Labor & Employment

Afternoon Briefs: 25 former DC bar leaders decry election suits; ousted 1L presses due process claim

25 ex-DC bar leaders decry election suits Twenty-five former presidents of the District of Columbia Bar are criticizing lawyers who attacked the electoral process through unfounded allegations of voter fraud or ballot tampering. “In the absence of any meaningful evidence, we must condemn the abuse of the judicial system to…

Dec 2, 2020 4:49 PM CST

Afternoon Briefs: Several states pause jury trials; suit accuses Texas AG of whistleblower retaliation

Several states stop jury trials A surge in COVID-19 cases has led several states to suspend jury trials. They include New York, Maryland, Texas, New Mexico and Wyoming. (The Daily Docket) Suit accuses Texas AG of abusing his office A Nov. 12 lawsuit accuses Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton of…

Nov 16, 2020 4:38 PM CST

SCOTUS will decide whether allowing union access to property is unconstitutional taking

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday agreed to decide whether allowing union organizers to access private property for part of the year amounts to a physical taking of property that violates the Fifth Amendment.

Nov 16, 2020 12:10 PM CST

Gig economy companies hope to expand upon California labor law win

Gig economy companies hope to leverage their recent California ballot measure victory to usher in laws across the country classifying their workers as independent contractors, and some experts say they have the momentum to succeed on that front.

Nov 12, 2020 2:30 PM CST

Ex-partner’s bias suit alleges he was told Black lawyers left because they can’t handle BigLaw

A former Black partner at K&L Gates alleges in a lawsuit that he was terminated for his complaints about discrimination and then harassed by private investigators hired by the law firm.

Nov 11, 2020 12:46 PM CST

Bankruptcy filings decreased by 21% in the past year, but trouble might lie ahead

Bankruptcy filings decreased by 21.1% in the year ending Sept. 30, largely driven by a decrease in nonbusiness bankruptcies.

Nov 3, 2020 1:56 PM CST

Should Scabby the giant inflatable rat be barred from some union protests? NLRB seeks input

The National Labor Relations Board is seeking briefs on whether it should limit union workers’ right to use Scabby the giant inflatable rat at some protests over the use of nonunion labor. The board is asking whether it should modify or overrule NLRB decisions that permit the rat to be…

Oct 30, 2020 12:15 PM CDT

Former Goldman Sachs lawyer says she was fired after trying to speak up about sexual misconduct

A former associate general counsel at Goldman Sachs has filed a lawsuit alleging that she was fired after trying to speak up about sexual misconduct by a company lawyer and then complaining when he retaliated against her.

Oct 29, 2020 11:33 AM CDT

Former Davis Polk associate may pursue retaliation claim, judge says; other racial bias claims tossed

A federal judge in Manhattan has ruled that a Black former associate at Davis Polk & Wardwell can pursue a retaliation claim against three partners, but many of his other racial bias claims were inadequate.

Oct 27, 2020 1:36 PM CDT

Sexual misconduct suit by BigLaw firm’s former legal assistant is mostly dismissed

A federal judge in New Jersey has mostly dismissed a lawsuit by a former legal assistant at Fox Rothschild, who claimed that a now-fired lawyer tried to sexually assault her.

Oct 23, 2020 12:24 PM CDT

Sidley Austin will provide scholarships, internships to law students to settle Labor Department diversity probe

Sidley Austin has agreed to improve its tracking of demographic statistics on summer associate applicants, associate bonuses and staff member promotions to settle allegations that it failed to adequately collect the data.

Oct 8, 2020 10:09 AM CDT

BigLaw firm resolves pay bias claim over bonuses paid at predecessor firm

Locke Lord has agreed to pay $150,000 to resolve allegations that a predecessor law firm discriminated against 22 female associates by paying them lower bonuses than their male colleagues.

Oct 6, 2020 10:54 AM CDT

Recent equal pay lawsuits by female law professors has shined a light on academic compensation process

“People who violate the norms get punished. Whether that is demanding equal pay, demanding to get the same quality of work as a nonminority or demanding to be spoken to with dignity, norm violators get punished. And for too long, women were expected to sit down, be quiet and follow the lead of men,” says Fitzgerald Bramwell, a Chicago litigator.

Oct 1, 2020 3:30 AM CDT

Are businesses liable to ill family members of workers who contract COVID-19?

Do businesses have an obligation to those who have never been at a worksite? Courts have split on the issue, which will likely be raised in new lawsuits alleging that negligence led workers to become ill and pass on the COVID-19 virus to family members.

Sep 28, 2020 9:54 AM CDT

How to empower working moms during the coronavirus pandemic

Ari Kaplan recently spoke with Carolyn Elefant, an attorney who focuses her practice on energy and environmental matters and the author of several books, including Solo by Choice: How to Be the Lawyer You Always Wanted to Be.

Sep 25, 2020 9:58 AM CDT