Spencer Fane hosted the firm’s inaugural WorkSmarts Summit, an invitation‑only forum built on the momentum of the WorkSmarts Labor & Employment webinar series, on March 26-27 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Featuring a fast-paced program packed with practical, ready-to-use takeaways, the event delivered sharp insights, candid conversations, and the creative spark and live entertainment of Music City.
On Day 1, attorneys Kami Hoskins and Randi Winter led the session, Employment Law Update 2026: What’s Changed, What’s Coming, and What Still Keeps Employers Up at Night. The duo highlighted significant issues affecting employer decision-making and explored how employers can proactively position themselves amid accelerating change. Attendees then attended dinner at Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint and enjoyed music and cocktails at The Listening Room.
Day 2 kicked off with breakfast and a presentation from Helen Holden and Tracey Wallace titled,
ADA & Mental Health: Reasonable Accommodations, Compliance, and Risk in a Changing Workplace that focused on how employers can navigate rapidly shifting accommodation laws for a compliant and supportive workplace. Next, Jeremy Brenner and Sam Jackson led attendees through Mastering FLSA Compliance: Navigating Classification Pressures and Emerging Wage & Hour Risks – a deep dive into everything from exemption standards and remote‑work timekeeping to contractor classification, off‑the‑clock risks, and litigation and enforcement trends.
After a Roundtable Lunch led by Rachel Marshall, Casey Murray, Servando Sandoval, Paul Satterwhite, and Rachael Thomson with small-group conversations focused on labor law, California employment law, and artificial intelligence, Day 2 continued with presentations from Loren Foy, Beth Nillen, Kunal Shah, and Pablo Orozco. Loren and Beth covered Ethical Workplace Investigations: Navigating Complexity, Credibility, and Compliance Concerns in 2026 while Kunal and Pablo concluded the program with FMLA & Intermittent Leave: Managing Compliance, Abuse Risks, and Operational Strain.