Procopio 2026 Labor & Employment Seminar

Calling All California Employers: Procopio's Annual Labor & Employment Seminar is back with a timely program designed to help employers prepare for the workplace challenges ahead.

Join Procopio's Labor & Employment attorneys for an afternoon focused on the court decisions, new laws, compliance risks, and workplace issues California employers need to know heading into 2027. From the latest developments in discrimination and retaliation law to wage and hour compliance and increasingly complex accommodation requests, our attorneys will translate the law into practical guidance employers can put to work.

RSVP today to secure your ticket and guarantee your seat. Limited spots available. Tickets include: Entrance to the half-day seminar, boxed lunch, parking, and a hosted reception with beer, wine and appetizers immediately following the program.

AGENDA:

12:30 - 1:00 p.m. | Registration and Boxed Lunch
1:00 - 4:45 p.m. | Program (Sessions 1-4)
4:45 - 6:00 p.m. | Networking Reception

Session 1: Employment Law Update 2026: New Rules, New Risks, and What California Employers Need to Know
Presenters: Wendy Tucker and Eva Adel
California employment law continued to evolve in 2026, with significant court decisions and new legislation affecting employers across the state. This session will cover the year's most important developments involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, whistleblower protections, hiring and termination practices, and other emerging employment issues. Wendy Tucker and Eva Adel will cut through the legal complexity to explain what these developments mean in practice and identify concrete steps employers should consider as they update policies, make employment decisions, and prepare for 2027.
Session 2: Wage and Hour 2026: What California Employers Need to Get Right
Presenter: Marie Burke Kenny
California wage and hour compliance continues to present significant challenges for employers, as seemingly small mistakes can create substantial exposure. This session will focus on the issues employers need to get right, including meal and rest period policies and practices, regular rate calculations, exempt classification, wage statements, and other recurring wage and hour compliance issues. Drawing on recent court decisions and lessons from the litigation trenches, Marie Burke Kenny will highlight common practices that continue to generate costly class and PAGA litigation and practical strategies employers can use to reduce risk.
Session 3: When Work Doesn't Fit the Mold: Managing Leave, Accommodation, and the Modern Workplace
Presenters: Marina Gruber and Gina Miller
Employers are facing increasingly complex accommodation decisions. Intermittent and extended leaves, remote and hybrid work requests, modified work schedules, medical restrictions, religious accommodations, and nuanced requests for accommodation can leave employers struggling to determine what the law actually requires. Drawing on recent cases and their counseling practice, Marina Gruber and Gina Miller will address when the interactive process is triggered, what constitutes a reasonable accommodation or undue hardship, and how employers can enforce legitimate attendance and performance expectations while meeting their legal obligations.
Session 4: The Legal Lightning Round: Your Employment Questions Answered
Our panel of experienced employment attorneys is ready for rapid-fire questions on the workplace issues confronting California employers. From wage and hour compliance and accommodation challenges to arbitration agreements, workplace investigations, remote employees, and new legal developments, this fast-moving moderated discussion will focus on practical answers to real-world employment questions.

Networking Reception
Enjoy hosted drinks and hors d'oeuvres while connecting with our Labor & Employment attorneys and fellow attendees. The reception is the perfect opportunity to continue the conversation, ask our presenters questions that may not have been addressed during the program, and mingle with colleagues and industry peers.

*This seminar is approved for 2.5 HRCI and SHRM credit and pending approval for up to 2.5 California General Participatory MCLE.