More Employment Coverage

Expert Analysis

• What's At Stake In Justices' FCA Qui Tam Dismissal Review

  

  The Supreme Court's decision next term in U.S. v. Executive Health Resources could hold that the government cannot dismiss a qui tam action in which it initially declined intervention, which would mean the government must expend more resources vetting False Claims Act cases and give relators free rein as prosecutors of their cases, say attorneys at Ropes & Gray.

• Justices Should Resolve FCA Cases' Rule 9(b) Circuit Split

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court should agree to hear three related False Claims Act cases and resolve the circuit split over the level of detail Rule 9(b) requires in qui tam complaints, or the viability of such actions will increasingly depend on where they are filed, say Kenneth Abell and Katherine Kulkarni at Abell Eskew.

• Thinking Strategically About The Weekend's Impact On Jurors

  

  Clint Townson at IMS discusses how experienced trial lawyers and consultants can utilize the strategic value of weekends in their favor by accounting for how the weekend break affects juror cognition and decision making as part of an integrated trial strategy.

• Now's The Time To Address Archaic Law School Curricula

  

  With law school enrollments jumping significantly ahead of a potential recession and more students graduating than the market can absorb, law schools should turn to creative solutions to teach students how to negotiate, work with clients, specialize and use technology to practice their craft more efficiently, says University of Colorado adjunct professor Jason Mendelson.

• Employer Abortion Policy Considerations In A Post-Roe World

  

  Restricted abortion access in many states after the U.S. Supreme Court’s expected reversal of Roe v. Wade may cause corporate recruitment and retention concerns, but before implementing policies that help employees access reproductive care, employers should consider their workforce’s values, legal risks and potential political backlash, says Meredith Kirshenbaum at Goldberg Kohn.

• High Court Rulings Highlight Arbitration Jurisprudence Shift

  

  A study of recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions — including last month's Morgan v. Sundance opinion — suggests a move away from the strong federal preference for arbitration toward a strict textual interpretation of the Federal Arbitration Act, say Chelsea Priest and Margaret Allen at Sidley.

• Lessons From Lawyer Fee-Sharing Agreements Gone Wrong

  

  The recent fee-sharing dispute between Edelson and Girardi Keese is a reminder that lawyers who do not strictly follow the applicable rules may risk a disciplinary complaint, lose their share of the fee, or wind up in costly litigation with co-counsel, says David Grossbaum at Hinshaw.

• 8 Steps To Creating A Legal Ops Technology Road Map

  

  Legal departments struggling to find and implement the right technologies for their operations should consider creating a road map that summarizes their approach to technology changes, provides clearly defined metrics for success, and serves as the single source of truth for stakeholders, says Melanie Shafer at SimpleLegal.

• Labor Law Lessons In Amazon's NY COVID Suit Win

  

  A New York state court’s recent decision in James v. Amazon, dismissing allegations the company illegally retaliated against workers who raised concerns about COVID-19 safety policies, offers important reminders about federal labor law preemption and scope, says Hannah Redmond at Bond Schoeneck.

• The Importance Of Data And Data Analysis In Litigation

  

  Understanding, analyzing and effectively presenting large data sets is an increasingly important skill in litigation as it allows plaintiffs to dramatically scale up the scope of cases and is often critical to defeating motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment, says David Burnett at Motley Rice.

• Justices' Airline Ruling Bolsters Arbitration Course Correction

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last week in Southwest v. Saxon, together with its May ruling in Morgan v. Sundance, limits the reach of mandatory arbitration and sends a strong message to the federal judiciary, with potentially broad applications in the employment context, says University of Denver professor and Outten & Golden counsel Nantiya Ruan.

• 2 New Defenses To Federal Shareholder Derivative Claims

  

  Increasingly, plaintiffs are bringing Securities Exchange Act claims in derivative suits because they perceive these claims to have advantages compared to traditional fiduciary duty claims, but there are several reasons why plaintiffs are wrong and the flawed assumptions underlying these claims should be tested in court, say Brian Lutz and Michael Kahn at Gibson Dunn.

• Avoiding Endless Liability From 'Take Home' COVID Claims

  

  The Ninth Circuit’s recent certification in Kuciemba v. Victory Woodworks is the latest in a series of cases exploring whether companies can be sued when a third party contracts COVID-19 from an employee’s workplace exposure — and employers will need to take certain steps to avoid seemingly boundless chains of liability, say Karen Wentzel and Cristen Hintze at Squire Patton.