Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP

Seminars & Events

Smith, Gambrell & Russell regularly provides our valued clients with helpful information through briefings, seminars, interactive roundtables and panels.

Upcoming Seminars

Jacksonville Employment Seminar — October 2, 2008, Jacksonville, FL

Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP is hosting its annual Workplace seminar at the Jacksonville Marriott South Bay. Topics will include:

  • Important developments in labor, employment and benefits
  • Defending yourself against employment-related complaints, including a re-enactment of a potentially volatile exchange

For more information or to register, contact Sandee Fields.

ICLE Seminar - Immigration Compliance and Enforcement — October 15, 2008, Atlanta, GA

The ICLE Seminar is being held at the Cobb Galleria Centre from 8:30am until 4:30pm. SGR attorney Anton Mertens will be speaking on a variety of topics including “Update on Social Security No-Match Letters” and “Best Compliance Practices and How to Handle Common Compliance Issues.” For more information contact Anton Mertens.

Recent Seminars

Workplace 2008

Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP hosted its annual Workplace seminar on April 22, 2008 at the Cobb Galleria Centre. Topics included:

  • Reduction in Force and Layoffs
  • Investigating Employee Complaints
  • Unemployment Compensation
  • Changes and Developments in Employment Law
  • Family and Medical Leave Act
  • Workplace and Immigration Compliance
  • State and Local Benefit Mandates

This year’s Workplace seminar also included lunch breakout sessions. Topics were:

  • Employee Evaluations and Discipline
  • Contracts, Compensation and Commissions
  • Employers’ Horrors, Headaches and Heartburn

Contact Lisa Ballentine for more information.

ICLE Immigration Law Seminar — November 29, 2007, Atlanta, GA

The ICLE Immigration Law Seminar was held at the State Bar of Georgia headquarters from 8:30am until 3:30pm. SGR attorney Laleh Sharifi spoke on a variety of Immigration Law topics. The morning session covered “Employer Compliance and Employment Based Immigration” and the afternoon session covered “Family Immigration, Naturalization and Fundamentals of Removal.” For more information contact Laleh Sharifi.

Jacksonville Employment Seminar — October 23, 2007, Jacksonville, FL

Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP hosted its annual Jacksonville Employment Seminar at the Jacksonville Marriott South Bay. Topics included Recent Developments in Employment and Labor Law, What to Do When the Department of Labor Knocks on Your Door to Conduct an Audit and How to Investigate a Complaint From an Employee Regarding a Violation of Company Policy. For more information contact Pat Hill.

Association of Owners and Developers Conference — September 17-18, 2007, Washington, DC and October 15-16, 2007, Atlanta, GA

Topics included:

  • Analyzing the Impact of the Key Contract Provisions
  • Creating and Managing the Schedule
  • Managing Costs
  • Considering the Latest Technologies, and Using Electronic Documents to Support or Defend Your Work
  • Going Green
  • Delivering Value on Construction Projects
  • Dealing with Major Construction Defects
  • Trying a Complex Construction Case

For more information on this event please visit the AOD website.

Employment Law Roundtable — September 12, 2007, Atlanta, GA

SGR and The Daily Report cosponsored a Luncheon Roundtable on Employment Law at 103 West. The discussion was moderated by Matt Clarke of SGR and included Lisa Ballentine, the head of SGR’s Employer Services group, along with several HR executives and in-house counsel including Loral Blinde of AirTran Airways Inc., Janet Taylor of Haverty Furniture Companies Inc. and Valencia Porter of Waffle House Inc. Topics included Off-Duty Conduct, the Trans-American Workplace and Religion in the Workplace. For information contact Matt Clarke.

Patent Protection Breakfast Briefing — May 24, 2007, Atlanta, GA

SGR Intellectual Property attorneys discussed the impact of the April 30, 2007 U.S. Supreme Court ruling on obviousness in patent protection.

For more information on this topic please email Jeff Veal.

Workplace 2007

Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP hosted its annual Workplace seminar on April 24, 2007 at the Sheraton Midtown Hotel. SGR’s Employer Services Group presented on a number of topics that are relevant to the working environment. Those topics included:

  • Religion on the Job — How to Manage Issues of Religion in the Workplace and Guard Against Claims of Religious Discrimination
  • Avoiding Retaliation Claims — Are You Fire Fighting or Fire Starting?
  • Recent Developments in Employment Law — Get Up to Date on Recent Court Cases and Legal Changes that Impact Your Workplace
  • Disabilities: Perceptions and Accommodations — Is What You See What You Get?
  • Second-Generation Sexual Harassment — The Transamerican Workplace
  • Preparing for Immigration Reforms
  • Employee Benefits: The Pension Protection Act of 2006
  • Multi Generational Issues — How to Motivate, Evaluate and Manage Across Generational Lines
  • Off-Duty Conduct — Employer Options When 5-9 Affects 9-5
  • Hiring and Firing Strategies — How to Keep Your Office from Becoming “The Office”

For more information on this topic please email Lisa Ballentine.

Electronic Discovery Breakfast Briefing — November 14, 2006, Atlanta, GA

SGR Litigation attorneys provided an overview of recent amendments to the Federal Rules governing the discovery of electronically stored information.

For more information on this topic please email John Despriet.

Jacksonville Employment Seminar — September 26, 2006, Jacksonville, FL

Topics included:

  • Balancing Your Obligations Under the ADA, FMLA & Workers Compensation
  • Bringing Your Compensation Arrangements Into Compliance Before Year End with the New Code Section 409A
  • I-9 Workplace Compliance

For more information on this topic please email Pat Hill.

GC South Intellectual Property Roundtable — May 16, 2006, Atlanta, GA

GC South’s Roundtable on “Protecting Your Intellectual Property and Trademarks: What Every General Counsel Needs to Know” was moderated by Kent Alexander of Emory University. Panelists included Rodgers Lunsford of Smith, Gambrell & Russell, Frank Landgraff of GE Energy, Bruce Siegal of The Collegiate Licensing Company and Michael Kline of The Coca-Cola Company. For more information on this topic please email Rodgers Lunsford.

Immigration Breakfast Briefing — April 18, 2006, Atlanta, GA

SGR Immigration attorneys provided an overview of the Georgia Security and Immigration Compliance Act.

For more information on this topic please email Anton Mertens.

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