Message from the Chair
Dear Labor & Employment Law Section Members,
We have approached the midpoint of the Bar year, and I am pleased to report on our successes so far and our plans for the remainder of the year. I need to begin by thanking our new liaison with The Florida Bar, Brittany Baxter, for her tireless efforts in helping our Executive Council with all the planning, budgeting, and implementing involved in fulfilling our goals. In October, we held the 49th Annual Public Employment Labor Relations Forum in Orlando. This joint conference between our Section and the City, County, and Local Government Section was particularly noteworthy this year given the number of recent changes in public sector labor law. Thank you to Janeia Ingram, the co-chair of the program from our Section, and all the excellent speakers for putting on a great seminar with valuable information for practitioners. If you missed it, you can still access the program and its materials at The Florida Bar’s website.
The 24th Labor and Employment Law Annual Update and Certification Review conference took place January 25–26, 2024, in Orlando during The Florida Bar’s Winter Meeting. Co-chairs Robyn Hankins and Karen Evans-Putney put together an excellent slate of topics and speakers. The seminar is designed for both seasoned and new practitioners to learn about hot topics in labor and employment law, as well as for those who are pursuing Board certification. I would encourage you all to buy it online today!
Next, on March 1st, we will be holding the third “Practicing Before State Labor and Employment Agencies” seminar in Tallahassee with speakers from the Florida Commission on Human Relations, the Public Employees Relations Commission, the Reemployment Assistance Appeals Commission, the Division of Administrative Hearings, and the First District Court of Appeals. This seminar, where moderating practitioners ask questions about the nuts and bolts of appearing in front of the state agencies and appellate courts, has seen increased attendance and popularity each time it has been held. Thank you to co-chairs Cristina Velez and Amanda Neff for putting together a great agenda. You can register here.
Last, but certainly not least, I am excited that we will be going to Asheville, North Carolina, for our Advanced Labor Topics Seminar on April 18–19, 2024. Co-chairs James Craig and Alicia Koepke have been diligently putting together the final details for this seminar, which will be held at the Omni Grove Park Inn and will feature nationally renowned speakers. We will be sending out information about registering for this seminar in the near future. I hope to see a lot of Section members in Asheville in April.
Finally, I would like to thank the other officers of the Section—Immediate Past Chair Sacha Dyson, Chair-Elect Yvette Everhart, Secretary/Treasurer Robert Eschenfelder, and Legal Education Director Chelsie Flynn—along with the other members of our Executive Council and our committee chairs, for all their behind-the-scenes efforts in making this year successful and fruitful.
If you would like to become more involved in our Section, please reach out to me and consider coming to one of our upcoming executive council meetings!
Gregg Riley Morton, 2023-24 Chair
Labor and Employment Law Section
greggrileymorton@gmail.com
(850) 408-0713