Event Presenters

• 

  Bradford L. Livingston

  Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP

  Mr. Livingston is a partner in the Chicago office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP where he represents employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. He has chaired Seyfarth Shaw LLP’s national labor relations practice since 2004, reflecting over 60 seasoned labor relations attorneys across the Firm's nine domestic offices. In addition to providing strategic advice and planning on labor matters, he regularly handles unfair labor practice matters before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), labor injunction proceedings, grievance arbitrations, and both traditional union organizing and union anti-corporate campaigns. He has extensive experience in handling complex and transformative collective bargaining negotiations where economic or business conditions either necessitate change or present significant risks to management, and has significant negotiations experience with virtually every major labor union, including among others the IBT, IAM, SEIU, UFCW, USW, ILA, UE, and UAW. He has served as chief spokesperson for management in reaching hundreds of collective bargaining agreements, and has acted as a member of or legal advisor to management’s bargaining team on numerous additional occasions. In addition, he has extensive experience in representing management during strikes, lockouts and other labor disputes.
  
  Mr. Livingston is a Fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, Inc., noted in “The Legal 500” for his work representing management in labor relations, and one of only 613 lawyers from around the world selected for inclusion in the most recent “International Who’s Who of Management Labour and Employment Lawyers.” He has been repeatedly selected as both an Illinois “Super Lawyer” and “Leading Lawyer” in their respective networks. He is also a member of the International and National Labor Relations Act Subcommittees of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Labor Relations Committee. In addition to his practice, he is a trainer for Seyfarth Shaw at Work and regularly writes and lectures on a number of national and international labor and employment law topics.
  
• 

  Amie E. Needham

  Partner, Thompson Coburn LLP

  Amie practices labor and employment law focusing on the representation of employers in both traditional labor issues as well as employment counseling and litigation. She has significant experience representing employers in both state and federal court, as well as at arbitration.
  
  Amie has particular experience in the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements and labor arbitrations as well as wage and hour class action litigation. In addition, she advises and counsels clients on legal compliance and risk management relating to employee discipline and discharges, grievances, hiring and promotion decisions, reductions in force, plant closings, discrimination and retaliation issues.
  
  Amie was recognized by Missouri Lawyers Weekly & St. Louis Daily Record with the Women's Justice Award-Rising Star and was also selected for inclusion in the 2008, 2009 and 2010 Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers® Rising Stars. In 2011, Amie was selected as one of the top 40 LGBT attorneys under 40 in the United States.
  
• 

  Michael Sorensen

  Principal, Exequity, LLP

  Mike is a founding Partner and Senior Advisor with Exequity, and is located in our Libertyville, Illinois office. Prior to co-founding Exequity in 2006, Mike was a Principal and member of a large, global consulting firm’s leadership team. Mike co-managed that firm’s Executive Compensation Center of Technical Expertise, which had global responsibility for technical areas impacting executive compensation and corporate restructurings.
  
  Mike has worked with hundreds of companies and has extensive experience in all areas of executive and director compensation, including all forms of long-term incentives (i.e., stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, performance units/shares, and phantom stock), executive supplemental retirement and deferral plans and related funding mechanisms, change-in-control and general severance programs, employment contracts, and retention plans. Mike specializes in technical issues related to executive compensation (e.g., tax, accounting, and securities regulations) and on compensation issues related to corporate restructurings, including mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings, spin-offs, divestitures, and turnarounds/bankruptcies.
  
  Mike’s clients include management and boards of directors for a number of Fortune 500 companies. Mike’s clients include both public and private organizations from a wide variety of industries ranging from energy to financial services.
  
  Mike received a J.D. (with honors) from IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law and holds a B.A. degree in economics from Knox College. Mike is a member of the Illinois Bar.