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Issue No. 3 · September 2026
From the President
 | Richard S. Amador NELC President |
As we turn to the 4th quarter of the year, now is a perfect opportunity to reconnect within your NELC community.
Is there an NELC member who’s meant a lot to you, vouched for you, gave you a lead, some great advice, an opportunity? Maybe someone you just had a great conversation with and thought—“we should stay connected.” Shoot them a text, a DM, VM, or email. Right now. I’ll wait. Send a picture, a shared memory, or a life update. Or just say “thank you for making a difference” in your life or career. Having been the beneficiary of many such messages over the years I’ve been active in NELC, I can tell you they genuinely matter, they deepen connection, and they make us so much stronger as a community.
Maybe you’re worried that too much time has gone by. Maybe that’s true. But you won’t know unless you reach out. And if you are outside counsel reaching out to in-house counsel, don’t make it about business. Be human first. It’s the best business development ‘strategy’ I’ve ever seen.
I’ll take this opportunity to call out Christina Alabi, Michael Sokolowski, and Nicole Elemen, who do this all the time. These three super stars are constantly sharing opportunities with other members, connecting and introducing folks, organizing get-togethers, mentoring younger members, and generally being role model NELC citizens. They do it because they can, not because there is something in it for them, and their energy makes NELC stronger.
A new study just came out, telling us what we already know: a lot of lawyers are miserable in their jobs. You don’t have to be one of them. There are many, many options and your #NELCfam can help you find and pursue them. We have a wealth of knowledge, experience, wisdom, and contacts among our membership. Tap into that. Even if you don’t know exactly what you want, the right people can help you figure that out. That is the strength of our NELC community—we look out for each other. So, reach out—if not for your own benefit, then for the benefit of the other person. I can’t tell you how many times a random text, call or email from someone in my NELCfam put a big smile on my face and brightened my day.
Down to business. If you have an article you’d like to write or re-purpose, submit it to our amazing NELC Newsletter Editors, Tolu Babade, Daveante Jones, and Silvia Chicas Wager. You can write a profile of a member, discuss changes in the law or profession, or any other topics that may be of interest to our members.
If you have a unique session topic idea for our Annual Conference in Dallas—April 13-16, 2027—please send it to our dedicated conference Co-Chairs, Jessica Iglesias and Charles Bush.
And we’ve got some exciting webinars coming up! If you have ideas for additional topics that are primarily directed to our mid-career members (8-15 years in practice), please reach out to our Webinars Co-Chairs, Racquel Martin, Charlene Gedeus, and Nandini Sane.
My very best to you all!
Richard S. Amador
NELC President
In This Issue
Legal Insights
Legal Insight
 | Nicole Su Associate, Cozen O’Connor |
 | Silvia Chicas Wager Associate, Cozen O’Connor |
For more than 60 years, large employers and certain federal contractors have submitted annual workforce demographic data to the EEOC. A May 2026 EEOC proposal could end that federal requirement — and 2025 may be the last reporting year. But with Colorado, California, Illinois, and Massachusetts adopting their own demographic reporting rules, employers should keep preparing for the current cycle while planning for a state-by-state compliance landscape.
Legal Insight
 | Andreas Mosby Associate, Womble Bond Dickinson |
On June 9, 2026, the DOJ’s Office of Legal Counsel concluded that the EEOC’s longstanding disparate-impact guidelines under Title VII are unconstitutional as applied. The opinion marks a major shift in federal enforcement posture — but it does not rewrite Title VII, bind the courts, eliminate private claims, or displace state law. Employers should resist overreacting and strengthen documentation of job-relatedness instead.
Member Spotlight
NELC Member Spotlight
From Private Practice to In-House — and Back Again
Janea Hawkins and Pablo Orozco share candid reflections on their journeys from private practice to in-house roles—and ultimately back again. They discuss what drew them in-house, what surprised them about the experience, how it changed the way they approach client service, and the importance of finding the right professional fit. Along the way, they also reflect on the value of strong professional relationships, the support they found through NELC, and the career lessons they would share with others considering a change.
Thank You to Our 2026 Sponsors
NELC is proud to recognize Littler, our 2026 Trailblazer Sponsor, along with our 2026 Emerald Sponsors, Constangy, Ogletree Deakins, and Seyfarth Shaw. Their ongoing and steadfast support plays an important role in helping NELC create value and opportunity for our members throughout the year—from substantive programming and professional development to relationship-building and access to a national community of labor and employment lawyers. We are grateful for their continued partnership and commitment to NELC’s mission.
Trailblazer Sponsor
Emerald Sponsors
NELC Newsletter Co-Editors
Vice President, Assistant General Counsel
JPMorgan Chase
Associate
Cozen O’Connor
Partner
Wright Lindsey Jennings
About the NELC Newsletter
The NELC Newsletter is published once per quarter by the National Employment Law Council. Every issue is written by NELC members, for NELC members: a message from the President, substantive Legal Insights on developments shaping the labor and employment defense bar, Member Spotlight conversations, and news about what’s happening across the NELC community.
The newsletter is edited by NELC’s volunteer Newsletter Co-Editors and is emailed to members and friends of NELC, with each issue archived here on nelc-law.org.
Have an idea for an article, a member you think we should profile, or a development in the law or the profession that NELC members should know about? We’d love to hear from you.
Write for the NELC Newsletter
Substantive articles, member profiles, changes in the law or the profession, event recaps — if it matters to NELC members, it belongs here. Submissions are reviewed by the Newsletter Co-Editors.