Certificate in Employee Relations Law Seminar

Faculty Biographies

Gavin S. Appleby is a partner with the law firm Littler Mendelson, P.C. He previously was Chief Litigation Counsel with Kimberly-Clark Corporation. He received is B.A. degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College, magna cum laude, and his J.D. degree from the University of Virginia where is was a member of the University's 4-person National Moot Court Team. In the course of his career, Mr. Appleby has tried or arbitrated in excess of 150 cases. He has handled over 75 union campaigns, one of which resulted in continuing union representation at any of the facilities in question. Mr. Appleby is a member of the American Bar Association and the State Bar of Georgia. He has written a number of published articles on employment and labor law issues and is the co-author of a text on pre-employment testing. Mr. Appleby is consistently rated one of IAML's best instructors, participants value his practical and realistic approach to employment issues, and his relaxed but professional presentation skills.

Joseph L. Beachboard is a nationally recognized expert on employment law issues. In addition to assisting employers with workplace law issues, Mr. Beachboard serves as the chair of the firm’s Client Service Committee. In this capacity, Mr. Beachboard oversees the client service, marketing, and business development activities of the firm’s 400 attorneys in 33 offices across the country. Mr. Beachboard speaks regularly before human resource, personnel and employer groups on cutting edge employment law topics at programs held across the United States. He is frequently quoted in several publications, including the Los Angeles Times, Sacramento Bee, HR Magazine, National Law Journal, HR Executive, Workforce, HR Manager’s Legal Reporter, San Diego Union Tribune, and Las Vegas Review Journal. Articles written by Mr. Beachboard have been published in the Los Angeles Daily Journal, Los Angeles Business Journal, HR Advisor, Nashville Business Journal and The Tennessean. He presently also serves as Editor In Chief of California HR Specialist, published by the National Institute of Business Management. Mr. Beachboard is a founding member and Executive Director of the Management Labor and Employment Roundtable. The Roundtable is a national, invitation only, organization of management labor and employment lawyers. He is also a member of the California State Bar Association, American Bar Association and Los Angeles County Bar, Labor and Employment Law Section. He received his B.A., magna cum laude, from Whittier College and his J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law.

Stephen L. Berry is a partner with the law firm of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP and is Chair of the Employment Law Department in the firm's Costa Mesa, California office. Mr. Berry is a Fellow in the American College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, and has been named in The Best Lawyers in America. He received his J.D. degree from the J. Reuben Clark School of Law at BYU, where he was an associate editor of the Utah Bar Journal and was a member of the Order of Barristers. Mr. Berry specializes in the representation of public and private employers in all aspects of employment law and labor relations, including defense of wage and hour class actions and providing preventative advice and counseling. IAML has been on the faculty of IAML for over 10 years, and is a frequent lecturer on employment law topics. and has authored articles on a variety of employment law topics, including "Wrongful Termination: Ten Keys to Avoiding a Day in Court."

Robert A. Blackstone is a partner in the Labor and Employment Law Department of Davis Wright Tremaine, a firm with over 400 lawyers in 10 offices around the United States and China. Mr. Blackstone works out of the firm's Seattle office. His practice involves counseling clients about day-to-day labor and employment law problems and in strategic labor relations planning. He has been the chief collective bargaining negotiator for a number of different employers. Mr. Blackstone is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, and is named in the five most recent editions of The Best Lawyers in America, and is also listed in the 2004-2006 editions of Chambers USA - America's Leading Lawyers for Business. He is active in the Labor and Employment Law Section of the American Bar Association, and is the co-chair of the Sub-committee on Covenants Not to Compete and Trade Secrets of the Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee. He received his law degree from Columbia University, where he was a Harland Fiske Stone Scholar.

James P. Carter is an associate in the Employment Law Department of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, where he concentrates his practice in the defense and counseling of employers on all aspects of employment law, including employment discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination litigation, wage and hour claims, breach of contract claims, and workers’ compensation issues. Mr. Carter brings to this practice prior litigation experience as a workers’ compensation applicant’s attorney, and experience as coverage and litigation counsel for the insurance industry. He has tried many cases at the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board. From 1990-2001, Mr. Carter tried cases, both bench trials as first chair and jury trials as second chair, in Superior Court. He has handled appeals before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and the California Court of Appeal, some of which resulted in published opinions. More recently, Mr. Carter focused on filing and opposing petitions for reconsideration. Mr. Carter received his B.A. degree from Brigham Young University and his J.D. degree from BYU’s J. Reuben Clark School of Law, where he served in the Moot Court organization, and competed on the school’s National Moot Court team.

Shauna Johnson Clark is a Partner in Fulbright & Jaworski L.L.P.'s Houston office. She represents management in all aspects of employment law matters including jury and non-jury trials, collective bargaining, mediation and arbitration. She also has significant experience in preparing affirmative action plans for government contractors. Additionally, Ms. Clark conducts training seminars for supervisors, prepares and reviews personnel handbooks and policies, and advises clients regarding employee retention and termination. She has an active trial practice and has first-chaired jury and bench trials to verdict in both state and federal courts. Ms. Clark is board certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. She is a member of the American Bar Association, National Bar Association, Texas Bar Association and Houston Bar Association. From 2005 through 2007 she was named a Texas Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly Magazine. She received her J.D., cum laude, from Tulane Law School and her B.A. from Louisiana State University.

Raymond M. Deeny is a resident partner of the firm Sherman & Howard. He is a member of the firm's three person executive committee. He handles various types of labor relations matters such as National Labor Relations Board representation election and unfair labor practice proceedings, with special emphasis in the health care and construction industries. Mr. Deeny also is substantially experienced in state and federal injunction proceedings and other litigation proceedings, including equal employment opportunity and contract and tort litigation arising from the employer-employee relationship. His B.A., magna cum laude, in 1974 and law degree, cum laude, in 1977 were conferred by Arizona State University. Mr. Deeny has been selected by the ABA as a management representative to the ABA's Labor Section, Major Developments, under the N.L.R.A., and is a member of the Colorado Bar Association Labor Law Committee. Mr. Deeny is a highly popular 25-year veteran instructor. Mr. Deeny's engaging sense of humor, savvy insights and terrific platform skills earn him consistently outstanding ratings from participants. He is widely regarded to be among the nation's finest employment law instructors.

Brenda K. Heinicke is an attorney and employment law consultant. Ms. Heinicke advises and defends employers in a broad range of labor and employment law issues, including discrimination, sexual harassment, and wrongful termination cases. She represents employers in all aspects of employment-related litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts, as well as in labor arbitrations. Ms. Heinicke is the co-chairperson for the Labor and Employment Department of the El Paso County Bar Association and recently received the bar association's Outstanding Young Lawyer award. She received her J.D., with honors, from the University of Denver Law School and was selected for the Order of St. Ives.

Eric H. Joss, a Partner in the Employment Department of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, has been representing, advising and training employers in all aspects of labor relations and employment law, including wrongful termination, discrimination, sexual harassment, and labor-management litigation; unfair labor practice charges, union organizing matters and other National Labor Relations Board and Public Employment Relations Board proceedings; labor negotiations; arbitrations; and proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Fair Employment and Housing Commission, and wage/hour compliance agencies. He is a current member of the Firm’s Policy Committee and Partnership Compensation Committee. Other firm leadership positions he has held include assistant chair, Employment Law Department; chair, Firmwide Business Development; chair, Associate Relations Committee; and chair, Los Angeles Recruiting. Mr. Joss has been elected as a Fellow in The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America, and has been named a Southern California Super Lawyer. He is past chair of the Santa Monica Bar Association Employment Law Section and is a member of the American Bar Association Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity Law As It Affects Labor Relations, Development of Law, Practice and Procedure as well as the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section. Further, Mr. Joss is a member of the Labor and Employment Law Sections of the American, California, and Los Angeles County Bar Associations (Executive Committee Member). Either as a special counsel to the Major League Baseball Labor Relations Department or as a Club representative, Mr. Joss has participated in some 50 baseball salary arbitrations. He has written and lectured extensively on labor relations and employment law topics and has appeared on television and been interviewed by the news media and various management publications on these topics. Mr. Joss received his B.A. degree, summa cum laude from the State University of New York at Albany, and his J.D. degree from Columbia University School of Law, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and an articles editor of the Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems.

Jacqueline E. Kalk is a Shareholder with Littler Mendelson, PC's Minneapolis office where she represents and counsels management clients on a broad range of employment law matters. Ms. Kalk routinely handles individual, class and collective claims in areas such as wage and hour, overtime, equal pay, and equal employment matters. She also prosecutes and defends actions involving non-competition agreements and trade secrets. Ms. Kalk routinely appears before state and federal administrative agencies and courts. Her expertise includes providing counseling to management on how to avoid litigation and to develop necessary policies and practices. She has also implemented training classes for employers in a wide variety of venues targeted at understanding the litigation process and, perhaps more importantly, avoiding litigation. Ms. Kalk received her B.A., summa cum laude from the University of North Dakota and her J.D., magna cume laude, from Syracuse College of the Law.

Jason C. Kim is a partner with Neal, Gerber, Eisenberg's Labor & Employment Practice Group, where he represents employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. He defends employers in arbitration and litigation matters brought under a variety of employment-related statutes, including the Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. He represents and counsels clients in the full range of traditional labor matters, including litigating unfair labor practice cases before the National Labor Relations Board, negotiating labor contracts, assisting in organizing campaigns and arbitrating grievances arising under labor contracts. He has represented several clients in class litigation matters arising under federal and state wage and hour laws, and has lectured and conducted training on the Fair Labor Standards Act. Mr. Kim is a member of the Federal Labor Standards Legislation Committee of the American Bar Association and a member of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. He is a member of the board of directors of the Korean American Bar Association and a member of the board of directors of Korean American Community Services. He is a member of Neal, Gerber, Eisenberg’s Hiring Committee and Diversity Committee, and serves as the co-chair of the firm’s Minority Initiative. Before joining the firm, he served as an occupational safety and health officer for the Illinois Department of Labor. He also served as an environmental policy analyst for the government of the Republic of Korea, and as advisor to the Minister of Environment at the Third Session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development. Mr. Kim earned his J.D., cum laude, from the University of Illinois and his B.A. from Northwestern University.

Tricia A. Kinney is an attorney with Kimberly-Clark Corporation. Prior to joining Kimberly-Clark she was a partner with Powell Goldstein LLP concentrating in labor and employment law where she regularly litigated matters related to the employment relationship. She received her J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Boston College. She is highly rated for her practical-orientation and engaging platform skills.

Samuel Matchett is a partner with King & Spalding's Atlanta Labor & Employment Practice Group. He concentrates his practice on employment relationship matters, with an emphasis in employment law litigation in both state and federal courts, governmental agencies, and arbitration tribunals. In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Matchett provides general client advice on the avoidance of employee-related problems and prepares and presents seminars concerning all aspects of the employment relationship. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court and several appellate courts. Additional, Mr. Matchett was recently selected by Chambers USA as a leading lawyer in his practice area, named to Georgia Trend magazine's "Legal Elite" - a list of Georgia attorneys chosen by their peers as the leading lawyers in their practice areas, and is designated in the most recent edition of The Best Lawyers in America for employment law. Mr. Matchett received his J.D. from the University of Georgia. He has served as a faculty member for IAML for several years.

Jona Miller is Counsel on the Labor and Employment Practice Group of King & Spalding. Ms. Miller litigates employment cases in federal and state courts, and has successfully defended employers against discrimination, wrongful discharge, tort, breach of contract, and other employment-related claims. Ms. Miller also counsels clients on a variety of matters, including employment and separation agreements, personnel policies and handbooks, EEO and diversity training, restrictive covenants, wage-and-hour compliance, internal investigations, reductions-in-force, and day-to-day personnel decisions. She is admitted to practice in the state courts of Florida and Georgia, as well as before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States District Courts for the Middle District of Florida and the Northern District of Georgia. Ms. Miller received her J.D., with honors, from the University of Florida College of Law and was a member of the Justice Thornal’s Moot Court Team. She graduated summa cum laude from Clemson University and received a Master of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from Emory University.

Theodore A. Olsen is a partner in the firm of Sherman & Howard. As Department Manager of the firm's Labor and Employment Law Department, he represents employers in employment-related litigation and counsels employers on all workplace legal issues. Mr. Olsen received his law degree from the University of Colorado, where he graduated first in his class and was elected to the Order of the Coif. He served as an adjunct professor of employment discrimination law at the University of Colorado School of Law. Mr. Olsen was Chairman of the Colorado Bar Association Labor Law Committee for the year 1986-1987. He was inducted as a Fellow in The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers in 2006, has been listed in Best Lawyers in America, Employment Law, for over 10 years and was Ranked in Chambers USA - Employment Law in 2007.

David B. Ritter is a partner and chair of Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg's labor and employment law practice group. His practice includes representation of management in all areas of labor and employment law. Mr. Ritter is a member of the ABA Sections of Labor and Employment Law and Litigation, and is a frequent seminar speaker on a variety of employment law topics. He has published numerous articles and has been a contributing editor to the publications Employment Discrimination Law, and The Developing Labor Law. Mr. Ritter is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Law, cum laude, Law Review and the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Mr. Ritter is a former human resources professional for Mobil Oil Corporation.

Glenn H. Schlabs is a partner in the law firm of Sherman & Howard where he specializes in all aspects of employment law. Prior to joining the firm, he was a judge advocate for the Department of the Air Force. He is a contributing editor to The Developing Labor Law. He received a B.S. degree from the U.S. Air Force Academy as a distinguished graduate, and an M.A. in economics from UCLA. After serving as an Air Force pilot for four years, Mr. Schlabs attending the University of Texas School of Law where he received his J.D., with honors, and was elected to the Order of the Coif. He received an L.L.M. with emphasis in labor law from Cornell University.

Patrick R. Scully is a Member in the Labor & Employment Department of Sherman & Howard's Denver office. He represents employers in all aspects of labor relations, including trials and representation cases before the NLRB, state and federal court litigation, contract negotiation, grievance and arbitration, strikes, boycotts, corporate campaigns and other labor disputes. Mr. Scully also represents employers on various employment law matters including state and federal court litigation of claims for violations of Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act and other allegations of discrimination. Previously, Mr. Scully was in-house counsel for the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers International Union, a staff attorney at the National Labor Relations Board, and Associate General Counsel for Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. He is an honors graduate of St. John's University School of Law.

Douglas M. Towns is a partner in the Employment & Labor Practice at Jones Day. He represents employers in all areas of the labor and employment relationship. Mr. Towns' litigation experience ranges from representing employers in single plaintiff employment cases to large, complex class and collective actions. In addition to litigation, Mr. Towns routinely counsels and advises companies on a variety of employment issues, including structuring and implementing downsizing or other reductions in force, drafting and integrating EEO and compliance policies, and structuring executive employment packages. His experience also includes representing management during union organizing efforts, labor disputes and the bargaining table. He has authored numerous articles on employment law, and has appeared on as a national commentator on a variety of employment issues, including appearing on CNN Headline News. Mr. Towns received his J.D. from the University of Virginia where he was on the Editorial Board of the Virginia Law Review. Mr. Towns has taught for IAML for over ten years.

Gregg Jay Tucek is an attorney with Basha's, Inc. Prior to joining Basha's, he was a a partner with Sherman & Howard where he practiced exclusively in the area of traditional labor law and employment. Mr. Tucek has a successful record in arbitrating matters related to collective bargaining agreements and has been lead counsel in unfair labor practice trials before the NLRB. He is a member of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the Arizona and American Bar Associations. He received his law degree from William Mitchell College of Law, cum laude. Mr. Tucek is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Appeals for the 8th, 9th, and District of Columbia Circuits and the U.S. District Court for the Districts of Arizona and Minnesota. Mr. Tucek's high-energy presentations feature "street-smart" insights and legal expertise.

Wayne W. Williams is an attorney in private practice in Colorado Springs. His management practice includes employment discrimination, harassment, and wrongful discharge litigation, employment law advice, traditional labor law, and wage and hour law. He received his J.D. degree from the University of Virginia where he was on the editorial board of the Journal of Law and Politics. He was appointed to the National Association of Counties Labor and Employment Steering Committee. Mr. Williams was appointed to the Governor’s Task Force on Civil Justice Reform in 1999 by Colorado Governor Bill Owens. He served two terms as a Commissioner on both the Colorado and National Conference of Uniform State Laws and for four years as a Labor and Employment Steering Committee Member for the National Association of Counties. Mr. Williams was the Chair of the Employment Law Section of the El Paso County Bar Association from 1993 to 1999, and remains a member of that section and the Employment Law Sections of both the Federalist Society and the Colorado Bar Association. Mr. Williams was an original editor of The Colorado Labor Letter. In addition to his law practice, Mr. Williams is an elected County Commissioner.

T.J. Wray is a partner in the Houston office of Fulbright & Jaworski LLP. His practice includes representing management in all labor and employment matters. He has represented employers in labor and employment matters in federal and state trial and appellate courts and before the EEOC, Department of Labor, and the NLRB. He is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Mr. Wray is an active member of the American Bar Association's Labor and Employment Law Section - Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee. Since 1995, he has been listed in the publication, The Best Lawyers in America. He is a contributing author and editor for several labor and employment law related publications. Mr. Wray received his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. He is admitted to the Supreme Court, the United States Courts of Appeals for the Fifth and Elevenths Circuits, and the federal district and state courts of Texas. He is also a state qualified mediator in Texas.

William A. Wright is a member in Sherman & Howard LLC's Denver office. He represents large and small employers in state and federal litigation and administrative proceedings over employment issues, including discrimination, retaliation and whistle-blowing, contract and tort claims, and employee benefits. He also advises employers on a broad range of issues, including employment policies and practices; employment contracts; covenants not to compete; employee relations; and discipline and discharge. Mr. Wright received his law degree from the University of Chicago School of Law, his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of North Carolina, and his B.A., with highest honors, from Purdue University. Before law school, Mr. Wright taught ethics, ethical theory, and social and political philosophy at North Carolina State University and Louisiana State University.

John F. Wymer, III is a partner with the law firm of Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker in their Atlanta office, specializing in labor and employment law on behalf of management clients. He received his B.A. from the University of Alabama in 1971 and J.D. from the University of Virginia in 1974. Mr. Wymer is a member of the ABA and a member of the Committee on Development of the Law under the NLRA. He is a lecturer on labor relations matters at Georgia State University and the University of Alabama and has spoken throughout the country to various associations and professional groups. He is a Contributing Editor for The Developing Labor Law. Since 1995, Mr. Wymer has been listed in Best Lawyers in America in the areas of Labor and Employment Law. In 2001, Mr. Wymer was elected as a Fellow by The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Mr. Wymer is among the nation's most sought after speakers for his extraordinary teaching skills, witty and engaging delivery style and legal knowledge. He has been an IAML instructor for more than 24 years where is extraordinary teaching skills, witty and engaging delivery style and legal skills and knowledge make his presentations extremely valuable and entertaining.

Amy J. Zdravecky is a partner in the Chicago office of Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg's Labor & Employment Practice Group. She engages in all areas of traditional labor and employment law, and has represented clients before state and federal courts and numerous administrative agencies, such as the Equal Opportunity Commission and state equal employment opportunity commissions. Ms. Zdravecky has also represented clients in negotiating collective bargaining agreements and assisted them in administering and enforcing these agreements in arbitrations conducted under the rules of the American Arbitration Association and Federal Mediation Conciliation Service. She frequently provides training and counseling to clients regarding union avoidance, sexual harassment and compliance with a variety of employment-related statutes, including Title VII, the ADEA, the ADA, the FMLA and the Fair Credit Reporting Act. She has also assisted clients in numerous union organizing campaigns, has counseled employers with regard to representation and unfair labor practice cases and has handled numerous National Labor Relations Board proceedings.yee Relations Law. She was a contributing editor to the 2007 Supplement to the Developing Labor Law. She was also a contributing editor to the ABA’s The Labor Lawyer, Summer 2006 edition. She is a member of the Labor & Employment Law section of the American Bar Association and is a member of the ABA’s Subcommittee on the Development of the Law under the NLRA. He earned her J.D. from the University of Michigan, and a B.A. from the University of Michigan.

Shay Zeemer Hable is an Associate in the Atlanta office of Powell Goldstein. Her practice includes representing management in employment discrimination lawsuits in various state, federal and administrative jurisdictions, including race, sex, disability, family and medical leave, and other discrimination claims. Ms. Zeemer Hable's litigation experience also includes contract and fraud disputes arising from employment and independent contractor relationships. She has practical experience defending clients in consolidated actions in multiple jurisdictions. In addition to litigation matters, her practice encompasses a wide array of counseling in employment and related issues, including review of employee handbooks and employment practices and policies. She has assisted clients involved in employment audits, layoffs, outsourcing and reorganizations. Ms. Zeemer Hable has provided clients with guidance in employment disputes and investigations and drafted and reviewed enforceable employment contracts, restrictive covenants, and separation agreements. Ms. Zeemer Hable is an honors graduate of Emory University and Vanderbilt School of Law. She was selected as a 2006 Georgia Super Lawyers' Rising Star.