2022 Webinar: Investigations: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

The Labor & Employment Practice Group presented a complimentary webinar on August 10, 2022,  at 12:00 p.m. Central Time titled, “Investigations: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.” CLE credit is available for this webinar.

Click here to view the webinar recording.

Webinar Materials:

• PPT – Investigations The Good Bad and Ugly Webinar
• Investigations The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Agenda

About the Webinar:

Everyone knows that a company should have a policy and do an investigation. But what happens when the investigation goes wrong? When do employees quit? When the complainant is anonymous? When a current employee files the complaint with the EEOC before filing with the company? This session will explore some of the more advanced issues of investigations, attorney-client communication and work product, the Faragher defense, and the impact an investigation gone wrong can have on a company.

Panelists:

PAUL G. KLOCKENBRINK is a partner with Gentry Locke, the ALFA International member firm in Roanoke, Virginia. Paul represents business clients in all aspects of the employment relationship, including wage and hour laws, discrimination claims, return to work and non-compete/trade secret issues. He has successfully defended companies in jury trials covering a variety of employment issues. Paul regularly speaks and conducts training on various employment law issues. Paul chairs his firm’s Hospitality and Restaurant Practice Group. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont and his J.D. degree from the University of San Diego.

JENNIFER M. LANKFORD is Senior Corporate Counsel for Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores, Inc., where she handles all matters related to employment litigation. Jennifer manages the legal litigation team and, in addition to handling employment claims company-wide, she supervises compliance measures and manages the company’s ADR program. Jennifer also oversees the Employee Relations department, which ensures Title VII and Title II compliance related to employees and guests, respectively, through training and investigations. With over 680 stores in 45 states, Jennifer’s role also includes advising on employment law matters affecting the store’s 70,000+ employees. Prior to joining Cracker Barrel, Jennifer was a partner with Thompson Burton, PLLC, in Franklin, Tennessee, where she practiced employment defense litigation and provided compliance training and advice to companies operating nationwide. In 2017, Jennifer was appointed by Governor Bill Haslam to the Tennessee Board of Appeals, the appeals panel for state employees seeking to appeal a demotion, suspension, or termination by the State of Tennessee.

BYRONA J. MAULE is a shareholder of Phillips Murrah P.C., the ALFA International member firm in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, where she serves as the senior member of the firm’s Labor and Employment Law Group. Byrona’s practice focuses on advising and representing corporations in all areas of labor and employment law transactions and litigation, such as employment contracts, independent contractor agreements, policies and procedures, unemployment, EEOC/state human rights charges, OSHA violations and retaliatory discharge, NLRB unfair labor practice claims, federal and state wage and hour compliance and employment law litigation before state and federal courts. Previously, Byrona spent five years as corporate counsel for a healthcare facility, giving her a unique insight into her client’s diverse labor and employment law needs. From 2009 to 2015, she served as a commissioner on the Oklahoma Merit Protection Commission, the entity responsible for providing an employment dispute resolution system for Oklahoma state employees. In addition, she frequently conducts employment law training for businesses and governmental entities. Byrona graduated Order of the Barristers from the University of Missouri – Columbia School of Law in 1986.