Michelle Craig joined Adams and Reese in 2007 and serves on the Labor and Employment team. Her representative clients include schools, fast food companies, offshore companies, home improvement retailers, entrepreneurs and other small businesses.
In addition to her labor and employment experience, Michelle has practiced in the areas of commercial litigation and products liability. She has also represented large companies in claims such as breach of contract, warranty, fraud, failure to pay claims or make a tender, negligent misrepresentations and alter ego.
Her other significant contributions include:
· Being a "2008 Women of the Year" Honoree in New Orleans CityBusiness, and selection as a "2008 Innovators of the Year" Honoree for her work with Urban League Young Professionals. She is a founder and an executive board member of the Young Professionals group.
· Being an advocate for proactive management and human resources guidance and counseling; preparing policies and procedures for employers, drafting and defending employment documents including severance agreements, confidentiality and non-compete agreements, and non-solicitation agreements for employers; defending EEOC charges, defending wage and hour investigations and counseling employers on the proper classification of employees under FLSA.
· Representing employers in administrative procedures before state and federal agencies including the Louisiana and Texas Commissions on Human Rights. She has also defended trade secret claims, breach of employment contracts and claims alleging retaliation under various discrimination statutes.
· Providing legal counsel for the National Association of African-Americans in Human Resources.
Michelle writes and provides client and attorney training on a variety of labor and employment issues. She served on the Board of Directors for the golf public-private partnership First Tee of New Orleans 2009-2010. She is also actively involved in the firm's efforts to promote diversity in all practice areas and the legal profession. She admires her parents, Michelle Obama, Martin Luther King, and entrepreneurs. She is an avid reader and loves art and artistic people.
Presentations
· Networking 2.0 - Innovative and Effective Strategies for Marketing Yourself During Law School and Beyond, SOC Outreach Program at Tulane Law School, February 2012
· Young Lawyers Division, Assembly Delegate, 2012 ABA Midyear Meeting, New Orleans, LA, February 2012
· Updates on the Amendments to the ADA, HRM Legal Perk III, November 2011
· Professionalism: Becoming a More Effective, Efficient Lawyer (Best Practices for Time Management - Panel Discussion), Fourth Annual Michael J. Molony Professionalism and Ethics Sessions of the ABA/EEO Committee for Liaison with EEOC, OFCCP, and DOJ, December 2011
· Small Business Forum: Small Business Banking and Legal Seminar, October 2011
· Superwomen Conference: "Mastering The Juggle: Surviving Life And The Legal Profession," May 2011
· Best Practices - Be Prepared For Federal/State Investigators To Come Knocking, National Employment Law Conference, April 2011
· Social Networking: Using Cyberspace Without Getting Disbarred, American Bar Association, Section Of Labor And Employment Law, Ethics & Professional Responsibility Committee, 2011 Midwinter Meeting, March 2011
· Did You Twitter My Facebook Wall? Social Networking, Privacy and Employment Law Issues, The Louisiana State Bar Association Employment Law Conference, Published in Louisiana Bar Journal, June/July 2010
· Social Networking: To Tweet or Not To Tweet, The Louisiana Judicial College and LSBA Summer School, June 2010
· Effective Cloud Gathering: A Young Lawyers Guide to True Rainmaking, ABA YLD Spring Conference, Corporate Counsel Committee, May 2010
· OMG That's TMI!!! Social Networking, Privacy & Employment Law Issues, Louisiana Society for Human Resource Management State Conference, April 2010
· Top Ten Ways To Get Your Company Sued, Women's Business Opportunity Expo, April 2010
· Records Retention: Mistakes HR Professionals Can Avoid, Society for Human Resource Management - New Orleans Chapter, March 2010
· Everything You Don't Know About the Fair Labor Standards Act and Why It Should Keep You Awake At Night, Society of Louisiana CPAs' 2008 Business and Industry Conference, September 2008
· Time Off: State and Federal Laws on Employee Leave, Vacations and Holidays, Lorman Seminar, February 2008
· Techniques for Landing Your Dream Job, Loyola Law School, February 2008
· E-Discovery and Your School: Critical Considerations in Handling Electronic Information, Mississippi Association of School Superintendents Conference, January 2008
· WBLOK Radio Presentations, Labor and Employment Issues for Entrepreneurs and Small Business owners, December 2007
· Alamo Community College Supervisor and Manager Training, Alamo Community College, San Antonio, TX, October 2007
· Air Conditioning Contractors of America: Labor and Employment Law Summit, October 2007
· How to Get Hired: Techniques for Landing Your Dream Job, National Black Law Student Association 2007 Conference, September 2007
· Document Retention: Employer Record-Keeping Requirements, Business and Industry Conference, August 2007
· The Top Ten Ways to Get Your Company Sued, The National Association of African-Americans in Human Resources, Houston, TX, July 2007
· The Foibles and Follies of Email Communication, Postlethwaite and Netterville Training Seminar, June 2007
· Legal Update: What Human Resources Professionals Need to Know, Louisiana Society of Human Resource Managers, March 2007
· Drafting the Employee's Handbook, Lorman Seminar, June 2005
· USERRA - What it Means for Employers, The Worksource Employee TrainingMay 2005
Professional Memberships / Affiliations
Houston Bar Association
National Association of African-Americans in Human Resources - Legal Counsel 2006-2009
Nominated by New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu to Blight Transition Team
American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section Development Fund Fellowship Recipient
National Bar Association
Urban League Young Professionals - Founder and Executive Board Member
First Tee of Greater New Orleans - Former Board Member
Other Distinctions
Urban League Young Professionals - Innovators of the Year Honoree - New Orleans CityBusiness 2008
Women of the Year - New Orleans CityBusiness 2008
Mayor Mitch Landrieu's Blight Transition Task Force
Urban League of Greater New Orleans, Outstanding Female Attorney 2011
Urban League of Greater New Orleans Rising Star, October 2011
Articles / Publications
Labor and Employment Law Corner, 12/9/2011
"Ethical Issues in Cyberspace: Using Social Networking Sites Without Getting Disbarred," Presentation for American Bar Association Panel, 3/25/2011
"Did You Twitter My Facebook Wall? Social Networking, Privacy and Employment Law Issues," Published in Louisiana Bar Journal, 6/1/2010
Seminars
ABA-EEO/Ethics Joint Mid-Winter Meeting: "A Lawyer's Obligation to Report Drug or Alcohol Abuse", 3/23/2012
National Bar Association Corporate Counsel Conference, 2/23/2012
"Professionalism: Becoming a More Effective, Efficient Lawyer" - ABA/EEO Meeting, 12/14/2011
Adams and Reese/Liberty Bank: Financial Empowerment/Labor and Employment Seminar, 10/26/2011
Social Media, 4/20/2010
Announcements
Adams and Reese Elects New Partners for 2011, 1/1/2011
Michelle Craig Joins New Orleans Office of Adams and Reese, 03/22/2007