Proper Documentation that Will Stand Up in Court

As a labor and employment law attorney, you are always reviewing documentation that supports your client’s version of what happened.  As a human resource professional, you look at documentation so that you can approve a termination recommended by the supervisor.  But as a supervisor, your focus is usually more on getting production done, and you “forget” to document that you had to tell a subordinate three times to do a task.  You put off doing those performance appraisals.  What are they used for anyway?  And, as a supervisor, you are often documenting misconduct or performance issues of someone you once worked side by side.  Is documentation easy?  No.  Is it critical?  Yes.  But how do you do it right?  As a labor and employment law attorney, you are always reviewing documentation that supports your client’s version of what happened.  As a human resource professional, you look at documentation so that you can approve a termination recommended by the supervisor.  But as a supervisor, your focus is usually more on getting production done, and you “forget” to document that you had to tell a subordinate three times to do a task.  You put off doing those performance appraisals.  What are they used for anyway?  And, as a supervisor, you are often documenting misconduct or performance issues of someone you once worked side by side.  Is documentation easy?  No.  Is it critical?  Yes.  But how do you do it right? 

In this program, you’ll learn how to:

• Why policies and procedures are an important part of documentation.
• What policies/procedures are legally required before misconduct occurs. 
• What policies/procedures are recommended before misconduct occurs.
• Can you discipline if you don’t have a policy/procedure with regard to a particular problem.
• Why not understanding the difference between misconduct/performance can hurt you in documentation.
• How to fill out a performance appraisal properly.
• Real life lessons from actual court cases – what went right in documentation?
• Real life lesions from actual court cases -- what went wrong in documentation? 
• How and when to dispose of documents.
• What a document retention program should contain. 

Who will Benefit:

• Human Resource Professionals
• Benefit Professionals 
• Managers 
• Supervisors 
• Training
• In-house counsel 
• Financial Officers
• CEOs

Susan Fahey Desmond

Susan Fahey Desmond is a partner with Jackson Lewis, LLP, which has offices in over 54 cities across the United States. She has been representing management in all aspects of labor in employment law since 1985. She is listed in Best Lawyers in America and has been named by Chamber USA as one of America’s Leading Business Lawyers for labor and employment law. She is also listed in Mid-South Super Lawyers and Louisiana Super Lawyers.