Employer Training

In the courtroom, the attorneys of Cornell Smith Mierl Brutocao Burton, LLP persuade juries through the presentation of evidence and argument. Out of the courtroom, we counsel employers on employment law compliance and guide them through their most difficult employment situations. In training, we incorporate our experiences both in and out of the courtroom to address the most common mistakes that lead to employment disputes and create bad evidence.

Training for Management

Management training is the key to preventing employment lawsuits and to building positive evidence of the employer’s compliance efforts. This is particularly true in the area of harassment training.

After our on-site presentations, human resource professionals often express amazement that while they have been saying the same thing for years, the message really seemed to sink in when made by a trial lawyer. Certainly, any presentation is more powerful when real life examples from the courtroom are presented in lieu of hypotheticals. True stories of managers being cross-examined on inflated evaluations and poor documentation tend to make a significant impression, particularly when coupled with a list of the employment laws that allow an ex-employee to sue their manager individually as well as the company.

Training for Non-Management

Clients frequently engage our attorneys to present training for their non-management staff on a variety of topics, such as discrimination, harassment, respect in the workplace, implicit bias, and interviewing. Training can cover multiple topics and be tailored to the client’s specific workforce. For clients with employees in California, the training complies with state law requirements.

Workshops for HR Professionals

Large employers invite our attorneys to assist with on-site training of their human resource team in specifically targeted areas to expand their team’s already existing knowledge base and skills. Like in management training, Cornell Smith Mierl Brutocao Burton can tailor a program in response to the individual interests of your workforce and the time available. Topics can be combined and presented either in lecture style or in an interactive workshop.

Presentations for HR Professionals

In addition to in-house workshops, our attorneys are frequent speakers on a wide variety of issues that are of particular interest to human resource professionals.

Presentations for Associations

The attorneys of Cornell Smith Mierl Brutocao Burton have addressed with a variety of industry and professional associations in the context of annual conventions, seminars, and regular meetings. The topics are varied and geared to the make-up of the specific interests of the audience.

Attorney Continuing Legal Education

Cornell Smith Mierl Brutocao Burton attorneys frequently serve as faculty members in continuing legal education programs sponsored around the state by the State Bar of Texas, the University of Texas School of Law, the University of Houston Law Foundation, as well as various sections of the local bar association.

Recent Training Topics

  • HR on Trial: Internal Investigations and their Impact on Trial Success
  • Update on Recent FLSA Litigation Decisions
  • Current Trends and Issues Concerning Social Media and Employees
  • RIF Alternatives
  • Complex Leaves of Absence
  • Social Media and the Workplace – What Can, Should and Must You Do (And What You Need to Avoid)
  • Avoiding Litigation for High Growth Companies
  • Where Immigration and Employment Law Collide
  • Avoiding the Pitfall — Legal Issues HR Professionals Face When Hiring Employees: Americans with Disabilities Act, Genetic Information Non-Discrimination Act, Social Media, Discrimination, and Everything
  • Addictions and the ADA: Practical Workplace Strategies for Dealing With Employees With Addictions
  • Workplace Bullying: What Is It and Why Do We Care?