Employment Law & Regulations

Matthew Effland is the Vice President – Employment Counsel for KAR Auction Services, Inc.  KAR is a provider of vehicle auction services in North America, facilitating the used vehicle marketplace by providing auction services for sellers of used, or whole car, vehicles and salvage vehicles through its auction locations and multiple internet venues. The Company has a network of 65 whole car auction locations and 164 salvage auction locations, as well as offering a variety of online and financing services.  In his role, Matt provides guidance and support to KAR’s Human Resources department, drawing on his 14 years of management-side private practice.  Matt is licensed in both California and Indiana, and is the author of the recently-published SHRM Book ”The Perils and Pitfalls of California Employment Law: A Guide for HR Professionals.”

Mindy Chapman is President of Mindy Chapman & Associates LLC and the founder of the acclaimed “Workplace Training that Clicks & Sticks™.” She has been hailed by the nation’s top professional associations including the SHRM, the American Bar Association, and the Ethics & Compliance Officers Association as a top ten national speaker and authority on civil rights compliance training and employment law issues. Federal and state compliance agencies, including the U.S. EEOC and the Department of Justice, have recognized and approved Ms. Chapman’s compliance training because of its unique ability to take complex legal and business concepts and distill them into practical business tools. This memorable approach helps organizations to avoid liability, minimize risk and create a culture of respect and retention of talent.

Mindy is in constant demand for on-site employment law training and risk management. She is also a co-author of one of the best-selling books published by the American Bar Association titled, Case Dismissed: Taking Your Harassment Prevention Training to Trial. Ms. Chapman also writes one of the top-rated national employment law blogs for The National Institute of Business Management called, “Case-in-Point” where she reports on critical cases and the practical lessons that will “click and stick” with us so we don’t end up in court to personally learn the lessons first hand. Mindy is a graduate from Northwestern University School of Law where she was a published member of the Journal of International Law and Business and earned the Lowden-Wigmore Prize for legal scholarship.
 

Follow Mindy on Twitter @mindychapman.

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.

Jennifer Shaw provides regular advice and counsel on workplace issues to various private and public sector employers throughout the country. Named by Northern California Super Lawyers magazine as one of the top attorneys in California for 2009 and 2010, Jennifer is a frequent speaker on employment law topics, and has been a guest on CNN and local television and radio. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics with honors from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Jennifer graduated magna cum laude from the University of San Francisco School of Law, where she was the editor-in-chief of the law review. Before founding Shaw Valenza LLP in 2006, Jennifer was a partner at Jackson Lewis LLP.

David C. Fowler is Vice President of Product Strategy at Equifax Workforce Solutions. His responsibilities include new business services and expansion, partner initiatives and integration of acquired products for Equifax Workforce Solutions. He is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, MO as well as the University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School Executive Development Program. He chairs the American Payroll Association Government Affairs Task Force Immigration Subcommittee and was a founder and former chair of the National Association of Professional Background Screeners Government Identity Verification Systems (GIVS) Committee. Fowler speaks annually with representatives of ICE and USCIS (DHS divisions) at the APA’s Capital Summit in Washington, D.C.

Heather Owen is Board Certified in labor and employment law and has been representing employers in employment matters since 1993.  Her client counseling focuses on problem solving, litigation prevention, risk reduction and legal analysis of complex employment issues. When matters escalate to litigation, she has successfully defended employers in all areas of employment law, including claims under the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII, wage and hour laws, the National Labor Relations Act, and various whistleblower and retaliation laws.  Heather is a frequent presenter to national and local organizations.  Heather received both her Bachelor of Science and Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida.  She is AV® Peer Review Rated By Martindale-Hubbell, and has been listed several years in Florida Trends’ Legal Elite, and Super Lawyers, Corporate Counsel Edition. 

Follow Heather on Twitter @HeatherAOwen.

Hunter Lott is an HR problem solver. He has delivered over 4000 “on stage” events, over 17,000 presentation hours and reviewed over 1200 employee handbooks. Hunter won accolades as a senior course leader for the American Management Association. Hunter is an award winning speaker with Vistage and has earned Speaker of the Year, Impact Speaker of the Year and Top Performer Vistage honors.

Hunter attended Tulane University in New Orleans, graduated from Iowa State and has a Master’s Degree in Employment Law from NSU Shepard Broad College of Law.

Mike Aitken has worked at SHRM since 2003 and currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs. Prior to joining SHRM, he served for 14 years as associate director for Governmental and External Relations at the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR). Previously, Aitken worked on state public policy issues at Bonner & Associates, a public affairs firm in Washington, DC. Currently, he is based in Alexandria, VA.