Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – Business professionals are invited to attend the 12th annual Employment Law and Human Resource Conference later this month at the University of Maine at Presque Isle Campus Center. Sponsored by the Northeast Society for Human Resource Management (NESHRM) – an affiliate of the Society for Human Resource Management – the Oct. 15 conference is designed for managers, supervisors, small business owners, executives, and human resource professionals.
“NESHRM is very proud to hold our annual conference in Presque Isle,” said Jennifer Curran, NESHRM president. “We generally must travel to southern Maine to attend seminars or conferences related to HR. It is great for local employers to attend a conference without incurring travel expenses and spending extra time away from the office.
“Ninety dollars for a local conference, economically, is a great opportunity,” she said. “We are fortunate to have a very impressive lineup of speakers, including several lawyers who specialize in HR matters. We are bringing them to us instead of us going to them.”
Lawrence C. Winger, Esq., who has more than 28 years’ of experience in the area of labor and employment law, will provide an employment law update from 8:45-9:45 a.m. Winger is the author of the Maine Employer’s Handbook, a comprehensive resource on Maine employment law, which is currently used by more than 900 Maine companies.
Paul Sighinolfi, Esq., heads Rudman & Winchell’s Workers’ Compensation Practice Group. He co-authored Maine Employer’s Guide: Workers’ Compensation. Sighinolfi is a member of the board of editors and contributes to Maine Business and Employment Law. He will discuss workers’ compensation issues from 9:50-10:45 a.m.
Clare Hudson Payne, Esq., is a lawyer at Eaton Peabody, P.A. Her practice is focused on employment law. She represents a broad spectrum of clients, including public, private, and non-profit employers. Hudson is listed on the Chambers & Partners as one of Maine’s top employment and labor law attorneys. She will discuss the Family Medical Leave Act from 11 a.m.-noon.
Linda D. McGill, Esq., is a member of the Labor and Employment Practice Group and the Municipal, Legislative, and Regulatory Practice Group. She works at Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & Nelson. McGill has taught employment discrimination law as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maine School of Law. In 2007, she was recognized as one of the Top 50 Women Super Lawyers in New England. She will discuss the ADA and Maine Human Rights Commission from 2-3 p.m.
Also at the conference, Dr. Donald Zillman, president of the University of Maine at Presque Isle, will discuss strategic professional communication from 1-1:50 p.m. Zillman taught at the law schools at Arizona State University and the University of Utah before coming to the University of Maine Law School as dean. Zillman has co-authored 10 books and has been sole or co-author on more than 50 scholarly journal articles.
“You do not need to be a member of NESHRM to attend the conference,” said Curran, noting that typically between 70 and 75 people attend the annual event. “The size of the conference allows for a very personal and friendly atmosphere. The speakers personalize their presentations and allow time to answer many of the groups’ questions. Everyone who deals with human resource management is encouraged to participate.”
The cost for the conference is $90 per person for the whole day, and $85 per person for multiples. Lunch is included in the registration fee. Registration may be made by PayPal by logging onto NESHRM’s Web site, http://neshrm.shrm.org. Registration with payment should be received by Friday, Oct. 10.
