LEGAL SYMPOSIUM AGENDA
8:00 AM - 5:00 PM | Registration OPEN |
8:30 AM - 8:40 AM | Opening Remarks
Susan Wood President, North Texas SHRM |
8:40 AM - 10:00 AM 10:15 AM - 12:00 PM 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM | Coaching Leaders to Handle Employee Relations Situations
Mike Mariachi This interactive and entertaining session provides HR Professionals with scripts for coaching leaders to handling employee relations situations with sensitivity, good judgment, and high confidence. Topics include employee complaints, personality & attitude problems, performance counseling, personal hygiene problems, disability-related performance issues, misconduct due to mental conditions. You will learn how to use a judicially recognized process, “Reset the Clock,” that prevents attorneys from taking something leaders did wrong in the past and using it to support lawsuits in the future. Liability is replaced with credibility. Lawsuits are then avoided rather than won. Financial assets are protected, morale stays high, and bad publicity is averted. HR Professionals avoid hearing from senior leaders: “You should have anticipated this” after an avoidable legal claim. |
12:00 PM - 12:30 PM | Lunch |
1:45 PM - 2:15 PM 2:15 PM - 2:45 PM 3:00 PM - 3:30 PM 3:30 PM - 4:00 PM | Speed Dating with a Lawyer
Shannon Norris How HR follows the ADA, FMLA, Title VII, PWFA and Texas’ workers’ comp laws when a pregnant employee is injured on the job and needs two weeks off to recover, and the baby is due in four weeks.
Mike Mariachi Coaching HR to Handle Employee Relations Situations. Mike will continue the conversation on how leaders, managers and HR, can handle employee relations situations and stay out of court.
John Hagan How HR ends up in court after unwisely using AI |
4:15 PM - 5:00 PM | Q and A - Bring Your Toughest HR Challenge
Is there an employment law issue that's keeping you up at night? Send your question to legalsymposium@ntxshrm.org, and our employment law attorney may select it for discussion during the closing Q&A. You'll hear practical guidance, legal considerations, and best practices for handling real-world HR situations. |
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM | Networking Happy Hour & Topgolf The learning doesn't stop when the sessions end! Join us for a networking happy hour featuring Topgolf activities, where you can connect with HR peers, continue conversations with our speakers and employment law attorneys, expand your professional network, and unwind after a full day of learning. |
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
 | Mike Mariachi Michael J. Mirarchi is recognized as a leading expert in employment-related lawsuit prevention. As an Employee Relations Counselor, he is dedicated to helping employers stay litigation-free. Drawing from over 35 years of experience as an employer defense attorney and as a Human Resources Vice President, he developed “Reset the Clock - Practical Employee Relations for Leaders.” He has presented this program over 1,370 times to more than 35,000 leaders at employers across North America. Mr. Mirarchi believes that most leaders exercise their abilities with fairness, integrity, and professionalism. Nevertheless, there are plenty of opportunities to run into potential liability situations. In these situations, leaders who know what to do and how to do it have a tremendous advantage over those who don’t, in avoiding lawsuits. In 2013, Mike was recognized as the first inductee into the HRSouthwest Conference Speaker Hall of Fame. Over the last 30 years, he has consistently been one of the highest-rated speakers, excelling in content, professionalism, and delivery. Mike received the 2024 DallasHR Lifetime Achievement Award for dedicating his career to advancing the HR profession and making a lasting impact on Dallas HR. He is an educator and a trusted advisor to the entire DallasHR community. In conjunction with industry and professional associations, he has conducted live TV broadcasts, webinars, and on-line programs, in addition to presenting at regional and national conferences. Mr. Mirarchi has a B.S. in Business Administration and a Law Degree from Seton Hall University. |
| John Hagan John Hagan is an HR lawyer who represents employers and HR professionals. He has been practicing for 25 years. He is both a counselor to HR professionals and trial lawyer who defends them. He is past president of DallasHR, Mid Cities HR and Collin County. He is presently serving as Vice President of Programs at NTSHRM. His wife is a big-time federal prosecutor, and both of their sons are Eagle Scouts. |
| Shannon Norris Shannon Norris has been practicing since 1993 in the areas of employment law, business litigation, trade secrets, civil fraud, and employee benefits. During that time he has represented a broad range of clients from Fortune 100 companies to small businesses and individuals. Mr. Norris has extensive experience with employment litigation, noncompete agreements, misappropriation of trade secrets, and occupational fraud. He is a regular speaker on topics relating to employment law, civil litigation, and human resources. Mr. Norris began his career in 1993 at the law firm of Jones Day where he was a member of the Labor & Employment Law Section. He formed his own practice in the year 2000. He is also a Certified Fraud Examiner and a member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners. Mr. Norris is rated as a Super Lawyer and is Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated. is Martindale-Hubbell ratings reflect the anonymous opinions of members of the bar and the judiciary. Martindale-Hubbell® PEER REVIEW RATINGS™ fall into two categories—legal ability and general ethical standards. |
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