Agenda
37th Wiley A. Branton Issues Symposium | In Conjunction with the Labor & Employment and Real Property, Trust & Estate Conferences
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
| Time | Session / Event |
|---|---|
| 6:00 PM | Welcome Reception Labor & Employment Conference Off Site – Promenade Tower |
Thursday, October 15, 2026
| Time | Session / Event |
|---|---|
| 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Registration All Attendees Marquis Registration Booth |
| 9:00 AM – 9:55 AM | When Workplace Investigations Go Wrong Labor & Employment Conference Marquis Salon D Workplace investigations are a critical first line of defense, but missteps can escalate routine complaints into litigation, regulatory scrutiny, or reputational harm. This panel examines common failures such as unclear scope, inadequate documentation, confidentiality lapses, and perceived bias, and how they are used to challenge the integrity of the process. Panelists will provide guidance on structuring defensible investigations, preserving privilege, and coordinating legal, HR, and communications teams to mitigate risk. |
| 9:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Election Protection/Voter Registration Community Event All Attendees Off-site |
| 10:00 AM – 10:55 AM | Reasonable or Risky? Navigating the Surge in Workplace Accommodations Labor & Employment Conference Marquis Salon DThis panel explores the growing complexity of accommodation requests under the ADA, PWFA, Title VII, and evolving state laws. It addresses key issues such as religious accommodations, mental health, pregnancy, and workplace speech, and how these can lead to claims. Panelists will offer frameworks for consistent decision-making, documentation practices, and strategies to manage enforcement risk and litigation exposure. |
| 11:00 AM – 11:55 AM | The Privacy Tightrope: Balancing Employee Data and Legal Risk Labor & Employment Conference Marquis Salon DAs organizations and their employees increasingly adopt artificial intelligence, employers and attorneys must navigate a rapidly evolving landscape of legal risk. While employee and candidate privacy remain important considerations, organizations must also address emerging regulation of AI in hiring and workforce management, enterprise AI governance, and other risks associated with workplace use of generative AI tools. This panel explores practical strategies for balancing innovation with compliance, including managing confidentiality, privilege, work product protections, and data governance obligations. Panelists will also discuss recent legal developments, ethics guidance, and litigation trends shaping the responsible use of AI in the workplace and the practice of law. |
| 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM | Lunch Break Labor & Employment Law Conference Attendees only Marquis Salon D |
| 1:05 PM – 2:00 PM | Pay Equity, Transparency, and Litigation Risk Labor & Employment Conference Marquis Salon DThis panel examines expanding pay transparency laws and pay equity trends. It focuses on pay equity laws, and privileged audits, and provides practical guidance on building defensible compensation frameworks and reducing litigation exposure. |
| 1:00 PM – 3:30 PM | NBA Board of Governors Meeting All Attendees A601 & A602 |
| 2:05 PM – 3:00 PM | Class, Collective, and Representative Actions After Arbitration Disruption Labor & Employment Conference Marquis Salon DThis panel addresses procedural strategies in large-scale employment litigation following mass arbitration trends. It focuses on certification strategy, arbitration provisions, and discovery sequencing to manage risk and cost from pleading through resolution. |
| 3:05 PM – 4:00 PM | Assessing Value, Proving Damages: A Dual Perspective on Employment Litigation Labor & Employment Conference Marquis Salon DThis session brings together defense and plaintiff perspectives on evaluating and monetizing cases, including back pay, front pay, emotional distress, and statutory penalties. It provides insights into aligning case narrative and evidence to drive outcomes in litigation and mediation. |
| 4:05 PM – 5:00 PM | Trying the Case: Modern Trial Strategy in Labor & Employment Litigation Labor & Employment Conference Marquis Salon DThis session focuses on trial strategy, including theme development, voir dire, and examination of witnesses. It highlights evidentiary decisions, use of demonstratives, and aligning trial strategy with earlier case evaluation and discovery. |
| 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM | Opening Reception All Attendees Off-site |
Friday, October 16, 2026
| Time | Session / Event |
|---|---|
| 7:00 AM – 2:00 PM | Registration All Attendees Marquis Registration Booth |
| 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM | Networking Breakfast All Attendees Marquis Salon A |
| 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM | Presidential Showcase: The New Frontier: Revolutionizing our Civil Rights Agenda! All Attendees Marquis Salon B The civil rights landscape is shifting quickly, and the strategies that secured hard-won rights may not be enough to protect them. This forward-looking conversation examines the legal and policy challenges shaping the next generation of civil rights advocacy, from algorithmic discrimination and new barriers to the ballot to the persistent racial wealth gap and shifting legal precedent. Speakers will explore how these developments test existing civil rights protections and how lawyers and leaders can rethink their tools and tactics, in the courts, in legislatures, and in their communities, to meet this moment. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of these emerging legal issues and practical strategies for building a more just and equitable future. |
| 10:00 AM – 10:55 AM | The New Discrimination Landscape: DEI, Backlash, Political Speech in the Workplace and Legal Risk Labor & Employment Conference Marquis Salon D This panel analyzes evolving enforcement trends related to discrimination, harassment, retaliation, political speech in the workplace and DEI initiatives. It covers reverse discrimination claims, shifting agency priorities, and the legal and reputational risks of DEI programs in a politically charged environment. |
| 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM | Voting in the Digital Age: AI, Disinformation, and the Integrity of Elections Wiley A Branton Issues Symposium Marquis Salon C This forward-looking session will address the new and emerging threats that artificial intelligence poses to our elections. Panelists will examine how AI can be used to spread disinformation, create deepfakes, and undermine public trust in the electoral process. They will discuss the limitations of current federal and state laws in addressing these threats, the legal considerations that arise when regulating election-related speech, and proposed legal and regulatory frameworks to protect the integrity of elections in the digital age. Attendees will gain a practical understanding of this evolving legal landscape and the role lawyers can play in safeguarding elections and protecting voters from deception. |
| 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM | Fundamentals of Building an Estate Planning Practice Real Property, Trust and Estate Conference M301 Practice model, pricing, ethics, technology, drafting platforms, intake, marketing, workflows, staffing, and client experience. |
| 11:00 AM – 11:55 AM | Blurred Lines: Joint Employment, Independent Contractors, and Liability Labor & Employment Conference Marquis Salon D This panel examines joint employment and independent contractor issues across business models and multi-entity relationships. It provides guidance on compliance, drafting agreements, and managing litigation risks in complex employment structures. |
| 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | The New Poll Tax: How Modern Restrictions Disproportionately Burden the Vote Wiley A Branton Issues Symposium Marquis Salon C Building on the historical fight against poll taxes, this session will examine modern barriers to voting that have a similar discriminatory effect. Panelists will focus on strict voter ID laws, the purging of voter rolls, and restrictions on mail-in voting, and will analyze their disproportionate impact on communities of color, seniors, and low-income voters. The discussion will explore the legal framework governing these restrictions and the challenges advocates face in contesting them. The panel will then develop legal and advocacy strategies to combat these modern-day “poll taxes” and help ensure that every eligible voter has fair and equal access to the ballot. |
| 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Estate Planning 101 Real Property, Trust and Estate Conference M301 Core documents, wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care directives, beneficiary designations, asset titling, guardianship, and probate avoidance. Election protection: Heirs’ property and election protections are intertwined with generational wealth and legislation that affects property rights. |
| 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM | Wiley A. Branton Awards Luncheon & Keynote All Attendees Marquis Salon B |
| 1:10 PM – 2:05 PM | Beyond the Company: Executive and Manager Liability in Employment Litigation Labor & Employment Conference Marquis Salon D This panel examines personal liability risks for executives, supervisors, and HR professionals. It covers indemnification, insurance, and defense strategies, as well as how individual exposure shapes investigations and litigation dynamic. |
| 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | The Ballot and the Badge: How Election Outcomes Can Reduce Police Brutality Wiley A Branton Issues Symposium Marquis Salon C This panel examines the often-overlooked connection between the ballot box and the enforcement of justice in local communities. From sheriffs and district attorneys who are directly elected, to mayors, county executives, and other officials who appoint police chiefs, prosecutors, and other key law enforcement leaders, the outcome of an election can quietly, but decisively, determine how justice is administered in a community. Panelists will explore how voter turnout, candidate selection, and civic engagement influence policing priorities, prosecutorial discretion, use-of-force policies, and community-police relations, and how appointment powers can either advance or undermine accountability and reform. The discussion will also address why local elections carry outsized influence over day-to-day law enforcement and share strategies for increasing voter education around their criminal justice implications. |
| 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM | Case Study: From Consultation to Signed Estate Plan Real Property, Trust and Estate Conference M301 A complete sample client journey covering intake, issue spotting, plan design, drafting decisions, review, signing, funding, and maintenance. |
| 2:15 PM – 3:10 PM | Trade Secrets in Flux: Federal and State Developments Shaping Enforcement Labor & Employment Conference Marquis Salon D This panel explores developments under the Defend Trade Secrets Act and evolving state laws, including issues related to damages, injunctions, and restrictive covenants. It addresses protecting confidential information in a mobile and digital workforce. |
| 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | The Trial Playbook: Fighting Police Brutality in Court Wiley A Branton Issues Symposium Marquis Salon C When police misconduct causes serious harm, the courtroom can be one of the most powerful places to seek justice and accountability. This practical session takes a trial-focused look at litigating police misconduct cases, from case evaluation and pretrial strategy through verdict. Panelists will discuss the legal framework for civil rights claims of excessive force, the challenges posed by defenses such as qualified immunity, and effective approaches to discovery, expert witnesses, and body-worn camera and other video evidence. The discussion will also cover building a compelling trial narrative and overcoming the deference jurors often give to law enforcement testimony. Attendees will leave with concrete strategies for building, presenting, and trying police brutality cases on behalf of their clients and communities. |
| 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Introduction to Advanced Branches of Estate Planning Real Property, Trust and Estate Conference M301 Rapid introductions to special needs planning, elder law, Medicaid planning, tax planning, high-net-worth planning, charitable planning, asset protection, trust administration, and international planning. |
| 3:20 PM – 4:15 PM | Immigration Enforcement in the Workplace: Raids, Audits, and Compliance Risks Labor & Employment Conference Marquis Salon D This panel focuses on workplace immigration enforcement, including I-9 inspections, audits, and raids. It provides guidance on employer obligations, compliance strategies, and managing workforce and litigation impacts. |
| 4:20 PM – 5:15 PM | Union Activity & Labor Law: Organizing, the NLRB, and Employer Risk Labor & Employment Conference Marquis Salon D This panel examines renewed union activity and evolving NLRB developments, including organizing trends, election procedures, and recent appellate decisions affecting employer compliance and strategy |
| 6:00 PM | Networking Reception All Attendees Off-site |
Saturday, October 17, 2026
| Time | Session / Event |
|---|---|
| 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM | Presidential Showcase: Sabotage: The Fight to Protect Election Results All Attendees Marquis Salon B What happens when the integrity of an election is challenged after the ballots are cast? This timely conversation examines the legal, institutional, and public challenges that can arise when election results are disputed or when efforts are made to undermine confidence in their legitimacy. Panelists will explore the legal and institutional safeguards that protect the certification process, how lawyers and election officials can respond to interference and intimidation, and the professional responsibilities of attorneys involved in post-election disputes. The conversation will close with a discussion of the role the legal profession must play in preserving public trust in the outcome of every election. |
| 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM | Voting Rights and Democracy in State Court Wiley A Branton Issues Symposium Marquis Salon C This panel will provide a detailed analysis of how state constitutional law is becoming a critical battleground for voting rights. It will examine how legal advocates are using state courts to challenge restrictive voting laws, with a focus on state constitutional provisions that protect the right to vote. Panelists will discuss recent litigation strategies, the future of redistricting fights, and how state-level advocacy differs from federal litigation, including differences in legal standards, available remedies, and strategic considerations. Attendees will come away with a deeper understanding of the role state courts play in protecting voting rights and practical insight into how state constitutional claims can be developed and advanced. |
| 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM | Succession Planning for Churches and Business Owners: The New Civil Rights Era Real Property, Trust and Estate Conference M301A signature advanced session on leadership transition, governance, business continuity, preserving community institutions, and preventing the loss of generational enterprise. |
| 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Who Is in Office Matters! The NBA Non-Partisan Political Institute Wiley A Branton Issues Symposium Marquis Salon C Who is in office matters, and lawyers have a critical role to play in shaping the policies that impact our profession and our communities. This dynamic panel will explore the importance of civic engagement, political participation, and representation while reaffirming the NBA’s commitment to nonpartisanship. Panelists will discuss pathways to elected and appointed public service, effective advocacy before policymakers, and how attorneys can use their voices and legal expertise to influence policy and strengthen democracy. The discussion will also address the professional and ethical considerations lawyers should keep in mind when engaging in political activity, seeking public office, or advocating on matters of public policy. |
| 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM | Probate Administration Real Property, Trust and Estate Conference M301 Opening an estate, fiduciary duties, creditor claims, asset collection, court compliance, distributions, closing, and how probate experience improves planning. |
