Usually, we like to announce our presence at the semi-annual MPELRA conferences ahead of time.  However, with 133 attendees, 12 presenters, and 14 board members in attendance, it’s likely you knew we were going to be there already!

This year, the conference went virtual, but that didn’t stop it from being packed with valuable content.  At the beginning of the day, attendees heard both about advances in the field of Online Dispute Resolution from Mitchell-Hamline Professor David Larson, and were then given extra information on virtual dispute resolution from Professor Larson, Ramsey County Labor Relations Manager Alison Kelly and Bureau of Mediations Deputy Director Michael Stockstead.  Both presentations were moderated by Wiley Law’s Ben Reber, and provided countless tips on performing efficient, successful virtual negotiation and mediation representation.

Later on in the day, following up on last week’s Wiley Law blog post about the Hall v. City of Plainview decision, firm president Greg Wiley led a bonus three-person panel discussing the Minnesota Supreme Court’s decision in the case.  Greg was joined by League of Minnesota Cities attorney Jana O’Leary Sullivan and employee advocate Nick May.  The panel provided some background information on the case, while also giving attendees practice tips for modifying employee handbooks to keep up with Court’s decision.

On top of these presentations, there was incredibly useful information on First Amendment rights of public employees, documenting employee performance and discipline, the always informative Minnesota legislative update, and an essential COVID update.  By the end of the day, MPELRA members received a great deal of information from the conference, and were able to spend some quality (albeit virtual) time together.

We at the Wiley Law Office want to thank everyone for their participation in the conference, and look forward to seeing everyone again this summer in Duluth!