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One Size Fits None in Modern Employment Law with Jerry Maatman

Emerging Litigation Podcast

Chapters
0:00
Setting The Risk Landscape
2:01
Meet Jerry And The Manual
5:20
Documentation That Survives Juries
9:06
Remote Work As ADA Accommodation
13:45
Managing And Including Remote Teams
18:02
RTO Policies And Individualization
22:26
Retaliation Traps And Missteps
25:21
WARN, Remote Staff, And RIFs
30:20
Arbitration, Gig Workers, And Class Waivers
36:35
DEI, Documentation, And Legal Lines
41:02
Policies Versus Practice: Due Process
46:05
AI Hiring, Monitoring, And Patchwork Laws
Emerging Litigation Podcast
One Size Fits None in Modern Employment Law with Jerry Maatman
Mar 19, 2026 Season 1 Episode 117
Tom Hagy

Numerous aspects of the modern workplace are evolving fast—and so are the legal risks.

In this episode, I get to speak with Gerald L. Maatman, Jr.—a nationally recognized employment litigator and author with 40 years in practice. A partner with Duane Morris in Chicago, he has defended some of the largest “bet-the-company” class actions in the U.S. and is known for helping employers anticipate and prevent large-scale litigation risks.

We talk about how remote work, ADA compliance, workforce reductions, arbitration, DEI policies, and AI tools are reshaping employment law.

We discuss:

▪️ How courts are redefining “essential functions” in the remote work era.
▪️ ADA compliance and running a defensible interactive process.
▪️ WARN Act risks in distributed and remote workforces.
▪️ Why RIFs require careful planning and statistical review.
▪️ Arbitration strategies post-Epic Systems—and where they fail.
▪️ Legal boundaries for DEI programs in a shifting landscape.
▪️ AI in hiring and performance management—and emerging compliance risks.

From policy design to litigation exposure, the message is clear: decisions must be documented, consistent, and defensible.

If you manage people, risk, or compliance, this episode offers practical guidance for navigating today’s complex employment landscape.

🙏 Special thanks to Jerry for taking the time to share his insights and experience with us. His energy and enthusiasm for the subject are inspiring.

To access a roadmap for navigating employment law complexities while building stronger, more productive workplaces, check out Jerry's book, 'The Employment Law Manual: A Practical Guide for Business Owners, Managers, and Executives'.

Tom Hagy
Host of The Emerging Litigation Podcast

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