Rollercoaster of Emotions: Untangling mental health discrimination for anxiety, depression, and substance abuse

Lauren Rayner Davis
Lauren Rayner Davis
Rottenberg Lipman Rich, P.C.

Lauren Rayner Davis, Esq. is an attorney licensed in New York, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia. Lauren is a Senior Associate at Rottenberg Lipman Rich, P.C. and was named as a New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2023.

Shannon D. Azzaro
Shannon D. Azzaro
Jackson Lewis, P.C.

Shannon D. Azzaro, Esq. is an associate in the New York City, New York, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Her practice focuses on representing employers in workplace law matters, including preventive advice and counseling.

On-Demand: April 25, 2024

2 hour CLE

Tuition: $195.00
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Program Summary

Navigating discrimination issues related to employees with anxiety, depression, and substance abuse can be a minefield for legal practitioners and their clients. This course will provide an in-depth review of federal and state discrimination laws with a specific focus on protected classes that may involve prevalent and rising mental health disorders in the United States, including anxiety, depression, and substance abuse and their impact on the workplace. The goal of this course is to provide resources for legal practitioners to counsel their clients in supporting a work environment in which issues relative to anxiety, depression, and substance abuse are effectively addressed with a focus on preventing discrimination by increasing employee understanding of the nature of these disorders and discrimination in the workplace, how to respond to it, and how to prevent it.

This course is co-sponsored with myLawCLE.

Key topics to be discussed:

  • Discrimination Laws
  • Recognizing Discrimination in Practice
  • Handling Discrimination Complaints
  • Preventing Discrimination in the Workplace

Closed-captioning available

Speakers

Lauren-Rayner-Davis-Esq._Associate_Peckar-Abramson-P.C._FedBarLauren Rayner Davis | Rottenberg Lipman Rich, P.C.

Lauren Rayner Davis, Esq. is an attorney licensed in New York, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia. Lauren is a Senior Associate at Rottenberg Lipman Rich, P.C. and was named as a New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Star in 2023. Her practice, which is divided between litigation and daily client counseling, primarily focuses on labor and employment, intellectual property, and entertainment law. Prior to joining RLR, Lauren worked at a national construction law firm in its labor and employment group where she litigated for employers in matters involving trade secret misappropriation, restrictive covenants, unfair labor practice charges, single-plaintiff discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and whistleblower complaints and single-plaintiff and class/collective wage and hour disputes as well as employment practices liability insurance and directors & officers claims.

Before she entered private practice, Lauren served as a judicial law clerk in the Civil and Appellate Divisions of the New Jersey Superior Court and as a judicial intern in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Lauren earned her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School, where she served on the executive editorial board of the Brooklyn Law Review, and her B.A., cum laude, from the University of Southern California.

Speaker Contact Information: Lauren Rayner Davis, Esq. | Rottenberg Lipman Rich, P.C. The Helmsley Building 230 Park Avenue, 18th Floor New York, NY 10169 Office (212) 661-3080 / direct (646) 273-5422 | [email protected]

 

Shannon D. Azzaro_FedBarShannon D. Azzaro | Jackson Lewis, P.C.

Shannon D. Azzaro, Esq. is an associate in the New York City, New York, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Her practice focuses on representing employers in workplace law matters, including preventive advice and counseling. Shannon has experience in handling wage and hour class and collective actions, restrictive covenant litigation, and employment discrimination claims. She represents management in state and federal courts, and before administrative agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the New York State Division of Human Rights, and the New York City Commission on Human Rights.

She regularly counsels’ employers on all aspects of employment law to proactively manage risk and keep employers in compliance with increasing changes to the law. Prior to joining Jackson Lewis, Shannon was an associate with the Labor and Employment Group of a national law firm. During law school, Shannon participated in Fordham Law’s Consumer Litigation Clinic and was the Cooper-Walsh editor of the Fordham Urban Law Journal.

Speaker Contact Information: Shannon D. Azzaro, Esq. | Jackson Lewis, P.C.
666 3rd Avenue, 28th Floor New York, New York 10017
Office (212) 545-4000 / direct (212) 545-4011 | [email protected]

Agenda

I. Discrimination Laws | 12:00pm – 12:30pm

  • Federal and state discrimination laws
  • Understanding protected classes with a focus on anxiety, depression, and substantive abuse
  • Types of discrimination: disparate treatment vs. disparate impact

II. Recognizing Discrimination in Practice | 12:30pm – 1:00pm

  • Identifying discriminatory practices in hiring, promotion, and termination
  • Case studies and examples and exercises for recognizing implicit bias

Break | 1:00pm – 1:10pm

III. Handling Discrimination Complaints | 1:10pm – 1:40pm

  • Best practices for investigating discrimination complaints
  • Legal obligations and potential liabilities for employers
  • Navigating the EEOC and state agencies

IV. Preventing Discrimination in the Workplace | 1:40pm – 2:10pm

  • Implementing effective anti-discrimination policies and training programs
  • Promoting diversity and inclusion
  • Strategies for creating a discrimination-free workplace culture

Credits

Alaska

Approved for CLE Credits
2 Ethics

Our programs are CLE-eligible through Alaska's recognition of multi-jurisdictional reciprocity.
Alabama

Pending CLE Approval
2 Ethics

Arkansas

Approved for CLE Credits
2 Ethics

Our programs are CLE-eligible through Arkansas's recognition of multi-jurisdictional reciprocity.
Arizona

Approved for CLE Credits
2 Professional Responsibility/Ethics

California

Approved for CLE Credits
1 Prevention And Detection Competence, 1 Wellness competence

To request these credits, attorneys must contact us to issue a manual certificate.
Phone: (877) 406-8636
Email: [email protected]
Colorado

Pending CLE Approval
2 Ethics / Professionalism

Connecticut

Approved for CLE Credits
2 Ethics / Professionalism

District of Columbia

No MCLE Required
2 Mental Health hours

Delaware

Pending CLE Approval
2 Enhanced Ethics

Florida

Approved for CLE Credits
2 Mental Health

Georgia

Approved for CLE Credits
2 Professionalism

Hawaii

Approved for CLE Credits
2 Ethics or Professional Responsibility Education

Iowa

Pending CLE Approval
2 Attorney Wellness

Idaho

Pending CLE Approval
2 Ethics / Professionalism

Illinois

Approved for Self-Study Credits
2 Mental Health / Substance Abuse

Indiana

Pending CLE Approval
2 Ethics

Kansas

Pending CLE Approval
2 Ethics / Professionalism

Kentucky

Pending CLE Approval
2 Ethics

Louisiana

Pending CLE Approval
2 Mental Health

Massachusetts

No MCLE Required
2 Mental Health

Maryland

No MCLE Required
2 Mental Health

Maine

Pending CLE Approval
2 Ethics / Professionalism

Ethics credits can ONLY be earned through Live-Webcast programs, the Maine Board of Bar Examiners does not approve Ethics through On-Demand sessions.
Michigan

No MCLE Required
2 Mental Health

Minnesota

Approved for Self-Study Credits
2 General

Missouri

Approved for Self-Study Credits
2.4 Mental Health

Mississippi

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Montana

Approved for Self-Study Credits
2 Ethics

North Carolina

Pending CLE Approval
2 Substance abuse

North Dakota

Approved for CLE Credits
2 Ethics

Our programs are CLE-eligible through North Dakota’s recognition of multi-jurisdictional reciprocity. Section 1, Policy 1.14
Nebraska

Pending CLE Approval
2 Ethics

myLawCLE reports attendance to Nebraska on each attorney's behalf for all programs. Please do not self-report.
New Hampshire

Approved for CLE Credits
120 Ethics minutes

As of July 1, 2014, the NHMCLE Board no longer provides pre- or post-approval of courses. Attendees must self-determine whether a program is eligible for credit, and self-report their attendance online at www.nhbar.org, based on qualification provisions of Rule 53.
New Jersey

Approved for CLE Credits
2.4 Ethics / Professionalism

Our programs are CLE-eligible through New Jersey's recognition of multi-jurisdictional reciprocity, except for the courses required under BCLE Reg. 201:2
New Mexico

Approved for Self-Study Credits
2 Ethics

Nevada

Approved for Self-Study Credits
2 Substance Abuse, Addiction and Mental Health

New York

Approved for CLE Credits
2.4 Ethics / Professionalism

Our programs are CLE-eligible through New York’s Approved Jurisdiction Group “A”.
Ohio

Pending CLE Approval
2 General

Oklahoma

Pending CLE Approval
2.5 Ethics

Oregon

Approved for CLE Credits
2 Mental Health / Substance Use

Pennsylvania

Approved for Self-Study Credits
2 Ethics

Rhode Island

Approved for CLE Credits
2.5 Ethics

South Carolina

Pending CLE Approval
2 Mental Health

South Dakota

No MCLE Required
2 Mental Health

Tennessee

Pending CLE Approval
2 Dual

Texas

Pending CLE Approval
2 Ethics

Utah

Pending CLE Approval
2 Ethics

Virginia

Not Eligible
2 General Hours Hours

Vermont

Approved for CLE Credits
2 Attorney Wellness

Washington

Approved for Self-Study Credits
2 Other (Personal Development and Mental Health)

Wisconsin

Approved for Self-Study Credits
2 General

Ethics credits can ONLY be earned through Live-Webcast programs, the Wisconsin Board of Bar Examiners does not approve Ethics through On-Demand sessions.
West Virginia

Pending CLE Approval
2 Ethics

Wyoming

Pending CLE Approval
2 Ethics

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