Virtual and Portable Workspaces, E-Discovery and Technology in the Workplace the Focus of ABA Labor and Employment Conference

CHICAGO, April 23, 2010 – What intellectual property and privacy issues do employers face when their employees use their smart phones to do business?  What legal risks and potential claims arise from an employer or employee’s use of social network websites?  If a government agency is cloud computing, is it subject to the Freedom of Information Act?

These issues are among topics to be explored at the American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law Technology in the Practice and Workplace Committee Midyear Meeting that begins Wednesday at the New York University School of Law, 245 Sullivan Street, New York.

Among program highlights is the Friday panel discussion “State and Administrative E-Discovery and Technology Practice” that will feature Bryan Burnett, chief information officer, National Labor Relations Board; Judy Kennan, supervisory trial attorney, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission New York District Office; Heather A Morgan, attorney, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP; and James G. Paulsen, assistant general counsel, NLRB.  Panel moderator will be Wayne R. Gold, regional director, NLRB Region Five.

Other programs include:

Wednesday:

• “E-Discovery Toolbox: Practical Tools for Engaging in E-Discovery”

Thursday:

• “Portable Workspaces: Smart Phones and Other Mobile Devices”
• “Social Networking and Twitter”
• “Cloud Computing”
• “Virtual and Portable Workspaces and the Practice of Law”
• “Traditional Labor Law and Virtual Workspaces”

Friday:

• “It’s Not Just Email Anymore: E-Discovery And Technology–Derived Evidence and the Virtual Workplace”
• “International E-Discovery”

The Section of Labor and Employment Law is the legal profession’s most knowledgeable and influential voice on matters involving labor-management and employment relationships. The section represents all perspectives of labor and employment law: employer, union, employee, public, and neutral. All are committed to a balanced discussion of employment issues in the United States and abroad.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world.  As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

Note to editors: Accredited reporters are welcome to cover the competition for free. Contact Dave Jaffe, ABA Division for Media Relations and Communication Services, at 312-988-6139 or jaffed@staff.abanet.org.

- 30 -