Features
The Evolving Economy and Four Resulting Trends for the Legal Profession
The following is an updated version of an article first published by Blane Prescott, Vice President with Hildebrandt, in the closing months of 2008.
The Worker, Home Ownership and the Business Assistance Act of 2009
President Obama recently signed into law The Worker, Home Ownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009. This article addresses two significant provisions contained in the legislation.
Features
Changing Aspects of Law Firm Partnerships
A discussion of mandatory retirement in law firms and the ADEA.
Features
Verdicts
Recent rulings of importance to you and your practice.
FMLA Amended Again
On Oct. 28, 2009, President Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010, Public Law 111-84 ("NDAA for 2010"). Primarily a defense appropriations law, the NDAA contains several amendments to the family military-leave provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act ("FMLA"). Although no specific effective date is noted in the amendments, it appears these amendments went into effect upon President Obama's signature and are the most recent in a series of changes to the FMLA.
Features
Social Networking in the Workplace
The first part of this article addressed issues surrounding the effect of the Internet on hiring and firing in the 21st Century. The conclusion herein discusses the laws that impact social networking in the workplace, and provides guidance on developing a social networking and blogging policy.
Employee References
When asked to provide a reference for a former employee, employers may feel that they are trapped in a no-win situation. They understand that prospective employers are trying to shield themselves from negligent hiring claims by engaging in the "due diligence" of checking with former employers. However, providing details about a less-than-stellar former employee's shortcomings is rarely the best course of action.
Features
Can Your Retirement Plan Survive an ADEA Claim?
In <i>Kentucky Retirement Systems v. EEOC</i>, 128 the Supreme Court held that, where an employer adopts a pension plan that includes age as a factor, and the employer then treats employees differently based on pension status, an employer will only be liable for disparate treatment under the ADEA if the plaintiff can adduce sufficient evidence to show that the differential treatment was actually motivated by age and not pension status.
Features
Law Departments Putting Cost-Cutting into Action
Cost-control methods in law departments are more than just talk as cost pressures are creating a fundamental shift in the management and operation of the departments and their interaction with outside counsel, results of a recent Hildebrandt International survey suggest.
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