It’s springtime, and in Oklahoma, that could only mean one thing—the annual SHRM Oklahoma (formerly OKHR) conference is right around the corner. This year, the conference returns to Oklahoma City with events taking place at the Oklahoma City Convention Center, May 5-6, 2025. With less than a month before the opening sessions begin, current SHRM Oklahoma Director Tara Crowley joins Briefly Legal for a preview of this year’s agenda.  

Tara and Adam discuss the reasoning behind the theme, ConnectHR, and why a condensed schedule will provide attendees with a more intimate conference environment. They also provide a sneak peek into this year’s keynote speakers (Dr. Nathan Regier, Shalynne Jackson, and Gloria Sinclair Miller), and “Connecting at the HR Park,” an after-hours event with games, music, refreshments, and time to let loose. As the Premier Presenting Sponsor, our Labor & Employment Practice Group members are excited to present a full slate of current of current employment law topics that will help HR professionals connect the dots and find meaningful solutions to their workplace issues. Make sure to stop by our booth (31/32) in the vendor hall for a chance to win great prizes. 

About Tara Crowley

Additional Resources ConnectHR 2025 SHRM Oklahoma Conference

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On August 20, 2024 a Texas federal court issued a nationwide order preventing the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Non-Compete Rule from going into effect. For the time being, employers are not required to comply with the FTC’s proposed rule to prohibit employers from imposing non-compete clauses on employees.  

On this episode of Briefly Legal, Labor & Employment attorneys Chris Vaught and Logan Hibbs discuss the Texas court’s ruling in Ryan LLC v. Federal Trade Commission, and the two issues at the center of the argument: (1) whether the FTC lacked statutory authority to promulgate the Rule; and (2) whether the Rule was arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedures Act (APA). With an appeal from the FTC likely coming, Chris and Logan also discuss why employers should prepare for all outcomes as this saga continues.

About Chris Vaught and Logan Hibbs

Additional Resources Texas Federal Court Finds FTC's Non-Compete Rule Unlawful: Are Employers Across the Nation in the Clear? 

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In the second installment of our podcast series examining the impact of Loper Bright in various industries and practice groups, Energy Environment & Natural Resources Practice Group member Alyssa Sloan joins Briefly Legal to discuss the potential new wave of administrative jurisprudence in the wake of Chevron’s demise. Alyssa discusses the impact Loper Bright will have on Congress’s intent to delegate authority to federal agencies, the opportunities agencies will have to further engage with the regulated community, and why even though the Chevron doctrine was overruled, deference is still intact during the statutory interpretation process under Skidmore. She also discusses regulations that are likely to be challenged in the future, including the Environmental Protection Agency’s rules concerning the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

About Alyssa Sloan

Additional Resources The Demise of Chevron Deference

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The U.S. Supreme Court recently handed down one of the most significant decisions in decades. In Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, a case involving a little-known National Marine Fisheries Service regulation, SCOTUS overturned the Chevron doctrine, and in so doing, removed the forty-year old legal foundation that many federal agencies relied upon when promulgating their regulations. In this first of several podcasts to examine the impact of Loper Bright in various industries and practice groups, Labor & Employment Practice Group member Logan C. Hibbs joins Briefly Legal to discuss the two-step test used to determine the amount of deference given to federal agencies when determining the validity of agency regulations under the now defunct Chevron doctrine, and the potential impacts the Court’s ruling in Loper Bright could have on ongoing litigation involving workplace regulations including, the Department of Labor's (DOL) new Rule on wage requirements for exempt workers under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the National Labor Relations Board’s joint-employer rule, and the DOL’s new Rule on who is an independent contractor and who is an employee.

About Logan C. Hibbs

Additional Resources Chevron Overruled - What Does this Mean for Employers?

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For the second year in a row, Oklahoma Human Resources State Council (OKHR) Director Kristi Spaethe joins Briefly Legal for a preview of the PowHR 2024 OKHR Conference. This year, the conference travels back up the Turner Turnpike with all the action taking place at the Hyatt Regency Downtown Tulsa, April 16-18, 2024. Kristi and Adam discuss this year’s tailored breakout sessions and keynote speakers (Greg Hawks, Jovan Glasgow, and Jennifer McClure), and highlight several of the after-hours events planned for attendees, including HR’s Got Talent, an “anything goes” talent show, and Pub PowHR, a pub crawl through downtown Tulsa. As the Premier Presenting Sponsor, our Labor & Employment Practice Group members are excited to present the latest developments in employment law. Make sure to stop by our booth in the vendor hall for a chance to win great prizes.

About Kristi Spaethe

Additional Resources PowHR 2024 OKHR Conference

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Our clients often face governmental, legislative, and regulatory challenges that require strategic advice at the local, state, and federal government level. To meet our clients' needs, Crowe & Dunlevy launched the Government Relations, Legislative & Regulatory Affairs Practice Group to provide businesses and non-profits with guidance on a variety of governmental and political issues. In this episode of Briefly Legal, Practice Group Co-chairs Glen D. Johnson and Will Hoch discuss the decades of experience the team has interacting with the legislature, congress, and various administrative bodies, and the importance of engaging a trusted partner that offers substantive knowledge and real-world experience to ensure your voice is heard.

About Glen D. Johnson and Will Hoch

Additional Information Crowe & Dunlevy Launches Comprehensive Government Relations, Legislative & Regulatory Affairs Practice

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Chris Davis was born to an average blue-collar family in central Illinois. Growing up, he enjoyed playing sports, going hunting, attending Boy Scout meetings – the things a typical midwestern kid would be interested in. His life changed, however, when he was 17 years old, and doctors had discovered that an astrocytoma had developed on his spinal cord. After undergoing successful surgery to remove the tumor, Chris returned home as a permanent paraplegic. Still confident that he could lead a successful life, Chris knew that he needed to choose a career that was more cerebral than physical and decided to give law school a shot. Fast forward nearly 40 years later and Chris was not only accepting his membership into the American College of Trial Lawyers, but he was also asked to provide the commencement speech at the induction ceremony.  

In this episode of Briefly Legal, litigator Chris Davis discusses the series of life events that led him to become the only paraplegic trial attorney in the state of Oklahoma and why mindfulness and being extremely well-prepared help quell people’s perception of him on both sides of the courtroom. He also discusses the legacy of litigators at Crowe & Dunlevy, how their leadership and involvement in the ABA has led him to become a better mentor to young attorneys, and the emphasis and recognition the firm places on the value of diversity in the workplace.

About J. Christopher Davis

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On August 16, 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law. The IRA provides tax incentives and grants for solar, wind, hydrogen, nuclear, oil and gas, and carbon capture, utilization and storage projects (CCUS). Specifically the IRA amends section 45Q of the tax code to provide credits for the capture and storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) in underground geologic formations. In the second environmental and energy law spin off episode of Briefly Legal, join attorneys Tim Sowecke and Alyssa Sloan as they discuss the growth of CCUS projects and the monetization of CO2 under the IRA, with a specific focus on the management of CO2 as a waste product in industrial and oil and gas operations under the Safe Drinking Water Act’s (SDWA) Underground Injection Control (UIC) program. They’ll highlight important jurisdictional distinctions between UIC Class VI wells used to collect CO2 emissions from large point sources like power generation or industrial facilities, and Class II wells used to dispose of CO2 as a waste product in oil and gas operations. They’ll also touch on environmental justice considerations in the siting of CCUS projects. Whether you’re an oil and gas operator trying to manage CO2 emissions, an entrepreneur looking at opportunities in the nascent carbon market, or just someone wanting to know more about carbon capture and storage, this episode will shed light on some of the latest efforts to capture and commoditize CO2 in the United States.

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has added addressing exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) as a new regulatory priority in its National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives for 2024-2027. With this announcement, the number of PFAS-related regulations and enforcement issues is expected to rise over the next several years. Briefly Legal is launching its first spin-off podcast focusing on environmental and energy law issues. In the inaugural episode, energy and environmental attorneys Tim Sowecke and Alyssa Sloan summarize EPA’s enforcement and compliance priorities for 2024-2027 and do a deep-dive on upcoming PFAS regulations, including drinking water standards and increased reporting requirements for manufacturers and processors of PFAS.

About Tim Sowecke and Alyssa Sloan

Addition Resources: EPA Regulations - PFAS as Far as the Eye Can See

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In a decision applicable to both unionized and non-union employers, on August 2, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) overturned a prior 2017 decision that afforded employers flexibility in the policies and procedures they use to govern the workplace and changed its standard for assessing whether certain categories of work rules are lawful to maintain. The NLRB’s new standard outlined in its Stericycle, Inc. decision requires employers to articulate a legitimate business interest in the particular policy and ensure the policy is narrowly tailored. Labor & Employment Practice Group member Jaycee Booth discusses the history of the NLRB’s standard for assessing neutral work rules and explains the new balancing test the NLRB will use to assess whether an employer’s policies will violate the National Labor Relations Act.

About Jaycee Booth

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