Caroline Bressman, an associate in our ERISA/Employee Benefits practice, has been invited to speak at The National Employment Lawyers Association’s 40th Annual NELA Convention at the Marriott Baltimore Waterfront in Baltimore, Maryland on June 28th, 2025.   

Caroline’s panel, “What Employment Lawyers Should Know About ERISA”, is scheduled for Saturday, June 28th at 9:15 am EST.   

The panel will discuss how to spot ERISA issues in employment cases, including long-term disability, and how to take ERISA benefits into account when negotiating severance agreements or settlements. Panelists will also tackle identifying ERISA dilemmas in employment cases, such as long-term disability and factoring ERISA benefits into account while negotiating severance settlements or agreements.   

Moderator: David Yellin, Lead Attorney at AARP Foundation 
Panelists:   

  • Scott M. Riemer, Founding Partner at Reimer Hess LLC 
  • Caroline E. Bressman, Associate at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll 

Read Caroline Bressman Speaks on Employment Law Fundamentals at the 40th Annual NELA Convention 

Aniko R. Schwarcz, Director of Civil Rights and Employment Case Development, has been invited to speak at the National Employment Lawyers Association at the Marriott Baltimore Waterfront in Baltimore, Maryland from June 25-28th, 2025. 

Aniko’s panel program, Protecting Workers in Uncertain Times: Representing LGBTQ+ Clients, Cultural Sensitivities, Litigation Strategies and Creative Remedies, is scheduled for Friday, June 27th at 12:30 pm EST.  

Aniko’s session will discuss representing cultural complexities and nuances regarding the threats that LBGTQ+ clients face in the current era. The panelists will unpack the significance of building trust with clients and providing practical advice for educating judges and opposing counsel about the gender identities of represented clientele. This session is essential to learning how to effectively advocate for the rights of individual workers who identify as being part of the LGBTQ+ communities. 

Speakers: 

  • Hayden DePorter, Employment Law Attorney, HKM Employment Lawyers LLP  
  • Allegra Fishel, Founder and Executive Director, Gender Equality Law Center 
  • Aniko R. Schwarcz, Director of Civil Rights and Employment Case Development, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, PLLC 

Christine Webber, co-chair of our Civil Rights & Employment practice, has been invited to speak at the National Employment Lawyers Association at the Marriott Baltimore Waterfront in Baltimore, Maryland from June 25-28th, 2025.  

Christine’s panel program, Transforming the Workplace: AI, Technology, and State Legislation, is scheduled for Friday, June 27th at 3:00 pm EST.  

Christine’s panel will discuss state laws governing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in the workplace. Since there is no federal law establishing guidelines on AI technology implementation in the work environment, it’s up to states to address on a state-by-state basis. Employment lawyers must work to ensure that AI does not become another tool of systemic discrimination.  

Moderator: Shelby Leighton, Senior Attorney, Public Justice

Panelists:  

  • Matthew U. Scherer, Senior Policy Counsel, Workers’ Rights and Technology 
  • Christine E. Webber, Partner, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, PLLC  

Laura Posner, a partner in Cohen Milstein’s Securities Litigation & Investor Protection practice, has been invited to speak at the 2025 National Association of Shareholder & Consumer Attorneys (NASCAT) Annual Meeting on May 1, 2025 in New York.

Laura joins a distinguished panel of legal scholars, including Columbia Law School’s Professor Joshua Mitts, Robert Rothman and Christine Fox, to discuss the recent Supreme Court decision in Slack Technologies, LLC., et al. v. Fiyyaz Pirani, and lower court decisions in its wake. 

With fellow panelist Professor Mitts, Professor John C. Coffee, Jr. also from Columbia Law School, and fellow Cohen Milstein partner, Carol V. Gilden, Laura submitted an amicus brief in Slack Technologies, which demonstrated how tracing can be established.

Laura, who previously served as the top securities regulator for New Jersey, has recovered billions on behalf of defrauded investors, including obtaining 6 of the top 100 securities settlements of all time.  Laura is the current President of ILEP, a member of the Public Policy Council of the CFP Board, the immediate past Chair and a current member of the NYC Bar Securities Litigation Committee, and the former Head of Enforcement for the North American Securities Administrator Association. 

Aniko R. Schwarcz, Director of Civil Rights and Employment Case Development, has been invited to moderate a panel program at by Workplace Fairness’ Advocacy In Action: Conference & Fundraiser on May 1, 2025. The half-day conference will start at starting at 2:30 p.m. and the fundraiser at 5:15 p.m.  The program will be hosted at Outten & Golden in Washington, D.C.

Aniko’s session, From Paychecks to Policy: Uniting Workers for Policy Change, will feature Maureen Conway, Vice President, Aspen Institute and Francisco Diez, Senior Campaign Strategist, Economic Justice, Popular Democracy.

The program promises to be an insightful and action-driven event that unpacks the latest legal trends, workplace rights, and the collective power of workers in shaping policy change.

Phoebe Wolfe, an associate in our Civil Rights & Employment practice, has been invited to moderate a panel program at the 2025 NELA Wage and Hour Update on March 28 at the Royal Sonesta Chase Park Plaza St. Louis at 2:30 p.m.

Phoebe’s panel program is titled, “The Nuts & Bolts of the Settlement Process.”

The panel of experienced litigators will discuss how to navigate the wage and hour settlement process. From drafting a fee petition to finding your plaintiffs, this session should give practitioners practical tips on (and common pitfalls) of a successful settlement.

Moderator: Phoebe M. Wolfe, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC

Speakers:

  • Jessica Riggin, Rukin Hyland & Riggin LLP
  • Melissa Lardo Stewart, Outten & Golden LLP

Jan Messerschmidt, a partner in our Securities Litigation & Investor Protection practice, has been invited by the D.C. Bar Association to speak at its program, Breaking Into Corporate, Finance & Securities Law: Career Insights for Aspiring Attorneys. This Zoom webinar will be hosted on April 29, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. EST.

Geared toward law students and early-career attorneys, panelists will share their career journeys, discuss key skills for success, and offer practical advice on navigating careers in the dynamic areas of corporate, finance, and securities law.

The speakers include:

  • Michelle Heisner, Partner, Global Corporate and Securities Practice Group, Baker & McKenzie LLP
  • Peter Malyshev, Partner,  Financial Services Group, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP
  • Jan Messerschmidt, Partner, Securities Litigation & Investor Protection, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC
  • Mayra Suárez, Counsel, Litigation – White Collar Defense and Investigations, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
  • Debra Sutter, Counsel, Registered Funds, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
  • Spencer Asch, Law Student, Rutgers Law School, Newark (Moderator)

The program is sponsored by the D.C. Bar Corporation, Finance and Securities Law Community. Related Communities of Interest: D.C. Bar Early Career Lawyers Community and D.C. Bar Law Student Community.

Christine Webber, co-chair of our Civil Rights & Employment practice, has been invited to speak at the ABA Labor and Employment Law National Conference on Equal Employment Opportunity Law at the Fairmont San Francisco on March 25-28, 2025.

Christine’s panel program, Strategies for Litigating EEO Class Actions, is scheduled for Thursday, March 27 at 9:00 a.m. PCT.

Her panel will discuss recent trends and developments in EEO class actions and systemic discrimination claims, including class and collective lawsuits addressing gender, race, disability, age and pay equity lawsuits. Panelists will also address notable settlements, significant decisions, as well as the impact of amendments to California’s Private Attorney General Act and other legislative developments. The panel will also explore the EEOC’s continued focus on systemic discrimination enforcement, discuss the important role expert witnesses play in the prosecution and defense of complex EEO actions, as well as share what they expect to see in the near future.

Moderator: Erin Connell, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, San Francisco, CA

Panelists:

  • Katey Foster, APT Metrics, Stamford, CT
  • Roberta L. Steele, Regional Attorney, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, San Francisco, CA
  • Christine Webber, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, PLLC, Washington, DC

Harini Srinivasan, a partner in our Civil Rights & Employment practice, has been invited to speak at the ABA Labor and Employment Law National Conference on Equal Employment Opportunity Law at the Fairmont San Francisco on March 25-28, 2025.

Harini’s panel program, EEOC Investigations: Nuts & Bolts, is scheduled for Thursday, March 27 at 10:30 a.m. PCT.

Here panel will discuss what really happens after a charge is filed, start to finish, including:

  • Utilization of the E-file portal for attorneys to file charges, selection of charges for EEOC’s mediation program, identification of potential class charges by the EEOC and whether they are treated them differently from individual charges, processing of “intake” interviews,
  • The process for Respondent position statements and rebuttals,
  • Utilization of onsite investigations and subpoenas by the EEOC,
  • The determination process, including when the EEOC finds cause, conciliation, factors that are considered by EEOC when deciding to file suit.

Moderator: Leslie Silverman, Fortney Scott, Washington, DC

Panelists:

  • Ryan Leach, Massachusetts Teachers Association, Boston, MA
  • Victoria A. Lipnic, Resolution Economics LLC, Washington, DC
  • Lisa Morelli, Director of Field Management Programs, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Washington, DC
  • Harini Srinivasan, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, Washington, DC

Ryan Wheeler, an associate in our Employee Benefits/ERISA practice, has been invited to speak at Practising Law Institute’s (PLI) ERISA Fiduciary Investment Basics 2025 on March 18 at 2:00 PM EDT.

Ryan’s panel program, titled “Fundamentals for 401(k) Plan Fiduciaries” will cover key definitions and fiduciary concepts that apply to defined contribution plans (e.g., 401(k) plans) where the participant is responsible for directing investment of his or her account.

After attending this session, participants will be able to:

  • Describe the basic fiduciary responsibilities in the context of a 401(k) plan
  • Identify how participant direction of account investments can limit fiduciary responsibility
  • Recognize the key areas of possible fiduciary liability exposure (including recordkeeping and other fees)