REGULATING CALIFORNIA BUSINESSES:
ARE CURRENT LAWS BEST SERVING THE STATE’S
ECONOMIC INTERESTS OR HAS THE SUN SET ON CALIFORNIA?
Friday, October 24, 2014
9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Presented by Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law's Nexus Journal of Law and Policy
Chapman University is a State Bar of California approved MCLE provider and certifies that this activity has been approved for MCLE credit in the amount of 5 general MCLE credits.
California’s business climate has become a topic for debate. Some argue that California, once considered a great economic powerhouse, is now struggling to entice new businesses to the State and to keep existing businesses from leaving. Our goal is to foster a meaningful discussion on the laws and policies that make California attractive or unattractive to business, as well as to offer solutions on how California can improve its business climate going forward. Panels will focus on employment and labor laws, environmental regulations, state taxes, and innovation policy.
Symposium Schedule
Check-in & Registration (9:30 - 10 a.m.)
Introduction (10 - 10:15 a.m.): Hugh Hewitt, Professor of Law and Faculty Advisor of Nexus Journal of Law and Policy, Chapman University Fowler School of Law
Panel I: The Burdens and Unintended Benefits of California’s Tax Policies on Business (10:15 - 11:30 a.m.)
Moderator: Bobby Dexter, Professor of Law, Chapman University Fowler School of Law
- James V. Lacy, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Wewer & Lacy, LLP; and author of Taxifornia: Liberals’ Laboratory to Bankrupt America
- Adam B. Summers, Staff Columnist at The Orange County Register
- Jared R. Callister, Partner at Fishman Larsen Chaltraw & Zeitler (FLCZ), focusing on corporate, partnership and real estate transactions and taxation matters
Lunch Keynote Presentation: Are California Laws Stifling Business? (11:40 a.m. - 1:20 p.m.) Andrew F. Puzder, CEO of CKE Restaurants, Inc. (Carl’s Jr., Hardees)
Moderator: Hugh Hewitt, Professor of Law and Faculty Advisor of Nexus Journal of Law and Policy, Chapman University Fowler School of Law
Panel II: Do Laws that Favor Employees Drive Business Away? (1:30 - 2:30 p.m.)
Moderator: Dr. John A. Hall, Professor of Law, Chapman University Fowler School of Law
- Jeffrey D. Polsky, Partner at Fox Rothschild LLP, focusing on business and employment litigation and counseling
- Mark Budensiek, Partner at Klatte, Budensiek & Young-Agriesti, LLP, head of the firm’s employment law counseling practice and focuses on preventative employment law
- Jennifer Barrera, Policy Advocate for Labor and Employment, Legal and Taxation, California Chamber of Commerce
Panel III: The Price of Leading the Nation’s Environmental Regulations (2:30 - 3:30 p.m.)
Moderator: Dr. Deepa Badrinarayana, Professor of Law, Chapman University Fowler School of Law
- Thomas J.P. McHenry, Partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher Los Angeles and a member of the firm’s Environmental Litigation and Mass Tort Practice Group
- Ethan Elkind, Associate Director of the Climate Change and Business Program, with a joint appointment at University of California Berkeley School of Law and University of California, Los Angeles School of Law
- Steven Ferrey, Professor of Law, Suffolk University; and author of numerous books, including Environmental Law: Examples and Explanations (6th ed., 2013)
Snacks & Refreshments (3:30 - 3:45 p.m.)
Panel IV: Nurturing Innovation to Revive California’s Economy (3:45 - 4:45 p.m.)
Moderator: Donald J. Kochan, Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development and Professor of Law, Chapman University Fowler School of Law
- John Doherty, Vice President of State Policy & Politics and General Counsel, TechNet
- Thomas Fellenz, Chief Counsel, California High-Speed Rail Authority
- David Williams, CEO, U.S. Continental
"En Banc" Reception: Cocktails and Appetizers for all guests, presenters, faculty and students (5 - 7 p.m.)
The En Banc will be co-hosted by the Business and Investment Law Society and Nexus Journal of Law and Policy.
