Kiffi Ford Presents at MSAE 2013 Law Symposium

Identifies Latest Trends in Employment Law that Relate to Associations’ Use of Volunteer Members

Press Mentions

12.09.13

Kiffi Y. Ford, Lansing-based member in the Firm’s Labor & Employment practice, who counsels companies on state and federal employment matters, was a featured presenter at the Michigan Society of Association Executives (MSAE) 2013 Association Law Symposium. This is the second consecutive year Ford has spoken at the MSAE Association Law Symposium.

This year’s one-day session—aimed at board members, C-suite executives,  finance directors, human resource directors and attorneys at Michigan not-for-profit associations—was held at The Henry Center at Michigan State University on November 19, 2013.

In her remarks, Ford addressed an issue that’s coming under greater scrutiny among nonprofit organizations: the differences between volunteer members, independent contractors, interns and employees, and what associations need to do to protect themselves against liability when parsing out work responsibilities among these various groups.

As a prelude to her November 19 presentation, Ford was interviewed by MSAE’s Kimberly Gools on the Michigan Business Network program, “Association Impact”.  In the interview, Ford offered perspective into why it’s important that nonprofits carefully examine how they define and use volunteer workers, and the legal risks that can result if not managed properly.