Constangy Attorneys Present Legal Update to Western North Carolina Human Resource Association
Constangy attorneys Nia Doaks, Rodrigo Pocasangre, Robin Shea, Missy Spainhour and Jon Yarbrough will present employment law updates to the Western North Carolina Human Resources Association on May 17. The presentation will be held in-person at the Double Tree in Asheville, NC and virtually.
The workshop, “Step Right Up: Experience the Employment Law Fair,” will cover a number of topics including recent developments in employment law, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), managing and investigating harassment claims, employee accommodations, and ethics for HR professionals.
Nia has experience counseling businesses on a variety of labor and employment law matters under federal and state law and representing clients in litigation and proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Nia also has experience representing clients in grievance and arbitration proceedings. In addition to her labor and employment law practice, prior to joining Constangy, Nia oversaw a business immigration practice and counseled employers on immigration law issues as well as filed immigrant and non-immigrant visa petitions. Her educational background allows her to better understand and support the intersection of clients’ business and legal needs. Nia’s previous experience, client relationship and leadership skills give her a unique skill set to serve Constangy’s clients.
Rodrigo has a well-rounded knowledge base because he has practiced in several different practice areas such as criminal defense, general litigation, and employment law. Rodrigo has experience in multiple courts including trial level state and federal courts and he has also appeared before the North Carolina Court of Appeals and the North Carolina Supreme Court. Because he previously practiced criminal defense, Rodrigo has actual courtroom experience derived from being in court almost every day for over a decade. Before joining Constangy, Rodrigo represented employees in lawsuits against their employers for claims such as wage and hour, race and national origin discrimination, age discrimination, and disability discrimination. Having been on the other side of the courthouse representing plaintiffs gives Rodrigo a unique skill set and point of view that he can now apply on behalf of employers facing similar claims.
Robin has more than 30 years' experience counseling employers and representing them before government agencies and in employment litigation involving Title VII and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, the Equal Pay Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act, as well as similar state laws. She also conducts training for human resources professionals, management, and employees on a wide variety of topics. Robin is editor in chief of Constangy’s legal bulletins and its four law blogs Affirmative Action Alert, California Snapshot, Cyber Advisor, and Employment & Labor Insider.
Missy is a seasoned labor & employment attorney who devotes herself to understanding the business and objectives of each of client, then applying her knowledge and experience to fit each client’s unique needs. Missy litigates on behalf of employers of all sizes and, sometimes, on behalf of individual supervisors who find themselves caught in the litigation crossfire. Her broad employment litigation experience ranges from discrimination, harassment, whistleblowing, and retaliation to wage and hour matters (including collective and class action matters) to breach of contract issues to restrictive covenants (such as non-compete and non-solicitation agreements) and trade secrets issues to claims of Constitutional violations under the U.S. and N.C. Constitutions and shareholder and LLC member disputes to ERISA litigation. She also litigates the gamut of state law claims associated with the employment relationship, including defamation, infliction of emotional distress, wrongful discharge, tortious interference with contract, assault & battery, breach of fiduciary duty, and unfair & deceptive trade practices.
Jon’s practice includes providing advice and counsel to employers on compliance with federal and state employment laws, including the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and wage and hour laws. He also assists federal contractors with affirmative action planning and compliance. Jon has successfully represented employers in a wide variety of employment related lawsuits and charges brought before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, and the United States and North Carolina Departments of Labor, and before state and federal courts in North Carolina and Tennessee. He has also successfully defended whistleblower charges before OSHA and before Administrative Law Judges of the United States Department of Labor.
