Dispute Resolution Section & Labor and Employment Law Section Spring 2026 Meeting

10:30 a.m. – 10:35 a.m. Welcome and Introduction

William H. Crosby Jr., Esq. 

Chair for Dispute Resolution Section 

The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc.

New York, NY 

Abigail Levy, Esq.

Chair for Labor & Employment Section 

NYC Office Of Collective Bargaining

New York, NY 

10:35 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. Dispute Resolution In The Age Of Remote Work: Resolving Disputes Across Screens And Borders

Virtual Workplaces, Virtual Disputes - How DR Adapts to the Changing World of Work. The rapid expansion of hybrid and remote workforces has created new categories of workplace disputes and reshaped how those disputes arise, escalate, and are resolved. This session examines both the substantive employment law issues and the practical dispute resolution challenges presented by digital and virtual workplaces, including the evolving legal obligations of employers, shifting employee expectations, changes in organizational culture, and the impact of technology on conflict and its resolution.

Speaker: 

Amy Melican, Esq.

Tapestry

1.5 Credits in Areas of Professional Practice

11:50 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Break 

12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Changes at the NLRB and Expanding the Use of Mediation in the Collective Bargaining Process

A discussion of recent changes at the federal National Labor Relations Board and how it impacts your practice. Panel will review significant NLRB key decisions that issued under the Biden Board and pending Circuit Court of Appeals litigation seeking to overrule some of these decisions including the Thryv decision expanding backpay remedies and the Cemex decision changing the rules for union organizing. The panel will discuss possible changes under the current Trump Board with the newly installed Board Members and General Counsel. Also, the Panel will discuss the benefits of incorporating mediation clauses along with the traditional grievance arbitration provisions included in collective bargaining agreements that can result in improving labor relations and provide more expeditious resolutions.

Speakers: 

Barry Peek, Esq.

Scheinman Arbitration and Mediation Services

Kimberly Lehman, Esq.

Levy Ratner

New York, NY

Peter Jones, Esq.

Bond Schoeneck & King

Syracuse, New York

1.5 Credits in Areas of Professional Practice

1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Lunch With Keynote Speaker

Speaker:  TBD

2:15 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Managing Mass Employment Arbitration: Perspectives from Arbitrators, Administrators, And Advocates

Topic Description: TBD

Speaker: 

Ann Lesser, Esq. 

American Arbitration Association

New York, New York 

1.5 Credits in TBD

3:30 p.m. – 3:40 p.m. Break

3:40 p.m. – 4:35 p.m. Self-Represented Parties: Fairness, Neutrality, And Advocacy In Employment Mediation And Arbitration

When self-represented (pro se) parties appear in employment and labor disputes — from mediation sessions to mandatory arbitration hearings — both neutrals and advocates face significant ethical and practical challenges. Mediators and arbitrators must maintain neutrality and impartiality while ensuring fairness, informed consent, and access to justice for unrepresented individuals. Attorneys may face questions about professional conduct and the boundaries of advocacy in an imbalanced proceeding. This session explores how ethical standards and professional responsibilities intersect — and sometimes collide — when one side lacks legal representation in employment and labor ADR processes.

Moderator: 

David C. Singer, Esq.

Singer ADR Neutral Services

Speakers: 

Al Feliu, Esq. 

Feliu Neutral Services LLC

Carol Heckman, Esq.

Lippes Mathias, LLP

Louis DiLorenzo, Esq.

Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC

1.0 Credits in Ethics

4:35 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Q&A

4:45 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. Reception