Barbara is Counsel in the firm's Labor & Employment Practice Group. She is a tenured professor of human resource management in the School of Management and Labor Relations at Rutgers University, where she teaches courses in higher education law, employment law, and human resource management. Barbara has held several leadership positions at Rutgers, including Dean of the School of Management and Labor Relations, associate provost for the social sciences, department chair, and graduate director. She also directed the University's Center for Women and Work for five years.
Notable Experience
Barbara has served as an expert witness on behalf of several colleges and universities in tenure and promotion cases, sexual harassment, and faculty discipline grievances.
Recent Speaking Engagements and Publications
· "New Ruling Allows Transgender Individuals to Claim Sex Discrimination Under Title VII," author, Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP Client Advisory, April 2012.
· "Unpaid Internships: A Recipe for Litigation," author, Law360, April 5, 2012.
· "Is Facebook a "Friend" to Employers?," co-author, Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP Client Advisory, March 2012.
· "Unpaid Internships: A Recipe for Litigation," author, Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP Client Advisory, March 2012.
· "EEOC Expands Company-Wide Scrutiny of Hiring and Job Assignment Practices," author, Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP Client Advisory, January 2012.
· "What Department Chairs Need to Know About Legal Issues and Risk Management," seminar instructor, Jossey Bass Department Chair Leadership Institute Seminar, October 20, 2011.
· "Supreme Court Backs Wal-Mart in Massive Sex Discrimination Case," author, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge Client Advisory, June 2011.
· "Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in Largest Sex Discrimination Case in US History," co-author, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge Client Advisory, March 2011.
· "Paradigm Shifts: The Legalization of the Institution-Student Relationship" (with Nancy Tribbensee). Presented at the Annual Conference of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, Washington, DC, June 29, 2010.
· "Recent Court Rulings on Employer Review of Employees' Electronic Messages - Adjustment to Employer Policies Needed," co-author, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge Client Advisory, June 2010.
· "Company and its Outside Counsel are Barred from Reading Personal E-Mail Messages Between Employee and Her Attorney," co-author, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge Client Advisory, April 2010.
· "Non-Employees Gain Important Protections in New Jersey," co-author, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge Labor & Employment Bulletin, Winter 2009.
· "Americans With Disabilities Act Update." Presented at the Conference on Legal Issues in Higher Education, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, October 19, 2009.
· "Diversity on Campus: New Directions and Developments in Law and Policy" (with Jon Alger). Presented at the Conference on Legal Issues in Higher Education, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, October 19, 2009.
· Speaker, "American with Disabilities Act Updates," The University of Vermont's 19th Annual Legal Issues In Higher Education Conference, Burlington, Vermont, October 18 - 19, 2009.
· Speaker, Preparing for the Employee Free Choice Act, a webinar presented by Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP, July 14, 2009.
· "The Legal Implications of Student Use of Social Networking Sites in the UK and US " (with M.R. Davies). Presentation to the US/UK Roundtable, New College, Oxford University, July, 2009.
· "New Theories of Institutional Liability for Student Misconduct under Title IX," NACUA 49th Annual Conference, Toronto, Canada, June 24 - 27, 2009.
· "Institutional Liability for Sexual Assault by College Athletes." Annual Conference of the National Association of College & University Attorneys, Toronto, June 2009.
· "Higher Education Discrimination Law: ADA, FMLA, EEOC, OCR and More - Essential Updates for College and University Counsel," moderator, NACUA 2009 March CLE Workshop, Tempe, Arizona, March 18 - 20, 2009.
· "New Liabilities and Policies for Incidental Private Use of Company Electronic Systems and PDAs," co-author, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge Labor & Employment Bulletin, Winter 2009.
· "Higher Education Law and Difficult Faculty Member," presenter, The Anker Department Chair Conference, January 29, 2009.
· "New Liabilities and Policies for Incidental Private Use of Company Electronic Systems and PDAs," co-author, Boston Bar Journal, November/December 2008.
· "Legal Guide for Student Affairs Professionals," co-author, 2d ed. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers, publication expected December 2008.
· "Religion in the Classroom: Legal Issues," author, in Miriam R. Diamond, ed., Encountering Faith in the College Classroom. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing LLC, 2008, pp. 105-115.
· "Student Disability Claims in the U.K. and the U.S.: Does the Jurisprudence Converge?" co-author, Education and the Law (U.K), in press.
· "College Students with Mental Disabilities: Legal and Policy Issues," co-author, Journal of College and University Law, Vol. 34, 2008, pp. 349-391.
· "New Liabilities and Policies for Incidental Private Use of Company Electronic Systems and PDA's," co-author, Boston Bar Journal, in press.
· "Liability for Sexual Assault by College Athletes Under Title IX," author, NACUANote, September, 2008.
· "Legal Issues in Dealing with Challenging Colleagues," Presenter, Conference on Legal Issues in Higher Education, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, October 13, 2008.
· "Liability for Sexual Assault by Student Athletes," Presenter, Conference on Legal Issues in Higher Education, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, October 12, 2008.
· "Tenure, Faculty Discipline, Academic Freedom, and Litigation by Faculty," Presenter, Spring Continuing Legal Education Conference, National Association of College & University Attorneys, Seattle, WA, March 6, 2008.
· "Twenty Years of Students' Rights and Campus Discipline: What's Constant, What's Changed, What's Emerging?" Presenter, Annual Conference of the Association for Student Judicial Affairs, Clearwater, FL, February 9, 2008.
· "Legal Risks Related to the Recruitment and Supervision of College Athletes," speaker, 18th Annual Legal Issues in Higher Education Conference, Burlington, Vermont, October 12 - 14, 2008.
· "FMLA and New Jersey Paid Family Leave Update: New Responsibilities for Employers," speaker, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge Labor & Employment Webinar, September 25, 2008.
· "Dealing With Religion in the Classroom," Brown Bag Lunch online discussion presented by Chronicle of Higher Education, August 21, 2008.
· "Legal Issues in Managing the Aging Workforce," presenter, New Brunswick, New Jersey, June 6. 2008.
· "New Jersey Becomes Third State to Enact a Paid Family Leave Act," Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge Client Advisory, May 2008.
· "Student Affairs Overseas," moderator, NACUA's CLE Workshop on "Legal Issues in Organizing and Operating Overseas Programs," April 11, 2008.
· "Who Are Your Faculty and Staff? Background Checks in Academe," co-author, NACUA, 2008.
· "Tenure, Faculty Discipline, Academic Freedom and Litigation by Faculty," speaker, National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) Spring 2008 CLE Workshop, Seattle, Washington, March 5-7, 2008.
· "No Confidence Votes," "Professional Ethics Issues for Faculty and Administrators" and "Performance Reviews, Tenure and Promotion for Faculty," speaker, 17th Annual Legal Issues in Higher Education Conference, Burlington, Vermont, October 14 - 16, 2007.
· "Do You Yahoo®" on the Company's Computer? E-mail Privacy and the Attorney-Client Privilege," Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge Labor & Employment Bulletin, Summer/Fall 2007.
· Dealing with Faculty with Psychiatric Disorders, speaker at NACUA Annual Conference, June 29, 2007.
· Academic Freedom and Tenure, speaker at NACUA Annual Conference, June 27, 2007.
· Big Brother in the Workplace: Balancing Business Necessity with Employee Privacy, moderator, New Brunswick, New Jersey, May 3, 2007.
· Affirmative Action in Higher Education & Employment, New Jersey Law Center, April 24, 2007.
· Faculty Issues and the Law in Higher Education, Virtual "Brown Bag" Discussion sponsored by The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 15, 2007.
· "Principles and Practices of Effective Faculty Discipline," co-presenter, Virtual Seminar sponsored by National Association of College and University Attorneys, January 25, 2007.
· "Who Are You? Fraudulent Credentials and Background Checks in Academe," The Journal of College and University Law, Vol. 32, No. 3, November 2006.
· "Faculty Discipline: Legal and Policy Issues in Dealing with Faculty Misconduct," co-author, The Journal of College and University Law, Vol. 32, No. 2, August 2006.
· Barbara is a frequent presenter about sexual harassment, academic employment issues, and lawful human resource management practices.
· Barbara provided sexual harassment training for all New Jersey state court judges in 1996, and provides similar training every year to newly-appointed state and municipal judges.
· Barbara has published numerous books and articles on the subject of academic employment, discrimination, and labor-management relations.
· The Law of Higher Education, 3rd Edition, co-author, 1995 and 4th Edition, co-author, 2006.
· "Employers Should Show Renewed Attention to Background Checks," Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge Labor & Employment Bulletin, Fall 2005.
· "Sexual Harassment," chapter author, New Jersey Labor & Employment Law, published by the Institute for Continuing Legal Education, 2000 & 2001.
· Academics in Court: The Consequences of Academic Discrimination Litigation, co-author, Michigan Press, 1987.
· Barbara has chaired the editorial board of the Journal of College and University Law, and is a frequent contributor to that journal. She also served on the editorial board of the Journal of Higher Education.
News & Publications
April 30, 2012, Client Advisory: New Ruling Allows Transgender Individuals to Claim Sex Discrimination Under Title VII
March 26, 2012, Client Advisory - Is Facebook a "Friend" to Employers?
March 2012, Client Advisory - Unpaid Internships: A Recipe for Litigation
January 2012, Client Advisory - EEOC Expands Company-Wide Scrutiny of Hiring and Job Assignment Practices
January 2012, Client Advisory - AT&T Mobility Out the Window? National Labor Relations Board Rules that All Nonmanagerial Employees Must be Allowed to File Class Action Claims
June 2011, Client Advisory - Supreme Court Backs Wal-Mart in Massive Sex Discrimination Case
March 2011, Client Advisory - Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments in Largest Sex Discrimination Case in US History
March 14, 2011, Barbara Lee is a 2011 Honoree of the Alice Paul Equality Awards
January 2011, Client Advisory - Supreme Court Rules for Employers and Upholds Constitutionality of Government Background Checks
January 14, 2011, Barbara Lee Elected to American Law Institute
June 2010, Client Advisory - Recent Court Rulings on Employer Review of Employees' Electronic Messages - Adjustment to Employer Policies Needed
April 9, 2010, Impact of Employers and Employer-Sponsored Health Plans1:For Schools and Colleges
April 9, 2010, Impact on Employers and Employer-Sponsored Health Plans
April 2010, Client Advisory - Company and its Outside Counsel are Barred from Reading Personal E-Mail Messages Between Employee and Her Attorney
Winter 2009, Labor & Employment Bulletin - Winter 2009
February 2009, Client Advisory - U.S. Supreme Court Broadens Definition of Retaliation
November/December 2008, New Liabilities and Policies for Incidental Private Use of Company Electronic Systems and PDAs
Boston Bar Journal
November 24, 2008, EAPD Attorneys Recognized in Super Lawyers 2008 Corporate Counsel Edition
May 2008, Client Advisory - New Jersey Becomes Third State to Enact a Paid Family Leave Act
October 30, 2007, EAPD Attorneys Named Super Lawyers 2007
September 17, 2007, Labor & Employment Bulletin - Summer/Fall 2007
Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP
November 1, 2006, Who Are You? Fraudulent Credentials and Background Checks in Academe
The Journal of College and University Law, Vol. 32, No. 3
September 8, 2006, Faculty Discipline: Legal and Policy Issues in Dealing with Faculty Misconduct
Journal of College and University Law
September 7, 2006, The Law of Higher Education, 4th Edition
Barbara A. Lee, co-author
June, 14, 2006, Dr. Barbara A. Lee Co-Authors 4th Edition of The Law of Higher Education
And Speaks at National Association of College and University Attorneys Conference
December 1, 2005, Labor & Employment Bulletin - Fall 2005
Besides Edwards Wildman
Barbara recently completed a term as a member of the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Outside Activities of Judiciary Employees. Barbara is an avid gardener and is President of the Board of the Princeton Adult School. She has also served as the treasurer of the Princeton Little League.
Events
October 20, 2011, What Department Chairs Need to Know About Legal Issues and Risk Management
Jossey Bass Department Chair Leadership Institute Seminar Series
October 18-20, 2009, Burlington, VT, 19th Annual Legal Issues in Higher Education Conference
July 14, 2009, Preparing for the Employee Free Choice Act
June 24-27, 2009, Toronto, Canada, NACUA 49th Annual Conference
March 18, 2009 - March 20, 2009, Tempe, AZ, NACUA 2009 March CLE Workshop
Higher Education Discrimination Law ADA, FMLA, EEOC, OCR and More - Essential Updates for College and University Counsel
January 29, 2009, The Anker Department Chair Conference - Online
October 12, 2008 - October 14, 2008, Burlington, VT, 18th Annual Legal Issues in Higher Education Conference
September 25, 2008, FMLA and New Jersey Paid Family Leave Update: New Responsibilities for Employers
August 21, 2008, Chronicle of Higher Education's Brown Bag Lunch: "Dealing With Religion in the Classroom"
June 6, 2008, New Brunswick, NJ, Legal Issues in Managing the Aging Workforce
April 11, 2008, Memphis, TN, Natrional Association of College and University Attorneys' (NACUA) April 2008 CLE Workshop
March 5, 2008 - March 7, 2008, Seattle, WA, National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) Spring 2008 CLE Workshop
Employment Law on Campus: Compliance, Conflict, Change & Challenges for College Counsel
October 14, 2007 - October 16, 2007, Burlington, VT, 17th Annual Legal Issues in Higher Education Conference
May 3, 2007 - May 3, 2007, New Brunswick, NJ, Big Brother in the Workplace: Balancing Business Necessity with Employee Privacy
April 24, 2007, New Brunswick, NJ, Affirmative Action in Higher Education & Employment
February 15, 2007, Faculty Issues and the Law in Higher Education
January 25, 2007, Principles and Practices of Effective Faculty Discipline
May 11, 2006, Morristown, NJ, Hot Topics in Employment Law for In-House Counsel
Industries
· Education
Memberships
· Academy of Management
· Association for the Study of Higher Education
· Labor and Employment Relations Association
· National Association of College & University Attorneys
· New Jersey State Bar Association - Labor and Employment Law Section, Executive Committee Member; Higher Education Committee
· Society for Human Resource Management
· American Law Institute