Michael P. Maslanka

March 03, 2003 | Texas Lawyer

A general counsel's most important role is helping the client discover the Big Picture. You've got the time, temperament and training to do it, especially where it matters most: deciding whether to fire an employee. Here are five keys for empowering the client with a 360-degree perspective.

By Michael P. Maslanka and Burton D. Brillhart

11 minute read

August 07, 2006 | Law.com

Hurricane Katrina hammered New Orleans on Aug. 29, 2005. The Twin Towers collapsed on Sept. 11, 2001. And power outages are afflicting cities across the U.S. Are GCs and their companies really prepared to handle emergencies, no matter what? Here are seven steps to follow and a legal primer to keep handy, prepared by attorneys Michael P. Maslanka and Burton D. Brillhart. Just one of the important tips: In any type of disaster, the core executive team "must stick together just like a ball of sushi rice."

By Michael P. Maslanka and Burton D. Brillhart

7 minute read

March 07, 2006 | Law.com

A little overwhelmed by employment law rules? Then read this list of the most important things a corporate counsel needs to know about six different employment law areas, put together by Michael P. Maslanka. These practical tips should help guide any in-house attorney through the information maze.

By Michael P. Maslanka

4 minute read

August 09, 2007 | Law.com

What is the U.S. Supreme Court dining on from the employment law menu this coming term? It's a four-course meal, and attorney Michael P. Maslanka tells us what the discerning diner needs to know. Among the tasty issues to be addressed: whether "me too" evidence is admissible in a discrimination case, and whether an employee can sue a retirement plan fiduciary for individual losses due to a fiduciary breach.

By Michael P. Maslanka

6 minute read

June 13, 2011 | Texas Lawyer

Want to create an ethical workplace? Doing so is not about teaching best practices or promulgating rules and imposing sanctions for violating them, writes Michael P. Maslanka. It's about constant reminders to employees of ethical obligations and the enormous power of humbleness and forgiveness.

By Michael P. Maslanka

7 minute read

December 01, 2003 | Texas Lawyer

General counsel aren't just lawyers. Not just the trusted legal advisers to chief executive officers and chief financial officers. No, they are managers themselves. And, in a 24/7 corporate governance world, GCs are expected to think just as deeply about how to manage the company and the legal department as how to file a suit or take a deposition.

By Michael P. Maslanka and Theresa M. Gegen

9 minute read

October 12, 2009 | Corporate Counsel

Claims having to do with an employee's conduct pose greater threats to an employer than claims stemming from an employee's status, warns attorney Michael P. Maslanka. The holdings in these cases often are not what a general counsel instinctively thinks they will be.

By Michael P. Maslanka

6 minute read

February 21, 2011 | Texas Lawyer

Poetry about lawyers teaches them about themselves: who they are, what they do and how others perceive them, says Michael P. Maslanka. Poetry illuminates not just who lawyers are, but what they do. It provides not just a factual narrative but an overarching moral one as well. Such narratives, not facts, drive decisions, he says.

By Michael P. Maslanka

5 minute read

February 06, 2004 | Law.com

As 2004 rolled around, the bureaucracy and courts pumped out new laws, regulations and decisions that affect the workplace. Affected issues included employee misconduct, overtime pay, arbitration and employee benefits -- and finally, the 5th Circuit settled the area of whether an employer has an insurable interest in the life of an employee.

By Michael P. Maslanka and Raymond D. Martinez

11 minute read

November 01, 2006 | Law.com

Retaliation doesn�t mean what it used to.

By Michael P. Maslanka

5 minute read