining positions during mediation and settlement negotiations
- Determining when to end settlement negotiations
Presented by Mari Newman, Esq. and David D. Powell, Jr., Esq.
2:05 - 2:55 pm
Frequently Encountered Legal Ethics Issues When Handling an Employment Law Case
- Fee agreements in employment litigation - CRPC 1.5
- Communication and contact with unrepresented persons - CRPC 4.3
- Ex-parte contacts with represented persons - CRPC 4.4
- Decisions the lawyer has authority to make and decisions that only the client can make, especially in the context of settlement negotiations - CRPC 1.2
Presented by Margaret B. Funk, Esq., Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel, Colorado Supreme Court
2:55 - 3:05 pm
Break
3:05 - 3:55 pm
How to Be an Effective Employment Lawyer: Top Tips From the Bench
Judges love attorneys who do a great job because these attorneys help the court, become an integral part of a judicial system that produces fair, defensible, well-reasoned decisions and orders quickly and efficiently.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Kristen L. Mix practiced employment law in Colorado for many years, earning the respect and admiration of her peers for her competence and integrity. She was appointed as a United States Magistrate Judge in 2007. Magistrate Judge Mix will give you her top tips for a doing a great job When you initially file the case
- During discovery
- During settlement negotiations
- At trial
- When engaging in post-trial or post-settlement activities
Attend this segment of the program and learn directly from the bench how to shine when handling your next employment law case!
Presented by United States Magistrate Judge Kristen L. Mix
3:55 pm
Adjourn
Planning Committee:
Joan M. Bechtold, Esq.
Sweeney & Bechtold, LLC
Denver, CO
Brett C. Painter, Esq.
Davis Graham & Stubbs, LLP
Denver, CO
Faculty
Hon. Kristen L. Mix
United States Magistrate Judge
United States District Court for the District of Colorado
Denver, CO
Joan M. Bechtold, Esq.
Sweeney & Bechtold, LLC
Denver, CO
Gregory A. Eurich, Esq.
Holland & Hart, LLP
Denver, CO
Lynn D. Feiger, Esq.
Lohf Shaiman Jacobs Hyman & Feiger, PC
Denver, CO
Margaret B. Funk, Esq.
Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel
Colorado Supreme Court
Denver, CO
Amy L. Miletich, Esq.
Miletich Pearl, LLC
Denver, CO
Mari Newman, Esq.
Killmer, Lane & Newman, LLP
Denver, CO
Denver, CO
David D. Powell, Jr., Esq.
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP
Denver, CO
Charlotte N. Sweeney, Esq.
Sweeney & Bechtold, LLC
Denver, CO
Kristi Walton, Esq.
Davis Graham & Stubbs, LLP
Denver, CO
Location Information
CLECI Small Classroom
1900 Grant Street, Suite 300
Denver, CO 80203
Get directions
1900 Grant Street, Suite 300
Denver, CO 80203
Registration Fees
| Non Member | $329.00 |
| CBA | $249.00 |
| LABLAW | $249.00 |
| Non Member | $249.00 |
| CBA | $229.00 |
| New Lawyer | $229.00 |
- General Credits: 6.00
- Ethics Credits: 1.00
- EDI Credits:
To join the CBA or add a Section to your membership click