Employment Law Expert Michael Nader Applies the Inspirational Principles of Catholic Teaching

22 October 2005

Catholics@Work, a fellowship of individuals who explore how to actively live one’s beliefs in the workplace, (www.catholicsatwork.org), today announced its November 2005 breakfast meeting will feature Michael J. Nader, esq., an employment law expert with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati in Palo Alto.

The Catholics@Work breakfast event will be held at Crow Canyon Country Club, 711 Silver Lake Drive, Danville, CA 94526 on Tuesday, November 8, 2005. A full buffet breakfast is served starting at 6:45am (Mass is offered at 6:15am at the same location.) Cost is $20 for members and $27 for non-members.

Nader draws on his employment law practice in the Silicon Valley, as well as his graduate studies in Catholic Social Teaching, Political Philosophy, Law and Human Rights at the Notre Dame Law School, and its Center for Civil and Human Rights, to provide a new perspective on how to apply Catholic moral teaching to the modern workplace.

"I have found much inspiration in the teaching of Pope John Paul II, that precisely through one’s work, a person can become ‘more human’ and ‘more Christian,’” said Michael J. Nader. “Catholic teaching on the ‘Gospel of Work’ provides Catholic professionals with the most profound reasons for our work, and with the moral energy to undertake our daily responsibilities in a spirit of charity and joy.”
"Michael Nader will discuss the principles of the Theology of Work,” said Rick Medeiros, president of Catholics@Work. ”And, deliver his experiences to us, so we can understand and share this new perspective.”

While at Notre Dame Law School, Nader served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy, which, in collaboration with the U.S. Catholic Bishops, published a volume on Catholic Social Teaching on the issues of work and welfare reform. He also had the unique opportunity to study the contributions of Pope John Paul II to the Theology of Work while on fellowship with the Tertio Millennio Institute in Krakow, Poland.
After law school, Nader served as a judicial clerk for a federal district court judge in Milwaukee, WI, and for a federal appellate judge with the U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago, IL.

Nader has received several awards for his service to the nonprofit community, including the John Wilson Award, his law firm’s highest award for pro bono service, and the Outstanding Volunteer in Public Service Award from the Bar Association of San Francisco for 2003 and 2004.

Catholics@Work is committed to fostering fellowship and connectivity among Catholics facing the realities of life in today’s workplace environment. The monthly breakfast gatherings are a unique opportunity for Catholics to:
•grow in their understanding of the Catholic faith,
•be encouraged to apply the principals of their faith in the everyday workplace,
•and to network with other Catholic business professionals.

The breakfast series is held at Crow Canyon Country Club, Danville, California, on the second Tuesday of the month seven times per year (April-June, September-December). The event starts with a buffet breakfast followed by a speaker or panel discussion and runs from 6:45-8:30am. The event offers a great way to network with people who look for purpose and leadership in their lives. There is time prior to the beginning of each speaker’s presentation to interact with other attendees and to share the faith as well as business and personal information. Mass is offered at 6:15am for those who wish to attend before breakfast at the same location. Managed by Catholic business professionals, Catholics@Work breakfast events are open to all, regardless of faith or occupation, who want to explore the issues of actively living one’s beliefs in the workplace.