Allen Dobson
Allen C. Dobson is a Director in the firm of Cross, Gunter, Witherspoon & Galchus, P.C. Mr. Dobson is licensed to practice law in the State of Arkansas, in the United States District Courts in Arkansas, Eastern and Western Districts, and the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Dobson’s practice includes work before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Wage & Hour, and OSHA Divisions of the Department of Labor, as well as related federal and state court litigation. His practice also includes work before the Arkansas Employment Security Division and Contractors Licensing Board. Experience includes employment and construction related arbitration, advising management regarding maintenance of a non-discriminatory workplace, supervisory training, development of personnel systems and the preparation of drug-testing policies and procedures. Mr. Dobson has also testified numerous times before Arkansas House and Senate Committees.
Mr. Dobson graduated cum laude from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico, with a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture. He received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law, where he was Assistant Case Notes Editor for the UALR Law Journal.
He is a member of the American Bar Association's Employment Section and the Arkansas Bar Association's Labor and Employment Law Section. He has been selected by the Arkansas Bar Association as a speaker for the ABA’s “Best of CLE”. He is contributing author to the Libel Defense Resource Center’s annual “LDRC 50-State Survey: Employment Libel and Privacy Law”. Mr. Dobson is a member of the American Subcontractor Association and serves on the ASA’s Attorney’s Council. He is a contributor to ASA’s annual “Lien and Bond Claims in the 50 States.” In 2001, Dobson began providing the Arkansas section for “Lien Law On-Line”. Mr. Dobson’s article “Mechanics’ and Materialmen’s Liens in Arkansas” was published in the Construction Corner section of Business Credit magazine in January, 2002.
Mr. Dobson is certified by the Society for Human Resource Management as a Senior Human Resource Professional and is former counsel to the Arkansas SHRM State Council. He is Past President of the Central Arkansas Human Resource Association in Little Rock, Arkansas and Past President of the Board of Directors of American Subcontractors Association of Central Arkansas. Mr. Dobson was named to the Best Lawyers in America in Construction Law (2003 – 2010) and Labor and Employment Law (2008-2010).
Speech Title 1: Avoiding Blow Outs While Driving with a Web Workforce
Attorney Allen Dobson will discuss employers’ rights regarding social media and other web based applications, including:
- What are an employer’s legal risks when employees post content on a corporate blog, private blog, or social networking site?
- What actions can employers take when disgruntled employees use social media to trash a company’s reputation?
- How far can employers go to monitor employees’ blogs, instant messages, and social networking sites without violating privacy laws?
- Can employers use social media to conduct background checks?
Speech Title 2: Proceed with Caution on the Slick Track of Reference Checks and Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA)
Attorney Allen Dobson will talk about reference checks and the possible implications of the employer use of the FCRA, including:
- When should employers conduct reference checks?
- Which method is best for administering reference checks – phone, email or letter?
- How can HR obtain enough - but not too much - information?
- How can employers avoid discriminatory questions?
- What are the employer obligations under the FCRA?
- What are the proper written consent, disclosure and notifications required under the FCRA?
- What are the damages under the FCRA?