Brightmine Webinars
Navigating Paid Sick Leave Laws: What You Need to Know Now
Wednesday, January 29 at 2pm EST
Speakers: Robin Shea and Melissa Stein
Federal law does not require private employers to provide paid sick leave (PSL), but more states and localities are enacting such laws every year. Generally, PSL laws require covered employers to provide paid leave when an employee cannot work because they are sick or they need to care for a sick family member, and some PSL laws require leave for additional reasons. The ever-growing web of PSL requirements creates a complex challenge for employers, especially those that operate in multiple states.
In this 60-minute conversation, attorney Robin Shea, a partner with the management-side employment law firm Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, and Melissa Stein, a legal editor at Brightmine, will answer some of the most frequently asked questions about paid sick leave laws, as well as answer questions from attendees. Key areas of discussion will center on how employers should approach these laws, how PSL differs from other leaves and the complexities involved when employees work remotely.
Attendees will learn:
- When and how to apply state and/or local paid sick leave requirements
- Important considerations when an absence qualifies under both a paid sick leave law and other leave laws
- Steps to take to avoid common compliance pitfalls
- The PSL trends employers should be watch for in 2025
- And more
Robin has more than 30 years' experience representing employers in most areas of employment law, including state and federal anti-discrimination laws, harassment, retaliation, disability discrimination and reasonable accommodation, reasonable accommodation of religious beliefs, and the Family and Medical Leave Act. She defends employers in the courts and before agencies including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the U.S. Department of Labor, and also provides preventive advice and conducts training for human resources professionals, management, and employees on a wide variety of topics.
Robin is editor in chief of Constangy’s legal bulletins and its three law blogs Affirmative Action Alert, California Snapshot, and Employment & Labor Insider.
Melissa Stein is a former practicing employment law attorney. As a legal editor at Brightmine, she covers various forms of leave, including paid sick leave and paid family and medical leave. Melissa also works with the Handbook Templates team to craft and update Brightmine handbook statements.
Melissa holds a Bachelor of Arts in global studies from Arizona State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin Law School.
Before joining Brightmine, Melissa worked as an Equal Employment Opportunity attorney at the American Federation of Government Employees, where she represented union members alleging employment discrimination claims against federal agencies. She also conducted trainings on federal employment discrimination law. Previously, Melissa worked as an associate at a civil rights law firm in Washington, D.C., where she focused on litigation involving employment discrimination, harassment and retaliation.
Essential Practices for Smooth and Compliant Employee Separations
Wednesday, February 19 at 2pm EST
Speakers: Marc Scheiner and Caroline Austin
Employment separations involve complex processes for HR to navigate. Whether voluntary or involuntary, an employee’s departure from an organization presents many challenges, from compliance to maintaining a productive work environment. A poorly conducted separation process risks legal claims, lower employee morale and operational disruption.
In this 60-minute webinar Marc Scheiner, Special Counsel, and Caroline Austin, Partner, of Duane Morris LLP will explore the critical aspects of handling employee separations. They’ll discuss how to navigate the complex legal landscape to prevent potential legal issues such as wrongful termination lawsuits and discrimination claims. They will also share how properly handling separations helps maintain your organization’s reputation to attract future talent and maintain workplace morale and productivity.
Attendees will learn about:
- Documenting separations to protect the organization if disputes arise
- Ensuring timely and accurate payment of final wages
- Providing required post-employment documents
- Conducting a smooth and compliant offboarding process
- And more!
Marc Scheiner is an attorney with Duane Morris who works with HR teams to navigate tricky compliance issues, strategize on day-to-day counseling matters and develop practical employment policies. Marc has conducted hundreds of trainings for company executives, managers and employees on a range of workplace topics. He also has experience handling litigation in federal and state courts and before governmental agencies. Marc has served as a director on several non-profit boards and he contributes to the firm’s pro bono efforts. Marc is located in Philadelphia and is a graduate of Cornell Law School.
Caroline M. Austin concentrates her practice in employment litigation, employment policy development, preventative counseling and training designed to avoid litigation, unionization and employee attrition. Appearing before federal and state courts and administrative agencies, Ms. Austin represents clients in connection with a broad range of labor and employment matters, including age, race, gender, national origin and disability discrimination, sexual and racial harassment, restrictive covenants, breach of contract, and wage-and-hour laws.