For more information, please visit the 2024 Employment Mediation Institute Event Page

Dare to Ditch the Dance

Speaker: Mike Young, Esq. 

Workshop Description: 

We allow the use of a bargaining process in our mediations that, by colloquial definition, begins with “insult rounds”.  They call them insult rounds for a reason – because they are insulting!   Why are we adopting a resolution tool that is almost guaranteed to make the parties mad at each other?  We need to rethink what we are doing.  As mediators, we are guardians of a process whose goal is to bring peace to disputing parties.  Forget what we were taught at Hogwarts Mediation School, we need to think critically about what we do and say, and how we mediate.  If the process doesn’t bring joy – to you, to your attorneys, to your parties – then it’s time for a change.  This program will explore the negotiation dance in the context of cognitive biases as a launching point to challenge us to think critically about what we are doing, and to give us all permission to break the mold to create a more fulfilling and affirming process.

     Mike Young, Esq.

Workshop 1:

Speakers: Eleanor Barr, Esq., Stacie Feldman Hausner, Esq., Mark Lemke, Esq., LL.M.,

Workshop Description: This will be an exciting roundtable discussion including three distinguished and very experienced employment mediators in Southern California, and moderated by the co-leaders of the Employment Mediation Professional Development Group. The panel will discuss trends and hot topics in employment mediation, and also address how they have been using their expertise to tackle these trends and continue to find ways to facilitate settlements in both pre-litigation and high-stakes litigated cases.

        Eleanor Barr, Esq.                      Stacie Hausner, Esq.              Mark Lemke, Esq., LL.M.

Workshop 2: 2024's Review of 2023 Labor & Employment Law Cases

Speakers: Phyllis Cheng, Esq., Andrew H. Friedman, Esq., and Anthony J. Oncidi, Esq. 

Workshop Description: A fast-paced and lively presentation from two prominent employment litigators (one defense-side and one plaintiff-side) who will discuss the most important recent cases of interest to employment mediators and litigators. A mediator will moderate this panel and discuss cases pending before the California Supreme Court.

Topics Include:

Arbitration · Attorneys' Fees · Discrimination · Harassment · Health & Safety · Joint Liability · Minimum Wage · Misclassification · Non-competition & non-solicitation ·  PAGA · Procedural Issues · Punitive Damages · Wrongful Termination, Retaliation, Whistleblower & 1102.5 Claims.

   Phyllis Cheng, Esq.           Andrew H. Friedman, Esq.         Anthony J. Oncidi, Esq.

To learn more about each of the speakers, please visit the Employment Mediation Institute 2024 Speakers Page

Cost:

SCMA Member: $89.00

SCMA Student and Sustaining Member: $50.00

Non-Member: $125.00