The Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the State Bar of Michigan will conduct a webinar on "The Ins and Outs of Employment and Labor Arbitration for Arbitrators and Advocates" Tuesday, August 16, from noon to 1:15 p.m. via Zoom.
Experienced arbitrators Betty Rankin Widgeon and Lee Hornberger will present an interactive discussion on the ins and outs of employment and labor arbitration. They will explore:
• What are the major differences between the two?
• How does a successful arbitrator conduct a labor arbitration as opposed to an employment arbitration?
• Are the evidence rules different?
• Are information obtaining processes different?
• How does the Federal Arbitration Act apply?
• How does the Michigan Uniform Arbitration Act apply?
• What is the Due Process Protocol and what is the Protocol's impact on employment arbitration? Is the burden of proof different in each, and, if so, why?
• Does Michigan have unique case law applicable to employment arbitration of statutory claims? How does the arbitrator prepare differently for the employment arbitration than the labor arbitration?
• Is the audience of the labor arbitration award different than the audience of the employment arbitration award?
Widgeon is the immediate past chair of the ADR Section. In 2017, she was appointed to the Michigan Supreme Court Panel of Special Masters to preside over alleged judicial misconduct hearings. She is a former chief judge of Washtenaw County 14A District Court. She is a member of the National Academy of Arbitrators and the National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals.
Widgeon is on the labor, employment, and commercial arbitrator panels and rosters for the American Arbitration Association, the Arbitration and Mediation Service the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, and the National Mediation Board. She is trained in videoconferencing and competent to conduct hearings, mediations, fact findings and facilitations in Zoom and other virtual platforms.
Widgeon earned her B.A. and MAEd Degree in Education from Wake Forest University and her law degree from the University of Michigan Law School. While in law school, she co-authored "The Relevance of 'Irrelevant' Testimony: Why Lawyers Use Social Science Experts in School Desegregation Cases, Law and Society Review, 1981-82." She arbitrates labor, employment, commercial and consumer cases, and mediates for private firms and corporations.
Hornberger is a former chair of the ADR Section, editor emeritus of The Michigan Dispute Resolution Journal, former member of the State Bar's Representative Assembly, former president of the Grand Traverse-Leelanau-Antrim Bar Association, and former chair of the Traverse City Human Rights Commission. He is a member of the Professional Resolution Experts of Michigan (PREMi) and a Diplomate Member of The National Academy of Distinguished Neutrals.
Hornberger has received the George Bashara Award from the ADR Section in recognition of exemplary service. He has received Hero of ADR Awards from the ADR Section. He is included in The Best Lawyers of America 2018 and 2019 for arbitration, and 2020 to 2022 for arbitration and mediation. He is on the 2016 to 2021 Michigan Super Lawyers lists for alternative dispute resolution. He has received a First Tier ranking in Northern Michigan for Mediation by U.S. News Best Lawyers® Best Law Firms in 2022; and he a Second Tier ranking in Northern Michigan for Arbitration by U.S. News Best Lawyers® Best Law Firms in 2022. He received a Second Tier ranking in Northern Michigan for Mediation by U.S. News Best Lawyers® Best Law Firms in 2020 and a First Tier ranking in Northern Michigan for Arbitration by U.S. News Best Lawyers® Best Law Firms in 2019.
Hornberger earned his B.A. from the University of Michigan and his law degrees from Michigan Law and Wayne State University Law School.
There is no cost to attend the webinar. To register, visit https://connect.michbar.org/adr/home.
