MSU Presents Labor and Employment Law Conference for Lawyers and Business Executives

For Release May 18, 2005

Marketing & Communications
400 Law College Building
East Lansing, MI 48824-1300

Contact:
Janet Harvey-Clark
517/432-6959

EAST LANSING-On Wednesday, June 8, 2005, Michigan State University (MSU) will present a conference, "Emerging Issues in Labor and Employment Law: A Practical Seminar for Corporate Counsel, Human Resource Executives and Managers," at the James B. Henry Center for Executive Development at MSU in East Lansing. The Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) program at MSU College of Law and the School of Labor and Industrial Relations at MSU are sponsoring this event.

This seminar is designed to keep corporate attorneys, human resource executives and managers at the forefront of new legislation in labor and employment law as well as provide them with the knowledge and resources they need to meet the challenges in these rapidly changing legal areas. The conference features MSU faculty and practicing professionals who will provide invaluable information on affirmative action, reverse discrimination, reducing staff without increasing litigation, meeting diversity goals, FMLA law, and the advantages of arbitration.

"This program is absolutely essential to the legal and business communities," said Mary A. Bedikian, professor of law in residence and ADR program director at MSU Law. "The insights participants gain in just one day at this conference will make them vital resources to their company or organization. Quite simply, we will be providing concrete solutions to difficult employment and labor law challenges."

In addition to Professor Bedikian, the conference includes presentations by Theodore H. Curry, professor and director of the MSU graduate school of labor and industrial relations; Charles S. Mishkind, Esq., senior principal in the Grand Rapids law firm of Miller, Canfield, Paddock & Stone, PLC; Carey A. DeWitt, Esq., chair of the labor and employment department at the Detroit law firm of Butzel Long, PC; Benjamin Wolkinson, professor of labor and industrial relations at MSU; Angela M. Hubbell, Esq. of the Chicago law firm of Matkov, Salzman, Madoff & Gunn; KC Hortop, senior labor counsel for Daimler-Chrysler Corporation; and Richard Hurford, chair of the litigation department and corporate counsel for Masco Corporation in Taylor, Michigan.

The conference is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, June 8, 2005. Those individuals wishing to register for the conference may do so by calling MSU College of Law at 517-432-6955 or going online to www.law.msu.edu/adr/labor. The attendance cost is $240 per person if registering before May 15th. After May 15th, the registration fee for the conference is $295. The fee includes the cost of materials and all meals. Participants will receive brief outlines of the presentations and an ADR resource list.

Full information on the conference may be found on the web at www.law.msu.edu/adr/labor or by calling the MSU Law events office at 517-432-6955.

MSU College of Law was founded as the Detroit College of Law in 1891. To extend its commitment to educational excellence, the college affiliated with Michigan State University (MSU) in 1995 and moved to MSU’s East Lansing campus in 1997. The move enabled the law college to build state-of-the-art facilities and to provide the benefits of a Big Ten campus.

MSU College of Law strengthened its affiliation with MSU in 2004, becoming more closely aligned academically. The association between the two schools has led to a comprehensive interdisciplinary legal education program at the law college. Today, the college is one of only two private law schools to be affiliated with a research university and one of the oldest continuously operating independent law colleges in the nation.

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