Labor & Employment

1st Circuit Ruling Helps Working Moms

Workplace discrimination against pregnant women and women with children is commonplace, many suspect, but hard to prove. But a decision yesterday (PDF) by the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals may offer some relief. Reversing a dismissal, by a federal judge in Maine, the appeals court said plaintiff Laurie…

Mar 27, 2009 9:20 PM CDT

Covington Returns Yolanda Young Fire, Says Ex-Staff Lawyer Had Lackluster GPA

Sued last month by a former staff attorney who claimed Covington & Burling maintained its staff attorney ranks as a ghetto for minority attorneys, the law firm didn’t hesitate to fire back earlier when Yolanda Young apparently made similar charges in an administrative complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity…

Mar 27, 2009 6:21 PM CDT

Partner Won’t Have to Arbitrate Bias Claim against Law Firm, 3rd Circuit Rules

A federal appeals court has ruled a female partner doesn’t have to arbitrate her sexual discrimination claim against Dickie McCamey & Chilcote, despite an arbitration clause in the firm’s bylaws. The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals based in Philadelphia refused to require arbitration of the suit by partner Alyson…

Mar 27, 2009 4:23 PM CDT

Ex-Associate Who Sued WolfBlock Says Firm Had Revolving Door for Women

A former associate who made new legal ground when she sued WolfBlock for sex discrimination some 20 years ago says the culture at the firm’s Philadelphia office never changed. The law firm, formerly known as Wolf, Block, Schorr and Solis-Cohen, voted to dissolve this week, prompting reporter calls to Nancy…

Mar 26, 2009 12:02 PM CDT

Feds are Gearing Up for Wage-Theft Enforcement Campaign

Working undercover to investigate whether the federal watchdog charged with enforcing U.S. labor laws is doing its job, agents of the Governmental Accountability Office found that nine of 10 complaints it made as purported aggrieved workers were mishandled. Instead of investigating as required, the Wage and Hour Division of the…

Mar 25, 2009 6:34 PM CDT

Retired WolfBlock Lawyers Out of Luck?

In a throwaway line buried deep in a Philadelphia Inquirer article about the winding down of the 106-year-old WolfBlock is some troubling news. Retired lawyers may lose their pensions. Why? The paper reports that the firm is funding pension costs out of current revenues and “has no long-term investments for…

Mar 25, 2009 3:32 PM CDT

‘Whack! Ow!’ Spanking Whistle-Blower Wins $200K in Discrimination Suit

News of a $200,000 federal jury verdict in a unusual employment discrimination suit is gathering traction on the blogosphere. Filed by a municipal worker who says she was fired after she blew the whistle on a relative spanking a child in a Chicago Park District restroom, the case started with…

Mar 24, 2009 9:54 PM CDT

Female Fla. Prison Workers Sue Over Alleged Inmate Sexual Harassment

More than 100 female prison workers have filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Florida Department of Corrections contending that they were routinely sexually harassed by inmates. The employees, mostly nurses, allege that male inmates used graphic language and masturbated towards them, reports the Miami Herald. “The conduct is…

Mar 23, 2009 3:13 PM CDT

CIA Station Chief Accused of 2 Rapes is Being Dismissed

The Central Intelligence Agency apparently didn’t fuss when Andrew Warren racked up hefty expense tabs at strip clubs and brothels, while wooing potential espionage recruits. But this permissive work culture may have helped promote questionable behavior by Warren and at least a small number of other CIA agents, suggests a…

Mar 20, 2009 8:19 PM CDT

Too Many Law Firm Layoffs are Gender-Biased, ABA Commission Chair Says

A recent cover article in Forbes magazine recounts claims being made by Wall Street women—and their lawyers—that female employees are bearing more than their fair share of recent layoffs. But it isn’t just on Wall Street that women are disappearing from the workforce, says the chair of the ABA Commission…

Mar 18, 2009 7:53 PM CDT

DOJ Files USERRA Suit Against Indiana Law Firm

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a federal law suit against an Indiana law firm, contending that Mike Norris & Associates unlawfully refused to re-employ a former staff attorney after he returned from military duty in Iraq. Mathew Jeffries initially filed a complaint over the alleged violation of Uniformed…

Mar 16, 2009 5:56 PM CDT

Law Firm Layoffs (and Alternatives) Create Litigation Risk

Employment litigation, in general, is increasing, and laid-off lawyers certainly should be able to recognize a possible cause of action as quickly as most potential plaintiffs. So law firms need to exercise care when making layoffs—particularly since they, unlike their corporate clients, don’t have much prior experience doing so, reports…

Mar 14, 2009 2:00 AM CDT

Chronicle: Cry Us a River—And Punish Judge Kent By Axing His Pension

Since a gag order was lifted that prevented lawyers involved from talking about the federal criminal case against U.S. District Judge Samuel Kent, his attorney, Dick DeGuerin, has had much to say about Kent’s sad situation after the death of his wife of many years. But Kent for years been…

Mar 9, 2009 8:15 PM CDT

Duane Morris Says Sex Harassment Plaintiff Wasn’t an Associate

A lawyer who filed a sexual harassment suit against Duane Morris is facing questions about whether she was an associate at the law firm. The plaintiff, Taryn Williams, claims she was an associate reviewing documents at Duane Morris in Houston when she was harassed by her supervisor and fired for…

Mar 6, 2009 4:55 PM CST

11th Circuit Nixes Attorney Fee, Although Paralegal Won OT Pay From Law Firm

Sometimes a reasonable attorney fee is no attorney fee, a federal judge said when attorney Rudy Barack sought attorney fees after winning $3,500 for a paralegal seeking overtime pay from a Florida law firm. And the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals apparently agrees, upholding in an opinion (PDF)…

Mar 6, 2009 12:25 AM CST