The Labor & Employment Section has had a busy Spring! On February 18, 2022, L&E hosted a holiday-themed webinar focused on employment-related issues germane to Valentine’s Day, such as workplace romances and sexual harassment claims. The program, titled “Beyond Valentine’s Day: Navigating Legal Risks in Workplace Relationships” featured Honore N. Hishamunda (Seyfarth Shaw) and Katherine M. Smallwood (Employbridge) and as speakers. DOROTEYA N. WOZNIAK James Bates Brannan Groover LLP dwozniak@jamesbatesllp.com ALEXANDRA “CC” SCHNAPP U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Law Clerk to Chief Bankruptcy Judge Wendy L. Hagenau Alexandra_Schnapp@ganb.uscourts.gov SECTION UPDATES ***************************************** ***************************************** LINDA S. PACER Pacer Law LLC lindapacer@pacerlaw.com www.atlantabar.org THE ATLANTA LAWYER 35 On April 21, 2022, the Section hosted its annual Advanced Employment Law program. This year’s program featured a series of webinars spread over three days. The first program provided an update on developments in wage and hour law, with Charles R. Bridgers (DeLong Caldwell Bridgers Fitzpatrick & Benjamin LLC) and Craig S. Friedman (Jones Day) as speakers. Amanda A. Farahany (Barrett & Farahany) and Josh Y. Joel (Stanton Law) then presented on the new federal law banning mandatory arbitration of sexual harassment claims and had a lively discussion on the potential impact the law will have for employers and employees. The theme of day two of the series was COVID-19. Kenneth N. Winkler (Berman Fink Van Horn) moderated a panel of in-house counsel discussing their companies’ experiences with navigating COVID-19-related legal issues, including vaccine policies. Lisa Knottek Simpson (Rollins), Alicia P. Starkman (Piedmont Healthcare), and Matt Webb (UPS) each provided unique perspectives on the various issues their organizations have had to confront over the last two years. After their presentation, Amelia A. Ragan (Legare Attwood & Wolfe LLC) moderated a panel discussing mediating employment law cases in the Zoom era. Dan M. Klein (Klein Dispute Resolution) and Ellen B. Malow (Malow Mediation) shared their perspectives on mediation trends and offered helpful tips on effectively mediating via Zoom. The third and final day of the Advanced Employment Law program focused on the Great Resignation. Neal F. Weinrich (Berman Fink Van Horn, PC) moderated a panel on "Noncompete, Employee Transition and Unfair Competition Issues related to the Great Resignation." Erika C. Birg (Nelson Mullins), Benjamin I. Fink (Berman Fink Van Horn, PC), Daniel P. Hart (Seyfarth Shaw), and Ashley Steiner Kelly (Arnall Golden Gregory) shared their thoughts on how the challenging labor market, the increased prevalence of remote work, and the changing legal landscape have impacted both the use and enforcement of noncompete agreements. Finally, the series concluded with Abigail J. Larimer (Ford & Harrison) moderating a panel that discussed various trends in employment law during the Great Resignation. Timothy M. Boughey (Jackson Lewis, PC) and Justin M. Scott (Scott Employment Law, PC) provided perspectives from the plaintiff and defense bar, and Steven Wagner shared his insights as a trial attorney with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The program was a tremendous success, and the Labor & Employment section thanks all of our excellent speakers for their participation!