Stewart S. Manela, the chair of the American Bar Association's Section of Labor and Employment Law (LEL), tells Bloomberg BNA how his team planned the 6^th annual membership conference, scheduled to run Oct. 31 to Nov. 3 in Atlanta, so that it appeals to the section's diverse constituency.

The LEL section designed the conference, in part, to provide strategic ways to address questions and perspectives from all of its constituents, which means examining topics and concerns raised by attorneys who represent management, plaintiffs, unions and the government, Manela told Bloomberg BNA in this Q&A. 

According to conference organizers, more than 1,200 lawyers will convene in Atlanta for the labor and employment law conference. Several Bloomberg BNA reporters are attending the conference and will write articles on key sessions for Daily Labor Report and other BBNA publications.

In August 2012, Manela, a Washington, D.C. based-attorney, was named section chair to LEL. "October will be the end of my first quarter as the chair and it has been a full docket," he said. 

Bloomberg BNA: In a nutshell, describe your duties as chair of the LEL section.

Manela: Our members look to the LEL section as a source of information, programs and activities relating to being a lawyer who practices labor and employment law. The section chair is the person who basically "the buck stops with" to make sure that we continue to do the things that all of those members expect us to do.

The LEL section includes a terrific support staff, members of the executive leadership, which includes the section chair-elect and the two vice chairs, and members of the section council. The chair is responsible for keeping all of those balls up in the air.

Bloomberg BNA: The section's membership is basically open to all labor and employment attorneys. It's not restricted to lawyers who represent plaintiffs', unions, the government or employers, so how do you plan on serving the needs of such a diverse group at this conference?

Manela: The planning committee for this conference has been working tremendously hard since 2010. The committee consists of people who represent parties from all sides of labor and employment law.

Every panel presentation for this conference was proposed, discussed and reviewed by lawyers who were not only thinking about presenting an informative and dynamic program, but also wanted to make sure that lawyers from their constituents would get the most out of those programs. We keep that objective in the uppermost of our minds from the beginning to the end in planning the conference.

I can assure you that every program at the conference will consider and address the different perspectives of our diverse constituency. I say every program, but a few sessions didn't involve every single constituent, for instance, programs addressing internal union matters and in-house counsel planning and consulting.

Keep in mind, the LEL section represents a diverse constituency, so we really are not an organization that goes out there to advocate for employers, unions, employees, because the lawyers who are our members presented all of those groups. We are the one single organization that brings all of those different perspectives together. The members and its leadership work together so that we can become the go-to place for lawyers who want to know and understand the most interesting, controversial, and pressing developments within the labor and employment law arena.

Bloomberg BNA: Tell us about the conference programs focusing on antidiscrimination laws in the workplace.

Manela: There are about 15 tracks that we are going to be presenting in Atlanta, which includes "Discrimination and Retaliation Track" focusing on employment discrimination laws. Obviously, it's going to be an important track.

We have invited a number of top practitioners in the employment discrimination law field to participate as speakers and moderators. In addition, representing the government, we have scheduled to appear as speakers at the conference Commissioner Chai Feldblum (D) of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, its Legal Counsel Peggy R. Mastroianni and General Counsel P. David Lopez. Also, Louis Lopez, deputy chief in the employment litigation section of the Civil Rights Division at the Department of Justice and the Department of Labor's Solicitor M. Patricia Smith are participating in sessions at the conference.

We have a series of terrific programs dealing with all types of practices related to employment discrimination law, including class-action litigation, recent decisions by the Supreme Court and ways to approach litigation involving discrimination issues. The conference also includes a "Fundamentals Track", which has a session on practicing before the Office of Federal Contracts Compliance Programs.

Bloomberg BNA: Any final thoughts on being the new section chair?  

Manela: It's a challenge to continue to have a full-time practice and to handle all of the things that we deal with in the section. However, I think that's the way it has to be done. It's not something in which you can take a rest from you full-time practice. You need to stay involved with your clients and the issues that they are confronting because that helps you to understand what the section should be doing to assist its members.

Furthermore, the Supreme Court, Courts of Appeals and federal agencies are constantly addressing issues related to labor and employment law that are among the most controversial and significant of our society.

The issues that labor and employment lawyers deal with, whether we practice in the employment discrimination arena, employment litigation of wrongful discharges, affirmative action, employee benefits, or collective bargain, are on the nation's front pages week after week. As a result, it can be an extremely challenging and daunting task for labor and employment attorneys to stay abreast of the wide ranging developments that can affect our practices. The LEL section sees as its mission to help members stay informed.

More Q&As on Labor & Employment Blog