Law Firm Coffee Spat Leads to Unemployment Case

A Wisconsin law firm known for its representation of workers in cases against employers got the worst of legal dispute with its own ex-receptionist after a disagreement over an empty coffee pot. Sandy Weidner said she was fired on a trumped-up claim that she hadn’t included a few breaks on…

Nov 26, 2012 8:24 PM CST

US Supreme Court Scolds Oklahoma Supremes for Discounting Arbitration Precedent

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that a dispute over a noncompete clause must be heard by an arbitrator, as called for in an employment agreement, in an opinion that takes the Oklahoma Supreme Court to task for discounting federal precedent. The Oklahoma Supreme Court “disregards this court’s precedents” interpreting…

Nov 26, 2012 6:12 PM CST

Federal Judge Seeks a Third Law Clerk; Applicants Must Be Willing to Work for Free

U.S. District Judge William Martinez of Denver isn’t satisfied with two paid law clerks. He is seeking applicants for a third clerk position, but there’s a catch: They must be willing to work for free. In a story for Salon, University of Colorado law professor Paul Campos notes the unpaid…

Nov 26, 2012 2:04 PM CST

Plaintiffs in EEOC Suit Must Turn Over Cellphones and Facebook Account Passwords, Judge Rules

Saying that the plaintiffs in an employment discrimination case have not produced all material relevant to the defendant employer’s somewhat unclear discovery requests, a federal magistrate judge has ordered them to provide their cellphones and passwords to Facebook and other social media accounts. A special master will compile their text…

Nov 20, 2012 9:27 PM CST

Can We Talk? At Bankruptcy Judge’s Urging, Hostess and Union Agree to a Mediation Session

At the urging of a federal judge in charge of the company’s bankruptcy case, Hostess Brands Inc. and the union representing one of its largest groups of workers have agreed to mediate in an effort to prevent the total liquidation of the bakery goods company, which is particularly known for…

Nov 19, 2012 10:45 PM CST

Ogletree Deakins to Plant Flag in Europe with Offices in London and Berlin

In what it says is the first such move by a U.S.-based firm specializing in labor and employment law, Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart has announced that it will soon be opening two offices in Europe. Its new Berlin office, which is expected to open Dec. 1, will be…

Nov 14, 2012 10:15 PM CST

Media Interest In Petraeus Scandal Casts Spotlight on Florida Lawyer’s Life

The widening scandal over the sudden resignation last week of CIA Director David Petraeus has cast an unexpected spotlight on a Florida lawyer whose sister reportedly received hostile emails from a woman with whom the retired four-star general had had an extramarital affair. As the media delved into the life…

Nov 14, 2012 7:59 PM CST

1st Circuit: Statutory ‘No’ Means ‘No,’ Entitling Starbucks Baristas to $14M

Baristas who work at Starbucks in Massachusetts are entitled to collect $14.1 million because their tips were shared with supervisors in violation of state law, a federal appeals court has ruled. The Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the shift supervisors had managerial responsibility, making them ineligible to…

Nov 13, 2012 2:19 PM CST

Judge Dismisses Alumni Lawsuits Against Two Chicago Law Schools

A judge has dismissed class-action lawsuits against two Chicago law schools by graduates who alleged that they were tricked into attending by the schools’ misleading post-graduation job prospects. Cook County, Ill., Circuit Judge Mary Mikva, in a pair of rulings Friday, threw out the alumni suits against John Marshall Law…

Nov 12, 2012 9:02 PM CST

Around the Blawgosphere: Legal Bloggers on the Hurricane Sandy Aftermath

Hurricane Sandy has had a tremendous impact on the week’s events for those who were caught in its path or worried from afar about loved ones living in affected areas. Updates about the storm also dominated the news feeds of the rest of the nation. This week, we’re focusing on…

Nov 2, 2012 1:30 PM CDT

Some Staff Protest Bay Street Firm’s New Finger Scan ID Plan, Ask Why It Doesn’t Apply to Lawyers

As part of a new security campaign, a Canadian insurance law firm on Toronto’s prime Bay Street is installing a fingerprint-identification program that is expected to be up and running this month. But scanning workers’ prints also admittedly will help McCague Borlack keep track of its employees’ whereabouts. And that…

Nov 1, 2012 7:04 PM CDT

Biloxi Blues: Legal-Cost Fears Have Victims of the Oil Spill Sliding out of the Middle Class

Nov 1, 2012 10:08 AM CDT

A Touch of Class: Certification, Says One Brief, ‘Is the Ballgame’

Nov 1, 2012 8:19 AM CDT

Site Unseen: Schools, Bosses Barred from Eyeing Students’, Workers’ Social Media

Nov 1, 2012 8:10 AM CDT

Law School Says Lead Plaintiff in Job Stats Suit Against It Turned Down a Full-Time Law Firm Job

A California woman who says she can’t find work as a lawyer and is suing the law school she graduated from turned down a $60,000-a-year job from a Southern California law firm shortly after graduation, Thomas Jefferson School of Law says in a court filing. Anna Alaburda, the lead plaintiff…

Oct 30, 2012 2:00 PM CDT