Employment

Expert Analysis

• Ethics Tips For Attorneys Telecommuting Across State Lines

  

  Attorneys working remotely from jurisdictions in which they are not admitted should take precautionary steps to avoid engaging in unauthorized practice of law, say John Schmidt and Michael Seaman at Phillips Lytle.

• For Trucking Accident Plaintiffs, Access To Evidence Is Key

  

  The country is relying more than ever on the trucking industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, but when trucking companies fail to properly manage drivers, plaintiffs attorneys can use statutes that enforce access to evidence to obtain justice for accident victims, says Sam Coffey at Coffey Trial Law.

• Inside DC Bar's New Guidance On Multiple Representation

  

  The D.C. Bar recently cleared the way for lawyers to represent both a party and a witness in the same case in guidance that could prove influential as multiple representation in employment cases becomes increasingly common, says Alan Kabat at Bernabei & Kabat.

• 6 Ways Legal Employers Can Help Pandemic-Weary Parents

  

  Parenting during the pandemic has introduced a series of competing personal and professional obligations for attorneys and professional staff, and even organizations that are supportive of their parent employees can take steps to do better, says Meredith Kahan at Saul Ewing.

• How Cos. Can Weather Growing DOJ Labor Antitrust Scrutiny

  

  In light of of the U.S. Department of Justice's increasing antitrust scrutiny of labor markets and President Joe Biden's vow to eliminate most noncompetes, companies should customize their compliance plans and review employee agreements to mitigate risk, say Eric Grannon and Adam Acosta at White & Case.

• Pandemic Force Majeure Interpretations May Be Shifting

  

  A New York federal court's ruling in JN Contemporary Art v. Phillips Auctioneers, deeming COVID-19 to be a natural disaster that triggers a force majeure clause, appears to loosen previously strict contours of contractual interpretation and could create a legal quandary for obligees, say Kimberly Daily and Matthew Rawlinson at Eversheds Sutherland.

• Renewable Energy Cos. Need New Risk Management Tools

  

  As President Joe Biden seeks to ramp up renewable energy development, the industry's risk managers must not only rely on traditional insurance and contractual warranties, but also explore new risk management products like proxy revenue swaps, say Leslie Thorne and Andrew Van Osselaer at Haynes and Boone.

• Inside The Immigration Reform Bill's Business Provisions

  

  Provisions in the recently introduced U.S. Citizenship Act that aim to reduce the employment-based green card backlog and attract STEM students are welcome business immigration reforms, but the business community is skeptical of its more restrictive provisions, say attorneys at Akin Gump.

• A Cautionary Tale On Duplicative Noncompetes

  

  Duplicative or overlapping noncompete provisions in employment contracts can hinder enforcement of choice of forum and other restrictive covenants, the Delaware Chancery Court recently showed in AG Resource Holdings LLC v. Terral, and could mean preclusive judgments and duplicative litigation costs for companies, say attorneys at Dechert.

• Remote Working Tips For Lawyer Trainees And Their Firms

  

  The prospect of joining a law firm during the pandemic can cause added pressure, but with a few good practices — and a little help from their firms and supervising attorneys — lawyer trainees can get ahead of the curve while working remotely, say William Morris and Ted Landray at King & Spalding.

• Employer-Friendly Changes May Revive H-1B Visa Program

  

  Recent H-1B visa program improvements that are favorable to employers — such as e-registration and more predictability in U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services decision making — may lead companies to reconsider this visa category as a resource for adding foreign-national talent to their workforce, says Matthew Minor at Hammond Neal., says Matthew Minor at Hammond Neal.

• What Biden's Ethics Pledge Means For Gov't Revolving Door

  

  Attorneys at Nossaman look at how President Joe Biden’s ethics pledge goes beyond those of his predecessors by imposing post-employment shadow lobbying and golden parachute restrictions on his administration’s appointees — and how a House bill proposing expansion of federal ethics law could affect enforcement.

• Opinion

  Punishing Bar Exam Policies On Menstrual Products Must Go

  

  Law graduates across the states are sitting for the grueling two-day bar exam this week despite menstruation-related barriers, such as inadequate menstrual product and bathroom access, which could be eradicated with simple policy tweaks, say law professors Elizabeth Cooper, Margaret Johnson and Marcy Karin.

• Mitigating BIPA Suit Risk Under Alternative Liability Theories

  

  A recent Illinois federal court decision allowing a suit to proceed against Enterprise Leasing and its parent company for violating the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act shows why even companies that don't directly use biometric data must take proactive contractual measures to mitigate alternative liability exposure, says David Oberly at Blank Rome.

• It's Time For Law Firms To Start Loving And Leveraging Data

  

  The volume and diversity of data managed by law firms today — from client files to internal financial records — may seem daunting, but when properly organized, good data can help practitioners stay competitive by providing sharper insight into firm resources and cost of work, say Jaron Luttich and Barry Wiggins at Element Standard.