As Managing Partner, Mr. De Wames leads the firm’s employment law practice in its nine offices throughout California. A renowned trial attorney, he represents businesses in the full range of employment and labor law litigation with creative strategies tailored to the individual needs of his clients.

Eric is a vetted Trial Attorney and an expert advocate in the full range of employment law matters including wage-and-hour, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination claims. He brings particular expertise to representing clients in class actions and claims under the Private Attorneys General Act. He’s a skilled counselor for all forms of businesses, public entities and school districts in all matters before federal/state agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Labor, the Department of Fair Employment, and the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement and the Office of Administrative Hearings, to name a few. Twice he was named one of California’s Super Lawyer Rising Stars by Thomson Reuters.

An engaging speaker, Eric conducts seminars across the state to assist employers in navigating California’s rigorous, ever-evolving compliance regulations, always with an emphasis on preventing litigation. He’s a published contributing author for Forbes and he co-authored MS&A’s e-book, “Navigating COVID-19: A Legal Guide for California Employers.” It’s a free resource for businesses in our state, regularly updated to reflect the changing pandemic landscape.

Eric is also an employment law expert consultant for Insurance Education Association (IEA) an organization dedicated to providing HR, risk managers and insurance carriers education on disability management and other employment-related compliance mandates. He advises on and is an editor for IEAs course materials and is a frequent guest lecturer.

Eric graduated from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento with distinction. He was on the Dean’s Honor List, and was a member of the Traynor Honor Society for Academic Excellence.

He’s a founding member of the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Advisory Council, and supports a wide range of charities for human rights, animal welfare and access to health care.

Eric is proficient in written and spoken Spanish.

Nash Fung’s keynote speaking journey is guided by his two unique paths: As a professional magician by day and a crisis line volunteer by night. From the crisis line, he learned how empathy can empower and positively impact others. Now as a keynote speaker, he unveils the magic behind empathetic communication, equipping leaders the tools to lead with empathy and create a supportive culture.
His presentations had inspired audiences at TEDx, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, etc… And as a magician, he **almost** fooled Penn & Teller on their hit magic TV show, “Penn & Teller: Fool Us”. But in his keynotes, you don’t have to worry about being fooled as his magic aims only to engage and express meaningful messages.

Jim Link is the CHRO for SHRM.  With more than 340,000 members worldwide, SHRM is the largest HR professional association in the world and the leading voice for matters related to workers and the workplace.

Jim’s career includes roles of increasing responsibility across various industries and companies, including General Electric, the Pillsbury Company, Porsche Cars, and Randstad.  In his most recent role as CHRO for Randstad North America, he led a global team of 150 HR professionals who were instrumental in transforming the company into an award-winning, inclusive, and sustainable global leader.

Jim has served as a volunteer leader in several organizations including the SHRM Foundation Board, the Atlanta Federal Reserve Bank Human Capital Advisory Board, and the Human Resources Leadership Forum.

Jim holds undergraduate and master’s degree from Murray State University.  Born and raised on a working family farm in western Kentucky, he currently resides in Atlanta and Alexandria, VA. 

Jim is an adjunct instructor in the Executive MBA program at the University of Poznan (Poland) School of Economics and Business and the University of Liège (Belgium) Asia-Pacific campus in Taipei, Taiwan.

Yvette Lee, SHRM-SCP, is an HR Knowledge Advisor at SHRM, the world’s largest HR professional society, representing 300,000+ members in more than 165 countries. Yvette possesses over 25 years of human resources experience. Her expertise includes talent management, benefits, compensation, diversity and inclusion, employee relations, ethics and compliance, and employee development. A published author of several articles in SHRM's HR Magazine on various topics, Yvette holds a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Virginia. She also holds the SHRM California Law HR, Talent Acquisition, Inclusive Workplace Culture, People Manager Qualification and HR Dept. of One Specialty Credentials. Yvette enjoys spending time with her family and doing community service.

Jeremy York, SHRM-SCP, SPHR is the Lead Consultant and President of InvigorateHR and coauthor of the “JoyPowered Organization.” He has over 20 years' experience in human resource strategy and business operations where he has worked with and advised all levels of management on critical business and people-related issues. Jeremy's expertise in defining and understanding the "big picture" enables him to translate business needs into tangible solutions. With his guidance, organizations have improved employee relations, increased performance, and developed cultures based on mutual trust and respect. Jeremy holds a master’s degree in management from Indiana Wesleyan University and a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Purdue University. He has served as an adjunct faculty member for Purdue University Indianapolis for over 15 years teaching various leadership and human resources curriculums. Jeremy is a national speaker and currently serves as an advisor on the Society for Human Resource Management’s Diversity Taskforce.

David studies the keystones for success and achievement in the areas of Leadership, Communication and Personal Performance.  He studied over 3,000 top performers to find what the top leaders, salespeople and employees do.  And more importantly, he discovered the roadblocks that hold people back.  For over 25 years, David has worked with hundreds of clients of all sizes in many industries such as technology, banking, communications, healthcare, manufacturing and distribution.  He specializes in leadership, communication, emotional intelligence, sales and personal development and brings his insights to you to create breakthrough solutions. 

Lei partners with individuals, teams, and organizations to amplify communication skills, relationships, and leadership effectiveness. Known for her thought partnership and passion for empowering clients, she helps them achieve and surpass their goals through increased self-awareness. 

Lei is a highly effective Leadership & Executive Coach, Facilitator, Speaker, and AI Enablement Specialist with over 20 years of strategic and operational experience in healthcare and over 5 years in hospitality.

She currently volunteers as a Board Member of ATD Nashville, an Advisor for the HBA Ambassador program, and gives back via coaching services through the Humanitarian Coaches Network.

Michael S. Cohen is a partner in Duane Morris’ Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group.  Michael concentrates his practice in the areas of employment law training and counseling. He has trained and counseled employers throughout the country on subjects including harassment prevention; diversity, equity and inclusion; combatting implicit bias; performance management; discipline and discharge; hiring and recruiting practices; performance evaluations; FMLA, ADA and FLSA compliance; leave of absence policies; LGBTQ+ issues in the workplace; substance abuse testing; workplace violence; records retention; conducting background checks; and more. Michael also has conducted investigations into claims of harassment and discrimination and has drafted employee handbooks, employment agreements, non-compete agreements and post-termination agreements. Michael regularly conducts in excess of 200 trainings each year.  He has represented clients throughout the country in EEO and other administrative proceedings.

Michael has been cited as a national authority on employment issues by The New York Times, The Associated Press, USA Today, MSNBC.com, HR Magazine, SHRM On-Line, Employment Law 360, Inside Counsel Magazine, as well as many other publications. Michael serves as an Advisory Board Member of GenHERation and as a Board Member of Serve, Inc. Michael is a 1997 magna cum laude graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law and a cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.