Webinar: Mid-Year Employment & Immigration Law Update

Wednesday, June 25, 2014 (noon to 1:30 p.m. PDT)

You’re invited to this complimentary webinar for a general roundup of important employment and immigration law developments to date in 2014.  Attorneys from Hixson Nagatani LLP, a boutique employment law firm located in Silicon Valley, will discuss hot new employment law developments including:

• Leaves of Absence:  Federal court ruling that FMLA protected an employee’s vacation with her ill mother in Las Vegas; federal court ruling in favor of an employer that terminated an employee who affirmatively declined to use FMLA time for absence; federal court ruling that employer was not required to grant second 6-month medical leave for cancer treatment; California court ruling that an employer could place an employee on paid administrative leave upon return from FMLA leave and seek its own fitness for duty evaluation; proposed changes to the California Family Rights Act (California’s version of FMLA); expansion of California Paid Family Leave effective July 1, 2014.

• Age Discrimination:  Federal court ruling against an Internet startup on age discrimination claim by 43-year old employee who was replaced by a 37-year old; $26 million jury verdict in favor of older employee who refused his manager’s prompting to resign and was allegedly terminated as part of plan to reduce the number of higher paid/older workers; court ruling in favor of terminated 61-year-old employee who exhibited no significant performance problems under her new supervisor.

• Investigations:  California court ruling that shortcomings in an employer’s internal investigation supported employee’s claim for wrongful termination.

• Disability Accommodation:  Federal court ruling in favor of a disabled employee who was denied opportunity to telecommute; federal court ruling that a leg injury that temporarily affected walking for seven months was a “disability” under the expanded definition adopted by the ADA Amendments Act.

• Commuter & Severance Benefits:  New requirement for San Francisco Bay Area employers with 50 or more employees to provide commuter benefits to covered employees by September 30, 2014; U.S. Supreme Court ruling that severance pay is subject to FICA and other wage withholding/deduction requirements.

An attorney from the California office of SW Law Group, P.C., a boutique immigration law firm, will discuss hot new immigration law developments, including:

• Hiring foreign nationals – what options do you have?:  The H-1B cap was reached and now employers are left to consider alternate options to keep their foreign worker employed.  What are the possible options, if any?

• Immigration new proposal for employment options:  Proposed rule to grant work authorization to spouses of H-1B workers who are in their sixth year or beyond of stay in the U.S., and whose H-1B spouse has been sponsored for permanent residence.

Your presenters for the employment law topics will be attorneys Ray Hixson and Mary Wang, who are partners of the law firm Hixson Nagatani LLP.  Hixson Nagatani LLP advises and represents businesses in a wide range of employment law matters.  The firm provides advice and counsel on proactive steps that employers should take to ensure compliance and minimize legal risks, including with respect to creating and updating personnel policies and practices, personnel-related forms, risk assessment of contemplated personnel actions, and managers’ legal training.  The firm also defends employers against actual and threatened employee claims, including claims made in state and federal courts, arbitration, and government agencies.

Your presenter for the immigration law topics will be attorney Barbara Wong, who is a partner of the law firm SW Law Group, P.C.  Ms. Wong leads the firm’s California team, which specializes in the immigration needs of the rapidly evolving tech industry.  The firm handles complex H-1B, PERM applications, extraordinary ability petitions, and counsels H-1B dependent employers as well as other employers on I-9 compliance.

All attendees will receive detailed PowerPoint slides concerning the subjects addressed.  Time will also be reserved to answer attendee questions.

Continuing education credits:  This program has been submitted to the HR Certification Institute for review.  This program qualifies for 1.5 hours of MCLE for California attorneys.

Date: Wednesday June 25, 2014

Time: noon to 1:30 a.m. PDT

Registration Fee: No charge

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER:  REGISTRATION LINK

Hixson Nagatani LLP expresses its appreciation to SW Law Group, P.C. for co-sponsoring this event!

If you have any questions, please contact Yahaira Ortiz, Office Manager:  [email protected]; 408-486-9955.

Please note that neither this invitation nor the webinar constitutes legal advice.  Rather, they are meant only to assist in a general understanding of the law.  Companies and individuals seeking legal advice should retain legal counsel.