DallasHR’s Legal Exchange Conference is a unique educational event featuring expert-led legislative updates and information, delivered in a variety of interactive formats. Don’t let the sheer volume of regulations you are required to know, implement and operate within keep you up at night! Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your legal knowledge.

To start the day, join us for a mock trial in which practicing lawyers will play the roles of the employee’s lawyer and the employer’s lawyer, and an actual judge will serve as the mock trial judge. The case will center around a claim of disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act based on the employee’s mental health issues, which is a tricky and sensitive issue many employers face today. The case and the underlying facts will examine not only traditional claims of discrimination but also recognizing mental health issues in the workplace, reasonable accommodation matters and issues surrounding the requirement of engaging in the reasonable accommodation process. Attendees will observe how the actual issues they face in the workplace as HR practitioners play out in a courtroom and how the decisions and actions HR practitioners take and fail to take can affect the employer’s potential liability.

This event also includes registration to the DallasHR January Monthly Luncheon (separate registration is available), during which Ron Chapman, Jr., J.D., shareholder at Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C., and Chris Willis, vice president of human resources and general counsel at Interstate Batteries, Inc., will present on the topic of "Strategies for Effective Partnerships with Outside Counsel."

The Legal Exchange Conference will conclude with an afternoon of our Legal Round Up — hear from employment law experts in a customized experience that allows you to get the answers you need on six different hot legal topics. Each speaker will present on a pre-assigned legal topic in a small group setting and provide expert answers to your pressing legal questions before you rotate to the next topic area. You will return to the office better informed and prepared to ensure compliance.

Click here for more information, event schedule and registration.

The HRSouthwest Conference will take place Oct. 16 – 19, 2016, at the Fort Worth Convention Center. If you are interested in presenting and would like to receive notification of when the speaker portal opens for submissions, click here.

Sponsorship & Exhibitor Inquiries for HRSWC

If you are interested in receiving information about 2016 sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities at The HRSouthwest Conference, click here. The nation’s premier regional HR event and state of Texas SHRM Conference will take place Oct. 16 – 19 at the Fort Worth Convention Center, attracting almost 2,500 attendees.

2015 Sessions from HRSWC Now Available On-Demand

The most captivating educational sessions from The HRSouthwest Conference are now available on-demand through the Online Learning Center.* Get connected to recorded sessions with the presenter’s voice synchronized to their PowerPoint presentation — anytime, anywhere, at your convenience.

Conference attendees receive a discounted full-access package rate of $139 or $39 per individual session. The non-attendee full-access package rate is $299 or $59 per individual session. Earn re-certification credits and explore these HRCI- and SHRM-approved sessions for insight into the hot topics and leading-edge trends in the HR community. 2015 sessions will be available until Sept. 1, 2016.

Coastal Bend SHRM held their inaugural HR Excellence Awards on December 3, 2015, at the Holiday Inn Downtown Marina in Corpus Christi. Over 15 awards were presented to medium, large and small businesses.

What a wonderful wrap-up to an outstanding year for the chapter! Special thank you to the committee: Cinia Clarich (Chair); Jerry Henry (Chapter President); Vicki Daniels (President-Elect); Toni Nerren (VP Community Outreach); Kiwana Denson (VP Marketing); Leslie Vlisides (Past President); Leila Gallegos (Past President); Kimberly McVisser; Christie Montalvo; Shelly Nelson.

In addition, thank you to our wonderful sponsors:

Reception Sponsor – Bukaty Companies; Awards Sponsors - Kleberg Bank and Corpus Christi Harley Davidson

Gold Sponsors – LK Jordan, Valero (Bill Greehey Refineries), The Results Companies

Silver Sponsors – Borden Insurance, Voestalpine, Carlisle Insurance

Bronze Sponsors – USS Lexington, TPCO America Corporation, The City of Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority, Serco

Proceeds from the event assisted the chapter in providing funds for the Chief Floyd Simpson Memorial Leadership Scholarship and the SHRM Foundation.

For more picture of the event like us on Facebook.

The program focused on utilizing EPSHRM members to help our community prepare for the workforce based on the expectations we use in our own organizations. Although the program assisted high school and college graduates, as well as soldiers, it also included a different population: those who are learning to live on their own after being battered and abused by their spouse.

EPSHRM partnered with our local Center Against Sexual and Family Violence (CASFV) center to assist with resume writing and mock interviews of their residents. Throughout the year, multiple work sessions were provided to men and women in hopes of helping them regain confidence as they prepared to care for themselves after relying for years on an abusive spouse. EPSHRM also worked with its membership to coordinate job opportunities for these residents, and collect clothing donations for them to use during interviews. Because of the diverse membership within EPSHRM, skilled and qualified attorneys, along with the local EEOC office, also lent a helping hand free of charge!

EPSHRM applied the same resume-writing and mock interview efforts with the local school districts, the University of Texas at El Paso, and Ft. Bliss. Our goal was to assist our community in preparing for the workforce, and regardless of the customer we served, EPSHRM successfully educated many El Pasoans to develop the tools, and confidence, they needed to WORK!

El Paso was grateful to accept this award amongst its fellow Texas members, but even more excited to sharein the award with two other TXSHRM members: SAHRMA and TXSHRM itself! It was definitely a clean sweep for Texas that day....yee haw!