Contact: David Carew
(615) 661-0249, ext. 8077
dcarew@mleesmith.com

“Advanced Employment Issues Symposium is always a cutting-edge event that very effectively brings me up to date on the latest employment law changes. It’s an awesome program, and the speakers are always top-notch.”
-- Kay Solomon
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Universal Studios Hollywood

America’s Top Workplace Law Experts and HR Professionals to Gather at 9th Annual ‘Advanced Employment Issues Symposium’ in Atlanta (October 6-8) and Las Vegas (November 10 -12)

NASHVILLE, TN, September 23, 2004 — Hundreds of America’s senior-level HR executives and their legal counsel will convene at the Grand Hyatt in Atlanta (October 6-8) and at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas (November 10-12) for the 9th annual Advanced Employment Issues Symposium.

Widely considered America’s premier workplace law conference and previously covered by the ‘Chicago Tribune,’ ‘Las Vegas Review-Journal,’ and other major U.S. media, this national conference updates attendees on all the latest, most crucial workplace law developments, and how they affect U.S. workplaces and personnel policies. The 45 featured speakers collectively represent America’s largest annual gathering of top-level workplace law talent.

Conference Agenda:
Day One - Thursday, October 7 (Atlanta); Thursday, November 11 (Las Vegas):

• The very latest employment-law-related U.S. Supreme Court rulings…and exactly how they affect today’s personnel policies - (9 to 9:45 a.m.)
• How to deal effectively with ‘whistle-blowers’ and avoid retaliation claims - (9:45 to 10:45 a.m.)
• Secrets of ‘bulletproofing your organization’ by getting supervisors to properly document - (11 to 11:45 a.m.)
• Alternative session (for in-house counsel only) - today’s key employment law issues - (11 to 11:45 a.m.)
• Special Luncheon Program - ‘Politics, Power, and Influence: What They Don’t Teach Even in Business School’ presented by recent ‘Wall Street Journal’ and ‘USA Today’ interviewee Margaret Morford, President of The HR Edge - (11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m.)
• Bold new solutions to old harassment problems - (1:15 to 2 p.m.)
• Alternative session - Crucial union-related issues (for companies with and without unions) - 1:15 to 2 p.m.)
• Understanding the international workforce: I-9 compliance and other rapidly escalating workplace-diversity issues - (2 to 3 p.m.)
• Alternative session - Public sector HR: tackling the unique challenges - (2 to 3 p.m.)
• Expert answers to all the new--and lingering--questions about FMLA, ADA, and workers’ comp - (3:15 to 4 p.m.)
• The Top 10 worst mistakes made by employers…and how to avoid them - (4 to 4:45 p.m.)

Day Two - Friday, October 8 (Atlanta); Friday, November 12 (Las Vegas):

• Civil unions . . . what employers must do when gay couples say ‘I do.’ - (8:30 to 9:15 a.m.)
• The TRUE impact of the controversial new overtime pay regulations - (9:15 to 9:45 a.m.)
• Best ways to manage your aging baby-boomer workforce - (10 to 10:45 a.m.)
• Alternative session - how the tougher new OSHA affects employers - (10 to 10:45 a.m.)
• How to spot and stop crimes arising out of the electronic workplace - (10:45 to 11:30 a.m.)
• Alternative session - demystifying today’s greatest benefits-related problems - (10:45 to 11:30 a.m.)
• Special Luncheon Session - ‘Lunch with the Lawyers’ (person-to-person answers from some of the conference’s guest speakers - (11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.)
• Employee privacy vs. employer security: getting the balancing act right (12:45 to 1:30 p.m.)
• Comic Relief: Hilarious (and actual) excuses people gave for missing work (1:30 to 1:45 p.m.)

Also presented this year:
Pre-conference Sessions (one held Wednesday, October 6 from 2 to 5 p.m. in Atlanta; others held concurrently Wednesday, November 10 from 2 to 5 p.m. in Las Vegas):

1. How to Conduct an Internal Investigation – Without Making Things Worse (Atlanta and Las Vegas)
2. Jury Duty You Won’t Want to Miss: Take Part in a Mock Trial and Decide an Employer’s Fate (Las Vegas only)
3. We Can Work It Out: Designing, Implementing, and Enforcing an Arbitration Policy (Las Vegas only)

Post-conference Sessions - Las Vegas only - (held concurrently Friday November 12 from 2 to 5 p.m.):

1. Eye-Opening and Little-Known Facts About the DOL’s New Overtime Regulations
2. Secrets of an Effective Employee Handbook
3. California Update: Expect the Unexpected from the Golden State

The fee for the two-day conference is $799 per person, $749 for previous attendees. Certified members of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) may submit credit hours to SHRM for certification credit. CLE credit is available for attorney participants.

Those interested in participating may register by calling M. Lee Smith Publishers Customer Service toll-free at 800-274-6774.

About the Seminar Sponsor, M. Lee Smith Publishers LLC
Founded in 1975, M. Lee Smith Publishers LLC is the only company in America that publishes a state-specific workplace law newsletter for each of the 50 states plus Washington, D.C. The company also offers national award-winning workplace law videos, nationally acclaimed workplace law conferences and audio seminars, special reports, books, and other information products and services for HR professionals, employers, and attorneys.

Symposium moderator Dan Oswald and conference coordinator Monte Arnold are now available for interviews and news features. Speakers from the conference also are available. For additional information or to schedule an interview, please call David Carew at (615) 661-0249, ext. 8077, E-mail: dcarew@mleesmith.com. For more information on M. Lee Smith Publishers LLC, please visit www.mleesmith.com and www.HRhero.com.

The company also offers full-service publishing and printing for other companies' newsletters.

Click here for more information about M. Lee Smith Publishers.