Event Details

10 MYTHS ABOUT EMPLOYMENT LAW DEBUNKED

The maze of federal, state, and local laws governing employment relationships has grown so complex that even sophisticated companies often hold crucial misperceptions about their legal obligations to employees. Neil H. Dishman, an employment lawyer with Jackson Lewis P.C., knows what these common myths are, as his business is counseling employers on how to correct them – and defending the employee lawsuits that ensue if they aren’t corrected. In this presentation, Mr. Dishman will share his experiences in addressing the most common mistakes that even large companies make, so that attendees can protect their companies from the sametraps. Some of the common myths to be discussed include:

 The misunderstanding of what “at-will employment” means and what little protection it actually provides employers

 The assumption that white-collar, college-educated employees are naturally exempt from FLSA overtime requirements

 The “probationary period” at the beginning of employment: superfluous at best, misleading at worst

 Rationalizations that employers use to excuse themselves from fully addressing complaints of harassment

Neil H. Dishman is a Shareholder in the Chicago, IL office of Jackson Lewis P.C., a national law firm representing management exclusively in workplace law and related litigation.  His business is helping employers prevent and resolve disputes with their employees. 

Mr. Dishman helps employers reduce risk and minimize legal costs by giving advice on difficult personnel decisions before litigation ensues.  When litigation is unavoidable, he helps employers protect their assets and reputations by vigorously and efficiently defending them from employee lawsuits.  Mr. Dishman counsels and defends employers on a wide spectrum of issues, including race, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability and sexual-orientation discrimination; sexual harassment; retaliatory discharge; Family and Medical Leave; and wage-hour compliance.  He assists employers in a wide variety of industries, with particular experience in the property management, non-profit, manufacturing, and health-care fields. 

Mr. Dishman has garnered the accolades of his peers for his work in advising and defending employers.  He was named to the 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 Best Lawyers in America lists, and he has been named to the annual list of “Rising Stars” by Super Lawyers magazine, a distinction accorded to no more than 2.5% of Illinois lawyers, in every year from 2009 to the present.  In 2015, he was also identified as an “Emerging Lawyer” by the Law Bulletin Publishing Company’s Leading Lawyers division, an award earned by less than 2% of Illinois lawyers.  Mr. Dishman also won second place in the Lincoln Award Contest, a legal-writing contest sponsored by the Young Lawyers Division of the Illinois State Bar Association.  His winning entry, Deadline Extensions in Federal Court: The Procrastinator’s Guide, was published in the Illinois Bar Journal.  Mr. Dishman is also the author of several other publications on employment law, civil procedure, and practice development, including:

• “The Power of Being a ‘Joiner’: How a Young Lawyer Can Generate New Business by Joining a Trade Association,” The Whisper (a publication of DRI’s Young Lawyers Committee)
• “Five Things a Young Lawyer Can Do Now to Make It Rain,” The Whisper
• “What Every Defense Attorney Should Know About Wage and Hour Law,” In-House Defense Quarterly
• ”Gender Identity: The New Frontier of Employment Law,” The Job Description
• “The Search for Illegal Workers: When Homeland Security Comes Knocking” (co-authored with Minnie Fu), Illinois Bar Journal
• “The Expanding Rights of Transsexuals in the Workplace,” The Labor Lawyer
• “Defending the Lack of Interest Defense: Why Title VII Should Recognize Differing Job Interests Between the Sexes,” George Mason University Civil Rights Law Journal

In addition to his published works, Mr. Dishman is committed to educating the human-resources community on key issues in employment law.  To that end, he is a frequent speaker on employment-law topics, having given over twenty seminars to various business groups in just the last two years.  Mr. Dishman has also served as a guest lecturer at Wheaton College and Oakton Community College, and he was interviewed on WDCB Public Radio (90.9 FM) about trends in wage-hour litigation.

Mr. Dishman earned his Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Hanover College, and his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from the University of Michigan Law School.  Prior to joining Jackson Lewis, he served as a law clerk to the Honorable Roger B. Cosbey, U.S. Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana.

Mr. Dishman is a member of DRI – The Voice of the Defense Bar, where he is active in the Employment Law Committee.  He resides with his wife, two daughters, and son in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, where he is an active member of the community, including his recent service on the boards of directors of both the Human Resources Association of Greater Oak Brook, as Legislative Director, and the Glen Ellyn Economic Development Corporation, as President.  Outside of the law and his family, his passions are playing basketball, backpacking through our national forests, and mastering the art of “low and slow” barbecue cooking.

Reservations not cancelled 24 hours prior to the meeting will be charged the cost of the meal.