Susan Hartmus Hiser

Shareholder

Susan Hiser practices in the areas of labor and employment litigation on behalf of private and public sector employers. Ms. Hiser represents employers in litigation filed in both state and federal courts, as well as in administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights, and the Michigan Employment Relations Commission. She has experience in representing employers in multi-plaintiff harassment and disparate treatment cases. In addition to counseling employers on various employment matters, such as FMLA compliance, disciplinary issues and workplace investigations, Ms. Hiser has drafted and reviewed employment contracts, personnel policies, and employee handbooks. She has also conducted in-house training on all areas of employment law, including harassment prevention, legal compliance, and workplace policies. Ms. Hiser is frequently called upon both to assist in and to conduct workplace investigations on behalf of her clients.

Practice Areas

Employment Litigation

Discrimination

Harassment

Wrongful Termination

Workplace Investigations

FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act)

ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act)

Preventive Counseling and Training

Policy Drafting and Review

First Amendment/Media Litigation and Counseling


Education

University of Michigan Law School (J.D., 1991)

University of Michigan (B.A. with high distinction, 1988)


Awards & Recognitions

Michigan Super Lawyers (2006, 2009, 2010)

Cambridge Who's Who among Executives, Professionals and Entrepreneurs (2010-2011)

United Cerebral Palsy of Metropolitan Detroit, Service Award (2006)

 

Presentations

"FRD, Pay Equity and the Proposed Legislation: A Panel Discussion," Women Lawyers Association of Michigan Annual Meeting, May 2010

"Positioning Yourself for Increased Compensation and Creative Employment Terms: A Panel Discussion," Women Lawyers Association of Michigan Annual Meeting, May 2010

"Accommodating Disabilities: The Interactive Process," United Cerebral Palsy of Metropolitan Detroit, April 2010

“California Dreamin’ (or Nightmarin’) – Investigations Gone Wrong Will Come Back to Haunt You,” ABA Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee Mid-Winter Meeting, Coronado, California, March 2010

“How to Conduct an Internal Investigation,” State Bar of Michigan Labor and Employment Law Section Mid-Winter Meeting, Detroit, Michigan, January 2010

“Discrimination and Investigation Training for HR Professionals,” Vercruysse Murray & Calzone Labor and Employment Law Seminar, October 2009

“Who You Gonna Call? The Key to a Proper Workplace Investigation,” ABA Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee Mid-Winter Meeting, Key West, Florida, March 2009

FMLA Master Class, in conjunction with HR Hero, Novi, Michigan, January 2009

“ADA: Accommodating Disabled Employees and Defending Their Discrimination Claims,” Vercruysse Murray & Calzone Labor and Employment Law Seminar, October 2008

“Preventing Claims of Discrimination and Harassment by Properly Responding to Employee Complaints,” Vercruysse Murray & Calzone Labor and Employment Law Seminar, October 2008

“Upward Mobility in Law Firms and Alternative Work Arrangements,” State Bar of Michigan Labor and Employment Law Section Spring Seminar, Birmingham, Michigan, June 2008

FMLA Master Class, in conjunction with Employers Counsel Network and HR Hero, Novi, Michigan, February 2008

“Identifying and Responding to Employee Complaints,” Vercruysse Murray & Calzone Labor and Employment Law Seminar, October 2007

“Retaliation/Whistleblowing/Sarbanes Oxley – The Litigation Tsunami,” Vercruysse Murray & Calzone Labor and Employment Law Seminar, October 2007

“Mission Impossible:  Terminating a Troublemaker and Avoiding Liability,” ABA Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee Mid-Winter Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana, March 2007

“Handling EEOC and MDCR Charges,” Vercruysse Murray & Calzone Labor and Employment Law Seminar, October 2006

“Trying Employment Cases,” Vercruysse Murray & Calzone Labor and Employment Law Seminar, October 2006

FMLA Master Class, in conjunction with Employers Counsel Network and HR Hero, Novi, Michigan, September 2006

“Identifying and Responding to Employee Complaints of Harassment: How to Avoid the Trap of Over-Generalized Claims,” Vercruysse Murray & Calzone Labor and Employment Law Seminar, October 2005

“Retaliation: The Newest Wave of Employment Litigation,” Vercruysse Murray & Calzone Labor and Employment Law Seminar, October 2005

“Investigation of Harassment Issues: How to Do It Right,” Vercruysse Murray & Calzone Labor and Employment Law Seminar, October 2004

Trial Advocacy, Mock Trial Participant, Defense Counsel, ABA Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee Mid-Winter Meeting, Palm Springs, California, March 2004

“Accommodating Disabilities – The Interactive Process,” in conjunction with United Cerebral Palsy Association of Metropolitan Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, December 2003

“Unringing the Bell: How to Prevent Serious Incidents of Harassment from Becoming Expensive Litigation,” Vercruysse Murray & Calzone Labor and Employment Law Seminar, October 2003

“Responding to Harassment Claims: Managing Conflict and Preventing Liability,” Vercruysse Murray & Calzone Labor and Employment Law Seminar, October 2002

“Employer Defenses in Responding to Harassment Claims: Prompt Remedial Action and the Need for Training,” Vercruysse Murray & Calzone Labor and Employment Law Seminar, October 2001

“Responding to Harassment Claims: The Individual Claimant and the Pattern and Practice Charge,” Vercruysse Murray & Calzone Labor and Employment Law Seminar, October 2000

“Employer Liability for Sexual Harassment: The Need for Training,” Vercruysse Murray & Calzone Labor and Employment Law Seminar, October 1999

“Aspects of the Employment Relationship,” Vercruysse Murray & Calzone Labor and Employment Law Seminar, October 1999

“Regulating E-mail and Internet Use in the Workplace,” Vercruysse Murray & Calzone Labor and Employment Law Seminar, October 1998

“The Hiring Process: Testing, Screening, and the Impact of the Amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act,” Vercruysse Murray & Calzone Labor and Employment Law Seminar, October 1998

“Employer Rights and Employee Privacy in the Information Age,” Butzel Long Labor and Employment Law Forum, October 1996

“Smoking in the Workplace – The Growing Concern as to the Employer’s Liability for Environmental Smoke,” Butzel Long Labor and Employment Law Forum, October 1994

 

Publications

Monthly Columnist, Michigan Employment Law Letter, Asked and Answered Column, June 2007 to present

Author, “An Employment Law Primer: How to Conduct Internal Workplace Investigations,” Program Materials, ABA Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee Mid-Winter Meeting, Coronado, California, March 2010

Author, “Top 10 Mistakes Employers Make in Investigation Employee Complaints,” Corp! Magazine On-Line, March 2010

Co-Author, “Workplace Investigations: Considerations Regarding the Attorney-Client Privilege and the Attorney Work Product Doctrine in Using Outside Counsel to Investigate Alleged Violations of Employment Laws in the Workplace,” Program Materials, ABA Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee Mid-Winter Meeting, Key West, Florida, March 2009   

Contributing Author, “Bosses Gone Wild,” Program Materials of the Employment-At-Will Subcommittee, ABA Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee Mid-Winter Meeting, Dana Point, California, April 2008  

Co-Author, “The Eleventh Circuit Clarifies Notice Requirements Under the OWBPA: Burlison v. McDonald’s Corp.,” ABA E-Alert, 2006

Author, “Guidelines for Conducting A Sexual Harassment Investigation,” Oakland County Bar Association Journal, No. 379, August 1997

Author, “14th Annual Survey of Sixth Circuit Constitutional Law,” Detroit College of Law Review, Vol. 1993, Issue 2

Co-author, “13th Annual Survey of Sixth Circuit Constitutional Law,” Detroit College of Law Review, Vol. 1992, Issue 2

 

Professional & Community Activities

Inforum, a Professional Women's Alliance (Member)

United Cerebral Palsy of Metropolitan Detroit (Member, Board of Directors and Co-Chair of Personnel Committee)

CW3 Soccer Association (Youth Coach and past Board Member)


Memberships & Appointments

State Bar of Michigan (Member, Labor & Employment Law Section; Council Member since 2009)

American Bar Association (Member, Employee Rights and Responsibilities Committee, Labor & Employment Law Section; Management Co-Chair of Subcommittee on Workplace Investigations since 2008)

Oakland County Bar Association (Member, Employment Law Committee)

American Employment Law Council (Member since 2006)

Michigan State Bar Foundation (Fellow)