Avoiding Legal Pitfalls in the Workplace in the Era of Legal Cannabis Use

"The program will briefly describe the history of legal cannabis use in New Jersey, including the Compassionate Use Act, the Honig amendments, and the most recent Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization Act. The focus of the program will be on 

prohibited adverse employment actions against cannabis users; requirements for Workplace Impairment Recognition Expert certifications; and employment actions that remain permissible. The program is designed to introduce employment lawyers to the new legal rights and obligations of employers and cannabis-using employees.

 

Kristin V. Hayes was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She is a 1995 graduate of the Pennsylvania State University and she received her J. D. from the Seton Hall University School of Law in 1999.

 

Kristin was admitted to the bars of New Jersey and the United States District Court, District of New Jersey in 1999. During the 1999-2000 term, she served as the law clerk to the Honorable Amy P. Chambers, P.J.S.C., Middlesex County. Kristin joined the firm in 2000 and became a partner in 2008.

 

Kristin’s practice focuses on commercial and employment law.  Within these practice areas, Kristin counsels her clients and litigates on their behalf on a wide array of issues involving contract negotiations, personnel matters, and compliance issues.  Her practice also includes personal injury litigation.  She has given seminars on the New Jersey Paid Family Leave Act, the New Jersey Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, and the Conscientious Employee Protection Act. Kristin authored “Tax Implications When an Employee is Terminated,” 216 N.J.L.J. 559 (2014), and she co-authored “Guidance Still Awaited on FMLA Leave Remedy,” 13 N.J.L.J. 2139 (2004), “CEPA: When Whistleblowing is Just Part of Your Duties,” 207 N.J.L.J. 830 (2012), and "Avoiding Legal Pitfalls in the Workplace in the Era of Legal Cannabis Use" N.J.L.J. (2021). She also has contributed to the New Jersey Law Journal’s annual insert “New Jersey Supreme Court Year in Review” in the area of commercial law.

 

Kristin was named a Super Lawyer1 Rising Star every year from 2006 through 2013 by Law & Politics and New Jersey Monthly and in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019, she was selected as a Super Lawyer in employment law.  She also is a member of several Bar Associations, including the New Jersey State Bar Association, the Morris County and Somerset County Bar Associations, the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association and the Morris County Chapter of Business Women Networking Involving Charity & Education.

 

Kristin formerly was an adjunct professor at the Seton Hall University School of Law, teaching legal research and writing. She currently resides in Somerset County with her husband and two daughters."