Welcome

• Jason Bent, Professor of Law, Director of the Martin H. Malin Institute for Law and the Workplace

9:00 am - 10:00 am   

Opening Plenary

Noah Peters, a senior OPM official with the current administration, and Rob Shriver, a senior OPM official during the Biden Administration, will discuss recent developments affecting the federal civil service and what the future may bring. Topics will include: hiring, performance management, structure and restructuring of the federal workforce, labor relations and overall visions for the future.

• Martin H. Malin, Professor of Law Emeritus, Chicago-Kent, Moderator
• Noah Peters, Sr. Advisor to the Director, Office of Personnel & Management
• Rob Shriver, Managing Director, Civil Service Strong and Good Government Initiatives, Democracy Forward

BREAK

FLRA Case Law Update

Attorneys from the Federal Labor Relations Authority will discuss recent Authority decisions, including exceptions to arbitration awards and negotiability determinations under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute.

• Anna Molpus, Chief Counsel, Office of Chairman Kiko
• Melissa Wisniewski, Deputy Chief Counsel, Office of Member Wagner

Moderated by Jason Bent, Professor of Law, Director of the Martin H. Malin Institute for Law and the Workplace

Federal Sector Arbitration Techniques

This session will address both the unique nature of federal sector arbitration (Douglas Factors, management's rights  and the impact of law, rules and regulation) and how to successfully present a case from the perspectives of an Arbitrator and advocates from both sides of the aisle. 

• Steve Bierig, Arbitrator
• Michael McAuley, General Counsel, National Treasury Employees Union
• Dan Mullenix, Senior Counsel, IRS

The Healthy Advocate: Balancing Law Life and Mental Health

The goal of this presentation is to normalize conversation around mental health in the legal field, reduce stigma, and equip attorneys with strategies to sustain both professional excellence and personal well-being.

• Felicia Frazier, Managing Partner, Odelson, Murphy, Frazier & McGrath

Moderated by Jason Bent, Professor of Law, Director of the Martin H. Malin Institute for Law and the Workplace

MSPB Updates

The goal of this presentation is to normalize conversation around mental health in the legal field, reduce stigma, and equip attorneys with strategies to sustain both professional excellence and personal well-being.

• David Lidow, Administrative Judge, MSPB
• Elisabeth (Elisa) Nolte, Administrative Judge, MSPB
• Gina Rozman, Administrative Judge, MSPB
• Brooke Worden, Administrative Judge, MSPB

How Unions Are Responding: Litigation and Nonlitigation Updates

This panel delves into the key aspects of the Trump administration's efforts to completely transform the federal government and its workforce, and what unions are doing to respond through litigation and other means. The panelists will discuss several relevant executive orders, mass firings of probationary employees, reductions-in-force, and the exclusions of agencies from the coverage of the federal labor statute.

• Dan Kaspar, Director of Field Operations, National Treasury Employees
• Carolyn Shapiro, Professor of Law, Co-Director of the Institute on the Supreme Court of the United States, Chicago-Kent College of Law

Administrative Channeling: An Obstacle to Federal Employee's Quest for Justice

The Trump Administration has brushed aside myriad challenges to government employee layoffs and curtailment of bargaining rights by relying on the Thunder Basin doctrine, which ostensibly requires aggrieved employees to bring legal challenges initially to the administrative tribunals (MSPB and FLRA) that Congress has established to keep labor peace.  This panel will examine how courts have split as to whether employees and unions must initially file constitutional and statutory challenges in those tribunals, despite the unlikelihood of success and likelihood of substantial delay.

• Margaret Donaghy, AALJ, Social Security Administration
• Harold J. Krent, Professor of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law
• Judge Som Ramrup, President, Association of Administrative Law Judges

EEOC Updates

In this session, we will cover recent EEOC Federal Sector caselaw and review tips for practicing before the Commission’s Administrative Judges.

• June Calhoun, Supervisory Administrative Judge, The Chicago District Office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Ethics

Participants will explore real-world dilemmas, economic pressures that affect wellbeing, and practical strategies for resilient, ethical practice, and ethical decision making.

Learning objectives

• Recognize how current global pressure creates ethical challenges in law
• Understand the link between well-being and ethical competence
• Apply practical strategies to support resilience

• Katrina Kelley, LCPC, CST, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, Modern Insight Therapy
• Melissa A. Smart, Director of Education, ARDC

Moderated by Jason Bent, Professor of Law, Director of the Martin H. Malin Institute for Law and the Workplace

   Regular Registration   

  Individual  

$425/person

    Group* 

$350/person

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