Alyesha Dotson says the Supreme Court’s upcoming decision on whether to overrule a 2003 decision that upheld affirmative action in student admissions won’t set new precedent for employers, but may have repercussions in how diversity, equity and inclusion programming is conducted moving forward.

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In a joint “Dear Colleague” letter (DCL) released May 19, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights teamed up with the U.S.

The F-1 nonimmigrant visa status allows noncitizens to study in the United States at U.S. colleges and universities. F-1 students may be eligible for off-campus employment under the following programs: Curricular Practical Training; Optional Practical Training (OPT); and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Optional Practical Training Extension (STEM OPT). General eligibility requirements for off-campus F-1 employment include that the training be related to the student’s area of study and be authorized by the Designated School Official and U.S.

On October 31, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that the agencies have executed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) “to strengthen the agencies’ partnership to promote safe and healthy workplaces through protecting worker voice.”  The

On March 26, 2024, the Phoenix (Arizona) City Council unanimously passed an ordinance requiring all city contractors and subcontractors to develop and maintain a written heat safety plan to prevent heat-related illnesses and injuries in the workplace. Outdoor workers in Phoenix may be susceptible to heat-related illness and injury due to the extreme Arizona temperatures.

Adam Fiss, Alka Ramchandani-Raj and David Dixon discuss California Labor Code Section 6401.9, which will implement the first general industry workplace violence prevention safety requirements in the U.S. 

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Bradford Kelley talks about the promise of AI tools to increase worker health and safety in the workplace.

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Felicia Watson said lawmakers should oppose a proposed OSHA rule to protect workers from extreme heat because it would force employers into the role of taking care of employees like children.

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Commenting on a SCOTUS decision, Alka Ramchandani-Raj said a type of OSHA matter that could see a future change in venue may be those involving certain General Duty Clause citations. 

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In R. v. Greater Sudbury (City), 2024 ONSC 3959, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (OSCJ) dismissed an appeal of the trial judge’s decision in which she acquitted the City of Sudbury (City) of various charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).

Rebecca Goldstein and Matthew Holmes discuss what New York’s Retail Worker Safety Act will mean for retailers and compare it to California’s Workplace Violence Prevention Act.

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Rhode Island has joined the growing ranks of states that have enacted a sweeping pay equity statute. The Rhode Island law, which takes effect on January 1, 2023, amends the Rhode Island Equal Pay Law and places significant new burdens on both large and small businesses. The law seeks to “combat wage discrimination” by “strengthening and closing gaps in existing wage discrimination laws,” and does so by imposing new requirements on employers and essentially deems employers “guilty until proven innocent” when it comes to wage disparities. 

(December 1, 2023) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, earned the top score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2023-2024 Corporate Equality Index (CEI) for the 15th consecutive year. The firm joins the ranks of 545 major U.S. businesses who also earned top marks in this year’s benchmarking survey and report, which measures corporate policies and practices related to LGBTQ+ workplace equality.

(January 10, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has released its Inclusion, Equity and Diversity (IE&D) C-Suite Survey Report, completed by more than 320 C-suite executives across the United States.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 12, 2024) – Littler shareholder Tyler A. Sims testified today before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce at a joint hearing of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development and the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions on “Safeguarding Student-Athletes from NLRB Misclassification.”

(March 26, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has appointed new leadership for its Bollo affinity group. Shareholders Kimberly N. Dobson (Long Island) and Kimberly J. Duplechain (Washington, D.C.) will serve as co-chairs, succeeding Shareholders Eric Mack (Providence) and LaToi Mayo (Lexington). Bollo provides support, development and networking opportunities for attorneys who identify as Black, African American, African, and Caribbean, and their allies.

(April 3, 2024) – Three attorneys from Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, have been selected for the 2024 Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellows and Pathfinders programs. Shareholder Karimah J. Lamar (San Diego) will serve in the 2024 LCLD fellows class, and Associates Warsame Y.

NEW YORK (May 28, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has added Kelly M. Cardin as a shareholder in its New York City office. Cardin – who joins the firm from Ogletree Deakins, where she was co-chair of the Pay Equity practice group – marks Littler’s fifth shareholder level addition since the beginning of April.

(May 30, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has been selected as one of the “Best Law Firms for Women and Diversity” for the 15th time by Seramount, a professional services and research firm dedicated to advancing inclusion, equity and diversity (IE&D) in the workplace for over four decades. Seramount annually surveys law firms to assess how they utilize best practices to recruit, retain, develop and advance lawyers who are women, people of color and those from underrepresented groups.

(August 7, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has selected Devjani H. Mishra (Shareholder, New York) and Nicole S. LeFave (Shareholder, Austin) to lead its 'Ohana affinity group and SOAR Program, respectively.

(October 2, 2024) – For the seventh consecutive year, Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has achieved 2023-2024 Mansfield Certification Plus status through Diversity Lab. This year-long, structured certification process confirms that all talent at participating law firms have fair and equal opportunities to advance into leadership. To achieve “Plus” designation, firms voluntarily provide data showing their progress and the outcomes of their efforts to broaden talent pools and increase visibility of advancement processes.

NEW YORK (October 9, 2024) – Littler attorney Michael Paglialonga testified before the New York City Council’s Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection today on behalf of Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute^® (WPI^®), the firm’s government relations and public policy arm.

Denise Backhouse shares how best to alleviate data risks that many e-discovery professionals may face in the new year.

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Shannon Meade talks about how the Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) has affected employers in Illinois and how SB 2979 would update it and tweak its liability guidelines.

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Ben Smith discusses a UK proposal to abolish the two-year qualifying period for employees to bring an unfair dismissal claim against their employer.

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Joy Rosenquist says a new law enshrining the principle of intersectionality in California’s anti-discrimination statutes will have a substantial impact on equal pay litigation.

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Jim Paretti says labor and employment attorneys need to look at amicus briefs because they provide good insight into how the EEOC will view certain things.

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Amidst question marks with the NLRB and workplace regulations because of the new administration, Michael Lotito says employers should consult their counsel about preventative steps.

The American Lawyer

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