Whistleblower lawyer Jason Zuckerman will speak at a NELA webinar on September 30, 2015 about Recent Developments In Whistleblower Law.
Recently there have been many significant developments in whistleblower reward and protection laws. This webinar will focus on 10 recent developments, including:
- Trends in jury verdicts in federal and state whistleblower litigation and practice tips for litigating and trying whistleblower retaliation claims;
- Federal appellate decisions expanding Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) protected conduct;
- Dodd-Frank whistleblower protection and the SEC’s enforcement of the anti-retaliation provision;
- The SEC’s bar against gag clauses in confidentiality agreements and policies;
- Fifth Circuit Menendez decision holding that “outing” a whistleblower is an adverse action;
- Key procedural distinctions between SOX, the False Claims Act, and Dodd-Frank whistleblower protection;
- Decisions rejecting Garcetti “duty speech” defense under federal and state whistleblower statutes;
- Damages available under federal and state whistleblower protection laws;
- Broadening scope of protected whistleblowing under the False Claims Act’s anti-retaliation provision; and
- National Defense Authorization Act whistleblower protection for employees of government contractors and grantees.
NELA’s expert faculty will address these new whistleblower protection laws and offer practical tips for representing whistleblowers.
About The Faculty
Joseph Y. Ahmad
Partner – Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing, PC
Joseph Y. Ahmad, a partner in the Houston law firm of Ahmad, Zavitsanos, Anaipakos, Alavi & Mensing P.C., is Board Certified in Labor and Employment Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. He primarily represents executives in employment-related litigation, including trade secret and non-compete cases. Mr. Ahmad also represents clients in other high profile employment-related litigation, including discrimination, harassment and retaliation cases, and traditional labor disputes. His expertise extends to all major areas of employment litigation, including the Family Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and all anti-discrimination and retaliation laws. Mr. Ahmad has been recognized nationally as one of the best lawyers in his field and was elected to the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates, an elite group of the country’s leading judges and civil trial lawyers.
Kathryn Burkett Dickson
Partner – Dickson Geesman
Kathryn Burkett Dickson is repeatedly recognized as one of California’s top employment litigators. She brings more than 35 years of litigation experience to Dickson Geesman. Most of her clients are individuals in employment discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and whistleblower actions, although she has also had notable success in several high-profile class action cases. Ms. Dickson is committed to representing the entire spectrum of employees from entry-level workers to top-level executives. She is a frequent speaker on employment issues, and has made presentations to the American Bar Association, the California State Bar Labor and Employment Section, the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA); the California Employment Lawyers Association (CELA); American Law Institute – American Bar Association (ALI-ABA); the Pacific Coast Labor and Employment Law Conference; the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; the San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association, and many others. Ms. Dickson serves as a Court-appointed Early Neutral Evaluator and Mediator for the U.S. Federal Courts. In addition, she serves on the governing Council of the American Bar Association Labor & Employment Section and is a past Board Member of both NELA and CELA, the largest national and state organizations of lawyers representing employees. Recent recognition includes her consistent annual listing among the “Top 50 Women Lawyers in Northern California” and the “Top 100 Lawyers in Northern California”—both of which cover all fields of law—and her election to the national College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Ms. Dickson was also recently identified by the Daily Journal legal newspaper as one of the top 75 Labor and Employment Lawyers in California. She is a graduate of Stanford University and the UC Hastings School of Law.
Jason Mark Zuckerman
Principal – Zuckerman Law
Jason Zuckerman is Principal of Zuckerman Law and litigates whistleblower retaliation, discrimination, and False Claims Act cases. He serves as Plaintiff Co-Chair of the Whistleblower Subcommittee of the ABA Labor and Employment Section’s Employee Rights and Responsibilities Committee and was appointed to serve on the U.S. Department of Labor Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee. Prior to founding Zuckerman Law, he served as Senior Legal Advisor to the Special Counsel at the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, the federal agency charged with protecting whistleblowers in the federal government. Mr. Zuckerman was recognized by Washingtonian magazine as a “Top Whistleblower Lawyer,” listed in The Best Lawyers in America® in the category of employment law, and listed as a SuperLawyer at SuperLawyers.com. He graduated magna cum laude from Georgetown University and received his law degree from the University of Virginia.
