When is Favoritism in the Workplace Unlawful? (Includes 1 hour of Ethics: Workplace ethics for lawyers)

Manali Arora | Swartz Swidler LLC

Manali Arora has been actively practicing employment law for the past 12 + years, representing plaintiffs in individual discrimination claims, as well as class action wage and hour disputes. She has significant experience representing clients litigation before state and Federal Courts, as well as before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, as well as other state agencies.

Francine Friedman Griesing | Griesing Mazzeo Law, LLC

Fran co-founded Griesing Mazzeo Law, LLC, a Philadelphia women owned firm with offices in Arizona, Florida, Ohio and New York. She has over 40 years of experience representing public and closely-held companies, nonprofits, government and executives in complex transactions, high stakes litigation, employment and ADR. She is an experienced arbitrator and mediator. After practicing at firms and as Litigation Chair for the Philadelphia Law Department, she founded her firm in 2010.

Recognized by Chambers & Partners, Best Lawyers, Client Choice, and Super Lawyers, she was honored as one of Philadelphia Inquirer’s Influencers of Law and Diversity & Inclusion Lifetime Achievers, Philadelphia Business Journal’s Best of the Bar, Legal Intelligencer’s Women of the Year, Ms. JD’s Sharing

Her Passion Honoree, ABA Women in Litigation Who Inspire Us; Super Lawyers’ Top 50 Women Lawyers. She received Philadelphia Bar Education Center’s Excellence in Legal Education Award and ABA’s Legal Writing Excellence Award. She is a serial entrepreneur, co-founding Bossible, a marketing and business development consultancy, and GriesingMazzeo Leadership, a training and human resources advisor. Selected by NAWBO and Bank of America as 2018 Woman Business Owner of the Year, Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia as 2018 Small Business Person of the Year, she received numerous awards for her civic leadership.

Featured in “The Road to Independence, 101 Women’s Journeys to Starting Their Own Firms”, she has taught at the college, business and law school level. An honors graduate of Binghamton University and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, she is admitted to practice in Arizona, New York and Pennsylvania.

Session I – Can I sue my Employer for Favoritism? When playing favorites becomes unlawful | 10:00am – 11:00am

• Identifying the difference between favoritism that is poor management v. unlawful favoritism
• Common violations arising from unlawful favoritism: harassment on the basis of gender, religion, or race; retaliation in the form of refusing medical leave or accommodations the employee may be entitled to; and incentivizing employees to report other employer violations
• The claims and damages the employer may be liable for: hostile work environment and retaliation
• Protections against favoritism: union protections employees can implement, and policies the employer can implement

Break | 11:00am – 11:10am 

Session II – Bullies Beware! Workplace Ethics for Lawyers | 11:10am – 12:10pm 

• How to distinguish between effective representation and professional dealings to behavior that that crosses the line into bullying and harassment
• How to identify the ethical rules that govern lawyer conduct and particularly prohibit bullying
• How to understand the extent of bullying within the profession and how it impacts all stakeholders dealing with lawyers
• How to develop skills to handle bullies ethically and effectively to protect yourself and others
• How to create a toolkit to protect yourself and your organization from potential malpractice and disciplinary action due to lawyer misconduct that targets colleagues, clients, adversaries and other stakeholders
• How to comply with Codes of Civility, rules of specific courts, individual judges and arbitrators