2021 GRHRA Legislative Event from Pappas Wright, P.C. (Virtual Webinar)

Join us for our 1/2 day 2021 Annual Legislative event on Wednesday, November 17. (This event will be virtual.) 

During our time together, the Pappas Wright, P.C. firm will have 5 content-packed sessions breaking down the federal and state (Iowa/Illinois) updates impacting employers in 2021, including:

1. Labor Law Update (Jeff Wright): detailing federal labor and NLRB updates, including a forecast on what employers can expect in 2022.
2. COVID Mandates (Allison Wright): detailing mandates in Iowa, Illinois and the federal level, what employers are impacted, how it impacts employers and how employers should respond.
3. Illinois Insights (Matt Pappas): detailing the busy Illinois legislature’s actions during 2021, including amendments to the Personnel Record Review Act, penalties under the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act, Equal Pay Act, disability discrimination under the Illinois Human Rights Act and more.
4. Employment Contracts & Work Arrangements (Chris Henson): detailing changes on restrictive covenants and non-competition agreements, including a look at national trends, moves in Illinois to limit restrictive covenants and Iowa court’s current treatment of the same.
5. Accommodation Answers (Jeff Wright & Allison Wright): detailing updates on Title VII and the Americans with Disabilities Act accommodations provided by employers, including step-by-step analysis on how to respond to waivers from vaccine, mask or testing mandates.

About the Presenters:

Matthew Pappas is the managing principal of Pappas Wright, P.C. and is a recognized professional who is awarded the highest rating (AV) from Martindale-Hubbell for legal ability and ethics.  Mr. Pappas has more than 30 years of management-side labor and employment law experience. He has championed the interests of management over the years and has tried and argued cases in state and federal courts, as well as before the National Labor Relations Board as well as federal and state agencies.  Mr. Pappas is a frequent speaker on labor and employment topics to national and local organizations.  His practice encompasses the entire range of labor and employment matters, including representation/decertification elections; charges filed at the administrative level, collective bargaining; litigation; grievance and arbitration matters; strikes, picketing and injunctions; as well as other labor-related disputes. Mr. Pappas has broad experience in designing and drafting employment policies and procedures.  He regularly provides legal counsel regarding various employment and personnel issues, including, but not limited to, conducting compliance reviews, preparing employee handbooks and manuals, creating compensation and severance packages, and handling labor relations.  Mr. Pappas also has extensive knowledge in representing clients in litigation related to federal, state and local statutes and regulations.  He has successfully defended clients in class action cases alleging violations of federal statutes including the FLSA, Title VII, and the WARN Act. 

Allison Wright is a principal of Pappas Wright, P.C.  Ms. Wright’s practice focuses on management labor and employment law and civil litigation with an emphasis on education law. Since joining the firm, Ms. Wright has managed various labor and employment issues, including defending clients from the administrative level through trial, defending clients in arbitrations, drafting and negotiating collective bargaining agreements and leading clients through union efforts and elections. Additionally, her practice focuses heavily on employment law, whereby she advises clients from the initial stages of trainings and drafting handbooks all the way through resolution of litigation.  She has litigated employment disputes in federal and state courts, as well as successfully represented public and private employers in grievances and at arbitration.  Ms. Wright has an extensive litigation practice and regularly defends employers at both the state and federal level. She has been the firm’s lead advisor on COVID-19 issues, assisting clients navigate compliance while managing their workforce and addressing all of the employment-related questions necessary to strategize, respond and manage moving forward.

Jeffrey Wright is a principal with Pappas Wright, P.C.  Mr. Wright advises employers and managers on all aspects of labor and employment law.  He participates in the representation of clients in state and federal courts as well as administrative agencies.  He regularly manages caseloads dealing with wrongful discharge claims arising under Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, and FLSA.  Mr. Wright also performs an important role in the drafting and revision processes related to employment contracts, policies, procedures, and handbooks. One of the major elements of his practice is litigation and he regularly defends clients in both state and federal court. Mr. Wright’s practice encompasses the entire range of labor and employment matters.  He excels at collective bargaining and grievance/arbitration preparation and strategy.  He has successfully negotiated labor contracts on behalf of clients as well as represented clients in both the public and private sectors in various stages of the grievance process and grievance arbitrations. He has successfully argued and defended cases before the National Labor Relations Board, Illinois Labor Relations Board and various state and federal courts.

Christopher Henson is a principal with Pappas Wright, P.C.  Mr. Henson primarily Mr. Henson focuses on advising clients and litigating claims under Title VII, ADA, ADEA, ERISA, FMLA, and FSLA. Mr. Henson also handles complex product liability and personal injury claims on behalf of clients.  He has extensive state and federal trial experience and has argued before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals on several occasions. Mr. Henson has appeared before a variety of administrative agencies, including the E.E.O.C., NLRB, and Illinois Human Rights Commission. In addition to litigation, Mr. Henson also served as an Adjunct Professor of Appellate Advocacy at the Loyola School of Law in Chicago. He regularly provides counsel to clients on how to avoid litigation with respect to such issues as collective bargaining, employee handbook matters, investigations as to discrimination claims, including sexual harassment claims, and covenants not to compete. Mr. Henson represents private and public sector clients including local and national corporations, colleges and school districts, hospitals, medical corporations, and financial institutions throughout the Midwest.