Next week, my daughter’s kindergarten class will hold its second “manners lunch.” It is a formal lunch, with formal place settings, at which the children learn proper table manners. I hope that she takes these manners with her for the rest of her life. Lately, however, I’ve been reminded that not everyone exhibits proper manners. As a courtesy to my opposing counsel in a case, I notified him that I would be bringing a college student, shadowing at my firm, to an upcoming pretrial conference. Believe it or not, he objected:
Jon:
We do not agree with your intention to bring an outsider to the status conference tomorrow. The last thing we need is a distraction, especially since we are only 30 days from trial and the parties need to conduct candid discussions concerning this matter. Only trial counsel and parties should be at the conference.
Regards,
Am I off my rocker for being upset about this discourtesy? Does anyone see any harm in a college student, wanting to learn a little about what a litigator does, sitting quietly in a federal courthouse conference room observing a pretrial?
Anyhow, here’s what I read this week:
Discrimination
- God Has No Place in the Workplace – from Jessica Miller-Merrell’s Blogging4Jobs
- Can ADA-disabled employees be required to work overtime? – from Eric Meyer’s The Employer Handbook Blog
- Disability Discrimination Law Is a Mess in More Than Ohio – from Michael Fox’s Jottings By An Employer’s Lawyer
- “But it’s unfair to other employees” not an excuse when it comes to reasonable accommodations – from Warren & Hays Employment Law Blog
- For Many, “It’s That Time of Year”: Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) Revision – from Employer Law Report
- Will I Be Taxed on My Employment Law Settlement? – from Donna Ballman’s Screw You Guys, I'm Going Home
- Too Smart to Hire? – from Phil Miles’s Lawffice Space
- Papa John’s Employee Calls Woman “Lady Chinky Eyes” on Receipt – from ABC News
Social Media & Workplace Technology
- Create a Social Media Policy to Protect Your Business and Employer Brand – from Workplace Insights
- 7 signs we’re living in the post-privacy era – from MSNBC’s Techolog
- Learn How to Gather Social Media Evidence That Holds Up in Court – from i-Sight Investigation Software Blog
- When an Employer Posts to Employee’s Facebook and Twitter Accounts, Bad Things Happen – from Molly DiBianca’s Delaware Employment Law Blog
- Top Ten Social Media Pitfalls to Watch out For – from Meaghan Edelstein at Social Axcess
- Do Active Social Media Users Make Less Ethical Employees? – from Workplace Diva
HR & Employee Relations
- Hiring is NOT an Impulse, It Is an Investment – from Mike Haberman’s Omega HR Solutions
- Pepsi and the Art of Criminal Background Checks – from The HR Capitalist, Kris Dunn
- Pepsi “Popped” for Using Criminal Background Checks – from Texas Employer Handbook
- Pepsi Settles with the EEOC for Background Screening Practices – from Nick Fishman at the employeescreenIQ Blog
- 2012 Human Resources Updates: What Employers Need to Know – from CPEhr
- Why Mitt Romney likes to fire people – from Evil HR Lady, Suzanne Lucas
- 7 Things Your Employees Will Never Tell You – from Inc. Magazine
- Employers close door on smokers – from USA Today
- After Ohio Jury Finds Trade Secret Misappropriation But Awards Zero Damages, Trial Judge Enters Injunction Order But Sets Royalty Payment As Alternative – from Trading Secrets
Wage & Hour
- 9 Secrets For Coordinating Leave Under the FMLA and ADA – from SmartHR
- Expired FMLA Forms OK for Now – from Human Resources News
- Mandatory paid sick leave: a basic right? – from Employment Law Bits
- What to Expect When You’re Expecting the Department of Labor – from Dan Schwartz’s Connecticut Employment Law Blog
- What Are Hours Worked Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)? – from Minnesota Employer
Labor Relations
- New NLRB Officially Here – from Workplace Prof Blog
- Potty Mouth Employee Loses Protection – from Labor & Employment Law Perspectives