Michael P. Maslanka

June 07, 2004 | Texas Lawyer

Between working on the tan and sipping an umbrella drink, general counsel can enhance their value to their various constituencies this summer.

By Michael P. Maslanka and Theresa M. Gegen

9 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

December 09, 2002 | New Jersey Law Journal

While the legal world runs clockwise, employment law revolves counterclockwise. Not only does it not work the way you believe it should, but also it repeatedly reveals itself as counterintuitive � replete with hidden dangers to a general counsel's office, which relies on sense and sensibility.

By Michael P. Maslanka and Burton D. Brillhart

10 minute read

February 03, 2006 | Law.com

The general counsel's resume: B.A. and J.D. Is the first degree merely an unavoidable prerequisite to the second? Not really. Art, poetry and music inform, expand and enrich their students. And GCs can use that education not only at cocktail parties, but as a basis for making themselves more effective. The liberal arts can help corporate counsel remain good counselors without demonizing their opponents. Art empowers by providing GCs with tactics, too, especially in the employment defense field.

By Michael P. Maslanka

8 minute read

July 28, 2008 | Texas Lawyer

If executives believe people are of value, then the question is how to go about managing, motivating and inspiring them — and, just as important, learning how to unlock their embedded value.

By Michael P. Maslanka

8 minute read

January 10, 2006 | Law.com

Michael P. Maslanka, managing partner of the Dallas office of Ford & Harrison, provides a look at three employment cases the U.S. Supreme Court will be reviewing, and provides some forecasts on the likely outcome. In a retaliation case, Maslanka predicts the Court will find that employees may bring retaliation claims not only when they are fired, denied a promotion or demoted, but also when employer actions create an environment that is "reasonably likely to deter" discrimination complaints.

By Michael P. Maslanka

7 minute read

September 12, 2011 | Texas Lawyer

Michael P. Maslanka writes that reading and thinking about history's most famous conflicts teaches a lot about litigation, and therein lies war's value for a modern lawyer. He offers some lessons, including "it's easier to start a conflict than to resolve it" and "fight your battle, not their battle."

By Michael P. Maslanka

7 minute read

November 28, 2005 | Texas Lawyer

Sooner or later, a C-level executive will sit through the mediation of a suit � often entering hopeful but leaving disillusioned. That shouldn't be.

By Michael P. Maslanka and Theresa M. Gegen

6 minute read

May 02, 2005 | Texas Lawyer

Spring has sprung, so it's time for some spring-cleaning. General counsel need to toss out the old and let in the new. Here are some matters to think about: intentional infliction of emotional distress in the workplace, disability discrimination, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, sex stereotyping, immigration and retaliation.

By Michael P. Maslanka

6 minute read

September 01, 2003 | Texas Lawyer

In performing their risk analysis of an employment decision, GCs need to make sure retaliation is high on their list, and be wary of its shape-shifting abilities.

By Michael P. Maslanka and Theresa M. Gegen

12 minute read