Michael P. Maslanka

April 11, 2007 | Law.com

For general counsel, employment litigation is about money. The legal department pays it to the company's outside lawyers to defend or settle suits or to satisfy a judgment. The cycle grinds on: Money goes out but doesn't come in, and a company is no better off after a suit than before. But attorney Michael P. Maslanka says employment law is about more than a fistful of dollars. It can also be a source of enlightenment.

By Michael P. Maslanka

7 minute read

February 06, 2008 | Law.com

You don't need a weather vane to know which way the wind is blowing, and you don't need a Wall Street Journal subscription to know we're in a recession, writes attorney Michael P. Maslanka. So, what's the smart general counsel to do? Recession plan now, not later. Recession planning translates into one thing: more work for fewer employees. Maslanka reviews some options on how to minimize the pain.

By Michael P. Maslanka

6 minute read

December 08, 2004 | Law.com

By Michael P. Maslanka and Burton D. Brillhart

9 minute read

August 03, 2009 | Texas Lawyer

How far have women come in the workplace, legally and culturally — not in theory, but in reality?

By Michael P. Maslanka

7 minute read

December 05, 2006 | Law.com

General counsel are party planners -- not with menus, music and margarita machines but with managing the legal risks of the holiday season. The legal pitfalls are numerous, from liability risks of serving alcohol at the holiday party to incorrectly calculating overtime pay based on employees' holiday bonuses. Labor and employment attorney Michael P. Maslanka outlines some ways for GCs to have a safe and litigation-free holiday and New Year.

By Michael P. Maslanka

10 minute read

September 12, 2005 | Law.com

For each yang of employee entitlement, there is a corresponding yin of employee responsibility. Knowing this helps general counsel explain to the C-level executives down the hall that the ecology of the workplace is in balance, soothing their anger, centering their decision-making and mollifying their perspective. Michael P. Maslanka examines specific cases showing how an employee sometimes needs a nudge to accept responsibility. As Maslanka puts it, that's where the GC's office comes in.

By Michael P. Maslanka

6 minute read

August 04, 2003 | Texas Lawyer

Staying on top of changes gives companies the edge.

By Michael P. Maslanka and Theresa M. Gegen

10 minute read

July 05, 2004 | Texas Lawyer

Because employment law issues are increasingly landing on the desks of general counsel, here are five lessons that will help GCs.

By Michael P. Maslanka and Theresa M. Gegen

5 minute read

July 25, 2005 | Texas Lawyer

When an employee blogs a C-level executive's company, what's the response? There are two mind-sets: the first, opportunistic and business-based (let's learn, channel and leverage); the second, repressive and legalistic (regulate, squash and punish).

By Michael P. Maslanka

6 minute read

May 03, 2002 | Texas Lawyer

Anyone reading The Tipping Point? It`s rapidly becoming required reading for corporate America. Its big idea? You can do everything right, get an A+, score off the charts, and it all means zip unless you find the one thing that tips you across the goal line. It`s the pivot point, the fulcrum, the proximate cause (see, law school does pay off), without which your hard work ends up a useless pile of good intentions. Employment issues with which in-housers are daily involved - investigations, policy writing, t

By MICHAEL P. MASLANKA and THERESA M. GEGEN

8 minute read