The Massachusetts Bar Association is pleased to welcome Labor &
Employment practitioners back for the 47th Annual Labor & Employment Spring
Conference.
This year’s conference will be held in person on Thursday, April 30, at
Suffolk University Law School. The program will feature a distinguished faculty
of judges and accomplished attorneys offering timely insights and thought
leadership on the most pressing issues in labor and employment law.
We are proud and excited to announce this year's keynote speaker: Kalpana
Kotagal, commissioner, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Kalpana Kotagal was designated by President Joe Biden as a member of the Equal
Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) on July 14, 2023, and joined the agency
as a commissioner on Aug. 9, 2023, serving a term through July 2027. In
January 2024, she was selected to lead the EEOC’s REACH Initiative, focused on
strengthening outreach to vulnerable workers and underserved communities. A
longtime advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, Kotagal
has built a career centered on civil rights and equal opportunity, and she is
the first female EEOC commissioner of Indian descent.
Prior to her appointment, Kotagal was a partner at Cohen Milstein, where
she practiced civil rights and employment law and chaired the firm’s Hiring
& Diversity Committee, representing women and marginalized workers in major
class actions involving Title VII, the Equal Pay Act, the ADA, FMLA, and related
wage and hour matters. She also co-authored the widely recognized “Inclusion
Rider,” advancing equal opportunity in the entertainment industry. Earlier in
her career, she clerked for Hon. Betty Binns Fletcher on the U.S. Court of
Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Kotagal graduated with honors from Stanford
University and earned her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania
Carey Law School.
Other Conference Highlights Include:
- Employment Law Update
- Labor Law Update
- Annual Judicial Panel
- Continental Breakfast and Networking Lunch (included)
A full agenda and faculty listing will be announced
soon.
Registration is required by 4 p.m. on Friday, April 24, 2026, to
participate in this program.