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Capacity crowd at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City on April 16, 2014.

EmployerLINC 2014 continued the perennial trend of record-setting registrations for the annual labor, employment and employee benefits seminar presented by McAfee & Taft. Registration for the Oklahoma City seminar was even closed early when the event reached capacity two weeks before the original registration deadline. More than 1,000 business owners, executives, human resources professionals and benefits managers signed up to attend, resulting in a capacity crowd at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City on April 16 and a near-capacity crowd at the Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center in Tulsa on April 17, 2014.

This year’s theme, “In Compliance, Out of Court,” focused on arming employers with the knowledge and practical advice they need to comply with a significant number of state and federal laws that govern the workplace, thereby preventing (or minimizing) costly and time-consuming litigation, investigations and audits. Any employer who’s ever been targeted for an agency investigation or audit, threatened with fines or penalties, or hit with a lawsuit will agree that an ounce of prevention really is worth a pound of cure. The steps taken to stay in compliance now can most assuredly help employers stay out of serious trouble later.

Hosted by McAfee & Taft’s Labor and Employment Group, the morning session featured six 25-minute presentations focusing on key compliance issues commonly encountered during the pre-employment, employment and post-termination phases. Featured presenters during the morning session included attorneys Paul Ross, Phil Bruce, Kathy Neal, Sharolyn Whiting-Ralston, Charlie Plumb, Elizabeth Bowersox, Natalie Ramsey, Josh Solberg, Tony Puckett, Kristin Simpsen, Michael Lauderdale and Josh Cline.

The afternoon session, hosted by McAfee & Taft’s Employee Benefits Group, featured three presentations focusing on the latest updates and “must-know” guidance concerning health care reform as well as company-sponsored qualified retirement and health and welfare plans. Featured presenters during the afternoon session included attorneys Brandon Long, Alison Patel, Barbara Klepper, John Papahronis and Jim Prince.

McAfee & Taft is one of the nation’s 250 largest law firms as ranked by the National Law Journal and serves clients locally, nationally and internationally in the areas of aviation, business law, corporate and securities, employee benefits, entertainment law, environmental law, healthcare, intellectual property, labor and employment, litigation, oil and gas, real estate and tax and family wealth. The firm employs nearly 350 Oklahomans, including 182 attorneys, and has offices in both Oklahoma City and Tulsa.