ACADEMIC PROGRAM
Legal Track #2 | Session 1 - (DON'T) WORK FROM HOME
DATE & TIME
LOCATION
🗓️Tuesday, August 26
🕐 10:30-11:30 EDT
📍 Waldorf Astoria
DESCRIPTION
The Capitol Debate: Commute Crusaders vs. Sweatpants Syndicate
Year 2028, America is as divided as ever. Candidates from the two political parties will go head-to-head in the last presidential debate before the election to address the issue that divides the nation: the future of where we work. This high-stake session will pit the Commute Crusaders Party against the Sweatpants Syndicate Party in a battle of legal wits over the advantages—and challenges—of returning to the office full-time versus embracing remote work for the long haul.
Unfiltered, unscripted, legal experts will go head-to-head arguing the legal, economic, and cultural stakes of where (and how) we work. Remote work has reshaped the way legal businesses operate, but is it the future—or a risky trade-off? In this dynamic and interactive session, we’ll hear compelling arguments from both sides: those who champion flexibility, autonomy, and work-life balance, and those who warn of economic inefficiencies, weakened corporate culture, and real estate turmoil.As office attendance fluctuates, do companies need to rethink rental models and long-term leasing strategies? While remote work promises cost savings, hidden expenses—like training, compliance, and productivity challenges—may tip the scales. We’ll also examine shifting labor laws, wage regulations, and workplace accommodations, as well as the tug-of-war over office space and its effects on landlords and corporate tenants.
One Stage. Two Parties. Future of the Workplace.
One side fights for structure, collaboration, and the almighty cubicle!
The other champions flexibility, autonomy, and never commuting again!
Expect bold arguments, surprise challenges, and interactive twists as both sides fight to convince YOU—THE VOTERS. Will remote work cement its dominance, or is the office making a comeback? Step in, cast your vote, and help decide the future!
SPEAKERS
Bruna Abreu
FINRA, Brazil
Bruna is an employment attorney licensed in Brazil. Her passion is working with clients to effectively resolve their cases.
In May 2023, she graduated from the LL.M in Alternative Dispute Resolution program at USC Gould School of Law enriching her knowledge about ADR methods and the law in the U.S., besides being an incredible and unique personal experience.
Over the last few years, she has specialized in interest-based negotiations and has had the opportunity of teaching courses on this subject at University of Caxias do Sul.
Johannes Meyer-Myklestad
Selmer, Norway
Johannes Meyer-Myklestad specializes in construction law, real estate development and dispute resolution. He has considerable litigation experience, especially from final accounts of construction projects, real estate related disputes and tort cases within contract or zoning law. He has experience from litigation before both the ordinary courts (including the Supreme Court), arbitral tribunals and several other special tribunals.
Johannes has extensive experience from working with vast and complex cases. For instance, he has handled and litigated several cases where the construction projects and subsequent litigation have taken years to complete. From his work with complex construction disputes, Meyer-Myklestad has become an ambassador for communicating law in a clear and educational manner. As a result, he published the book “Construction law in a nutshell” as editor in 2018, as well as the books “Building projects from A-Z” and “Consulting contracts in a nutshell” in 2019. He was a co-writer of the festschrift “På Rett Grunn 2” in 2021.
Johannes is a sought-after lecturer within his fields of expertise. He holds regular lectures for real estate developers, construction companies, engineering organizations and universities.
Ailie Murray
Travers Smith, United Kingdom
Ailie is a partner in the Employment Department. She advises employers globally on the full range of contentious and non-contentious employment law and business immigration matters.
Ailie is valued for her personable approach and her solutions-focused, pragmatic advice.
Ailie has considerable experience advising clients on the employment aspects of complex, often multi-jurisdictional, acquisitions and disposals, private equity investments and post completion integration. Her role frequently involves assisting clients navigate through the challenges of multiple legal frameworks and works with them to develop coordinated strategies, particularly in relation to employee transfers, changing terms and conditions and work force reductions.
Ailie regularly advises on senior executive issues, exits, and has extensive experience of advising on employee dismissals, grievances and disciplinaries. She also advises and supports clients with workplace investigations and complex litigation and disputes.
Ailie also supports employer clients on UK business immigration matters, including assisting with sponsorship licence applications and various UK visa permissions.
Karolína Křešová
PRK Partners, Czech Republic
Karolina Kresova is an attorney-at-law at PRK Partners in Prague, where she specializes in real estate law, general contract law, and corporate law. Karolina holds a Master’s degree (Mgr.) from the Faculty of Law of Charles University in Prague, which she obtained in 2018. Her academic background includes research fellowships at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, and Goethe-University Frankfurt, Germany. She has been an active member of the Czech Bar Association since 2022.
With extensive expertise in real estate transactions, Karolina handles complex asset and share deals across diverse property types, including industrial facilities, hotels, and commercial office buildings. Her practice encompasses advising both landlords and tenants on individual lease agreements, resolving complex issues in existing lease relationships, and developing comprehensive model lease frameworks. Karolina provides specialized legal counsel on property and facility management arrangements as well as construction contracts.
Karolina’s practice also extends to corporate matters, where she advises domestic and international clients on corporate governance, regulatory compliance, and corporate restructuring.
SESSION COORDINATORS AND MODERATORS
Nan Sato
Fisher Phillips, USA
Nan Sato is a partner in the Philadelphia and New York offices of Fisher Phillips and the co-chair of the firm’s International Practice Group. She advises international companies on employment matters around the globe. She is a Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe and Canada (CIPP/E & CIPP/C), and also has extensive experience in the labor and employment law aspect of sports.
Nan regularly represents U.S. companies operating abroad as well as foreign companies who are looking to expand into the U.S. market. Clients see Nan as a partner in strategically setting up borderless workforces and navigating legal issues arising out of their global operations. She has extensive experience in analyzing and minimizing the risks of international remote working arrangements.
She frequently advises employers on their international employment issues in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Canada, and Latin America. She counsels clients globally on establishment of new international operations, M&A-related employment and data privacy issues, termination processes, international labor relations, global pay equity audits, as well as cross-border employment disputes.
Nan’s clients are from a variety of industries including manufacturing, finance, trading, biotech, technology, entertainment, fashion, and education. In the sports industry, Nan has worked with governing bodies, clubs, sponsors, and promotional agencies in their contract negotiations and dispute resolution. She has represented clients in front of the Court of Arbitration for Sports and the FIFA Dispute Resolution Chamber in various employment disputes.
Nan is a frequent speaker on cross-border legal issues and regularly writes on international employment topics. Additionally, Nan lectures on employment issues in eSports at the Spain-based Higher institute of Law and Economics (ISDE) and serves on the editorial board of LawInSport. She is experienced in internal whistleblower investigations both in a sports context and a traditional corporate context.
Monika Křižánková
HAVEL & PARTNERS, Czech Republic
Monika Křižánková specialises in public law, specifically in construction law, real estate law, environmental law, and administrative law.
During her practice she has been involved in providing legal services mainly in the area of construction law in connection with development projects in the Czech Republic. Her work included comprehensive legal services, including environmental advice (EIA), representation of clients in obtaining and amending building permits and the necessary representation of clients before administrative authorities and in the administrative justice system.
Prior to joining our law firm, Monika worked as a legal student and then as a junior associate at law firms in Brno from 2014 and then at the Ostrava office of a Prague-based law firm, where she provided legal advice to Czech and international clients on construction and environmental law.
Partners & Sponsors
LINCOLN
JEFFERSON
ADAMS
EISENHOWER
KENNEDY
SUPPORTING
ANNUAL SPONSORS
