The legal profession is at a crossroads. Rising burnout, shifting cultural expectations, and the relentless pace of change have made one thing clear: wellness is no longer a “nice to have”—it’s a strategic imperative. Rachael Flanagan joins the discussion at the 7th Employee Wellness for Legal Professionals Summit in Tampa on March 3, 2026.
The session explores the current state of wellbeing across law firms and what it means for the future of work. Walk away with data and language you need to make the case for change, with possible discussion on:
- The latest research on lawyer burnout, engagement and retention
- The business case for wellness- linking culture to profitability and talent success
- What’s next: leadership accountability, hybrid challenges, the future of billable hours
For the full agenda, visit the conference site.
In an era marked by constant demands, high‑stakes litigation, and the pressures of an always‑on culture, prioritizing wellness is not optional—it’s essential. This session will offer practical guidance lawyers can use to maintain balance, reduce burnout, and sustain long‑term career resilience.
Rachael Flanagan will be presenting Keeping Well in Today’s World: Mental Health Tips at the AAJ® 2026 Winter Convention, taking place February 20–24 at the historic Hotel del Coronado. Rachael is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and wellness in the legal profession and the broader community. She serves as a member of The Florida Bar’s Mental Health & Wellness Committee and as president-elect of the Board of Directors of NAMI Palm Beach County, a leading nonprofit organization that provides education, advocacy, and support for individuals and families affected by mental illness.
The AAJ® Winter Convention brings together trial lawyers from across the country to sharpen their skills, strengthen their practices, and stand united in the fight for justice. Rachael is contributing to this year’s programming with an early‑morning session focused on one of the most critical—and too often overlooked—areas affecting today’s legal professionals: mental health and well‑being.
Michelle Yau, chair of Cohen Milstein’s ERISA & Employee Benefits practice, will be speaking at the American Bar Association’s 2026 Employee Benefits Committee Midwinter Meeting in Austin, Texas at the Omni Austin Hotel Downtown.
Her panel, Dispensing Wisdom: Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) for the ERISA Practitioner, will take place on Friday, February 6 from 8:45 to 9:45 am.
PBMs are an integral player in how most Americans with employment based health coverage receive their prescription drugs. This panel will discuss the role and responsibilities of PBMs, the basics of PBM contracts, fiduciary considerations, attempts to regulate PBMs at the state level, recent lawsuits, and whether federal regulatory or legislative PBM reform is on the horizon.
Panelists:
- Timothy Eicher, Slevin & Hart
- Mary Powell, Trucker Huss
- Catha Worthman, Feinberg Jackson
- Michelle C. Yau, Partner, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, PLLC
Karina Puttieva, an associate in Cohen Milstein’s Consumer Protection practice, spoke at the 2025 NCLC Consumer Right Litigation & Class Action Symposium on Sunday, November 16 in Washington, D.C. at the Washington Hilton.
Karina’s session will discuss evolving changes and developments in class action practice, implications and responses to appellate rulings; expansive approaches to remedies; emerging substantive areas for class litigation; ethical issues in class administration; and strategies for class trials.
Read more about the 2025 Consumer Rights Litigation Conference & Class Action Symposium.
Agnieszka Fryszman, chair of Cohen Milstein’s Human Rights practice and newly appointed 2025–2026 Robert F. Drinan, S.J., Chair in Human Rights, presented Georgetown Law’’s Drinan Lecture on Human Rights on November 13, 2025.
In “Against the Headwinds: Human Rights Lawyering in a Fractured World,” she explored how human rights lawyers can advance justice and uphold human dignity amid growing global challenges.
The Drinan Lecture on Human Rights is hosted annually in honor of Professor Robert F. Drinan, S.J. Father Drinan was a professor at Georgetown Law for more than 25 years, where he taught international human rights, and constitutional law, among other topics. He was a priest, scholar, lawyer, politician, activist, ethicist and one of the nation’s leading advocates for international human rights.
Agnieszka, the 2025–2026 Robert F. Drinan, S.J., Chair in Human Rights, is one of the nation’s preeminent human rights litigators and founder of the Human Rights practice at Cohen Milstein. For more than two decades, she has been at the forefront of landmark litigation on behalf of survivors of grave human rights abuses.
Agnieszka’s achievements have earned wide recognition, including the National Law Journal’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Public Justice’s Trial Lawyer of the Year, and the Human Trafficking Legal Center’s Advocate of the Year, among other honors.
Watch Agnieszka’s Drinan Lecture, “Against the Headwinds: Human Rights Lawyering in a Fractured World,” in full on Georgetown Law’s Human Rights Institute website.
Agnieszka Fryszman, chair of Cohen Milstein’s Human Rights practice, will speak at the University of Michigan Law School’s Transnational Law Conference: Forced Labor, Trafficking, and Recruitment: Measuring Progress in the Movement for Equitable Supply Chains on November 7, 2025 at 2 pm.
Fryszman will speak on Panel V: Legal Strategies.
Marking 25 years since the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the UN Trafficking in Persons Protocol, this year’s Transnational Law Symposium will examine progress and persistent gaps in combating slavery and trafficking.
Amid global retrenchment, rising anti-immigrant sentiment, and protectionist labor and trade policies, the 2025 Symposium will evaluate the successes and failures of anti-trafficking law and, through the lens of labor recruitment, explore principles and standards to promote exploitation-free supply chains and worksites.
Douglas McNamara, a partner of the firm’s Consumer Protection practice, will be speaking at the Sedona Conference® Working Group 11 Midyear Meeting 2025 on Data Security and Privacy Liability. The session, “Application of Attorney-Client Privilege in the Cybersecurity Context: The Latest Developments”, features McNamara and the other speakers will lead a dialogue on the most recent case law in relation to cybersecurity.
This session will focus on the latest case law in key areas regarding privilege in the cybersecurity context, including: (a) entity specific guidance including with regard to insurer/insureds, service providers/vendors, joint defense groups/joint common interest groups, agency/affiliate relationships, and communications between different/unrelated companies on areas of mutual interest/risk; and (b) exploration of the difference between business and legal advice, including, but not limited to, in the context of PR work in response to a cyber-incident.
The meeting will be held at the Sonesta Fort Lauderdale Beach in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on Friday, November 7, 2025 at 10:30 am.
The Sedona Conference® Working Group Series was established to pursue in-depth study of tipping point issues in the areas of antitrust law, complex litigation, intellectual property rights, and data security and privacy law, with the goal of producing high-quality, nonpartisan commentary and guidance of immediate, practical benefit to the bench and bar.
See the full slate of speakers and topics.
Agnieszka Fryszman, chair of Cohen Milstein’s Human Rights practice, has been invited by the University of Cincinnati Foundation to give the keynote address at the fourth annual Access to Justice Symposium on Friday September 26, 2025 at Memorial Hall
The symposium includes presentations from local and national legal experts.
Event speakers include:
- Agnieszka Fryszman, Human Rights Law, chair and founder of the Human Rights practice at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC
- Shannon Price, UC College of Law Visiting Professor and Audrey Woodward, a recent UC Law Graduate
- Professor Eric Miller, Professor of Law, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles California.
- Christian Ketter, Attorney at Law and Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Law.
- Panel Presentation moderated by Lindsay Baruffa of the Hamilton County Help Center, with participation from:
- Judge Kari Bloom, Hamilton County Juvenile Court
- Candice Tolbert, Executive Director, Super Seeds
- Stephanie Moes, Managing Attorney, Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio
Learn more about the Access to Justice Symposium.
Poorad Razavi, a partner of the firm’s Complex Tort practice, will be speaking at the ABA’s Tort Trial Insurance Practice Session for the ADR Summit 2025 on September 16, 2025 at 10:30 am.
The panel, “What Plaintiffs and Defendants and In-House Attorneys Want From Their Mediators” will provide the perspectives of a plaintiff’s lawyer, a defense lawyer, a mediator and an in-house lawyer. Razavi and the other panelists will discuss their expectations of mediators, how they prepare for mediation and recommended techniques for mediation.
The program will be held at DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, Illinois.
Dana Busgang, an associate in Cohen Milstein’s Civil Rights & Employment practice has been invited by The National Employment Lawyers Association to speak law students and other future plaintiff-side worker rights lawyers on September 9, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. ET via Zoom.
Dana joins the program, The Fight for Workers’ Rights—An Introduction to the Plaintiffs’ Employment Bar, to explore how plaintiffs’ employment lawyers can be a powerful force for progressive change. Panelists will share their insights into the life of a workers’ rights advocate and how employment law intersects with broader movements for civil rights, gender equity, immigrant justice, and LGBTQ+ rights. Panelists will also highlight the diverse areas of practice within employment law and offer practical strategies for maximizing law school experiences—from course selection to internships.
This program is part of NELA’s commitment to cultivating the next generation of workers’ rights champions. Let’s build a future where every workplace reflects justice, opportunity, and respect.