CHAIR’S MESSAGE

Welcome to the Website of the Labor and Employment Law Section (LELS) of the Florida Bar. From excellent CLE seminars and webcast programs to publications and our soon to-be-updated and published membership directory, membership in the LELS is a must for Florida labor and/or employment law attorneys, whether they represent employees or employers or serve as neutrals or work for a government entity. I am honored to follow some of the best L&E attorneys in the nation as Chairman of the Section.

When I moved to Florida ten years ago, I immediately became active in the LELS. It was easy to get involved and it was a great way to meet other employment law attorneys from all over the state. I found that attorneys act more professionally and are less prone to beat you up in litigation if you have previously met at a seminar, luncheon, or reception. Plus, you have the opportunity to hear and meet some of the top lawyers in the profession and know who to seek out when faced with a legal issue novel to yourself. I remember having to deal with an ERISA issue for the first time and calling an attorney who had spoken on that issue at a Section seminar for assistance (and she took my call and gave me good advice).

In the coming Bar year, I look forward to working with the Section’s officers and executive committee in placing the Section in the forefront of the state with regard to our CLE programs, from seminars to webcasts to podcasts. We’re going to have great speakers, put on our live seminars at excellent locations (starting with the Hard Rock Casino and Hotel and ending in Washington D.C.), and address all of the legal areas that L&E attorneys deal with, including ADA accessibility, wage and hour collective actions, discrimination, traditional labor, OSHA and, the most glamorous part of L&E law, unemployment appeals. We’re going to endeavor to keep the cost of our programs reasonable and to take steps to enhance your membership in the Section. Moreover, if you have an interest in becoming active in the Section by writing an article, speaking at a CLE program, or serving on a committee, we will not turn the help away. The more the merrier, though we will continue to be an organization that is welcoming and inclusive.

Once I realized that I was going to be the Section’s Chairman, I figured I had two choices: I could work to keep our Section as the best section in the Florida Bar and the best labor and employment law section in the country (as voted upon by all of the past chairs of our section), or I could take the membership dues and flee to Canada. However, as I don’t speak Canadian, I chose the former and will strive to work with our excellent officers, executive council, program administrator Angela Froelich and our members to make this another great year, in fact the best year, in our Section’s illustrious history.

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