WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (Aug. 18, 2016) – Gunster, one of Florida’s oldest and largest full-service business law firms, is pleased to announce its successful participation on the topic of “Transgender Legal Protections: What Business Owners Need to Know” for the Association of Corporate Counsel – Central Florida Chapter’s lunch-n-learn on July 13, 2016, at Fleming’s Prime Steak House in Orlando.
Approximately 50 people attended the timely, interactive discussion designed to inform and educate in-house attorneys whose jobs it is to provide legal counsel to area businesses.
Gunster attorneys Earnest DeLoach Jr., Sara Huff, and Joseph G. Santoro discussed the quickly evolving legal landscape surrounding protections provided to transgender individuals – including analysis of current events, as well as agency and court interpretations of civil rights laws forbidding discrimination as those laws apply to students, customers, guests and employees.
“While our goal was to point out the many changes in legal definitions and concepts that have emerged in the area of transgender rights in recent years, the real value and success of the program were the thoughtful questions and comments from the audience, “ DeLoach says.
“The audience interaction we experienced reflected an intent and willingness by the business community in central Florida to apply the right policies to respect and protect the rights of an increasingly diverse workforce,” DeLoach adds.
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| Gunster attorneys (L to R) Jeff Jonasen, Tico Perez, Sara Huff, Joe Santoro, Earnest DeLoach, and Richard Heinle at the Association of Corporate Counsel - Central Florida Chapter lunch-n-learn on July 13, 2016, at Fleming’s Prime Steak House in Orlando – speaking on the topic of “Transgender Legal Protections: What Business Owners Need to Know.” |
The presentation included hypothetical exercises, and issues discussed during Q&A included:
- Accommodating transgender individuals in the workplace
- How to handle conflicts that may arise, e.g., due to a coworker’s religious beliefs
- When to change the name at work for an employee in the process of transitioning
Also reviewed were recent court rulings in the following types of circumstances:
- Firing an individual for gender nonconformity
- Restricting access to a common restroom
Examples of transgender bathroom access signage were also discussed, such as:
According to Douglas A. Kelly, President of the ACC CFL, feedback and follow-up from attendees mentioned the seamless, easy-to-digest presentation by the Gunster attorneys, as well as a desire for more.
“We are always grateful, as a group of in-house attorneys, to be able to attend presentations put on by top-tier law firms that are timely, informative and relevant to the needs of our corporations,” Kelly says.
“The Gunster presentation was just that, and we appreciated the opportunity to learn from them.”
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About ACC CFL
The Association of Corporate Counsel serves the professional needs of in-house counsel and is the premier source for information, networking opportunities and education for the in-house legal practitioner. ACC’s membership includes a diverse mix of more than 35,000 in-house lawyers who represent more than 10,000 companies in 85 countries worldwide. The ACC Central Florida Chapter offers several benefits over and above the substantial ACC resources available to members, including Continuing Legal Education (CLE) programs tailored to chapter members’ needs; and networking opportunities with peers from other area community outreach programs such as The Legal Aid Society and Street Law. For more information, contact ACC CFL Executive Director Marshall Schirtzer at acccfl@acc-chapters.com.
