The federal government, states, counties, and cities were active again this year passing workplace legislation intended for the most part to protect employees, creating new compliance obligations for employers. Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute (WPI) has been tracking these laws as they worked their way through the legislative and regulatory processes required for these changes to go into effect. Below is our annual summary of new laws and regulations employers will have to take into account in the first quarter of 2024.

On November 24, 2022, Bill 41 – 2022: Workers Compensation Amendment Act (No. 2), 2022 (Bill 41), which introduced changes to British Columbia’s Workers Compensation Act, received Royal Assent. Effective January 1, 2024, Bill 41 imposes certain duties on employers and employees following a workplace injury.

The Internal Revenue Services (IRS) has announced a delay in beginning a comprehensive employment tax audit program originally scheduled for November 2009 but now scheduled to begin February 2010. In February, the IRS will launch its latest National Research Program (NRP). This NRP will be focused on conducting detailed employment taxes examinations. Approximately 6,000 employers are to be randomly selected for audit. In addition to potential "assessments," these audits will provide the IRS with the statistical sample of overall employment taxes compliance.

On page 54, Eric Stevens urges bank executives to begin preparing now for changes to employee data reporting in 2018 by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  

The Tennessee Banker

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(November 16, 2023) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, is pleased to announce that attorneys in its Colombia, Portugal, Puerto Rico and Spain offices have been recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers^®.

The individual attorneys that were recognized include the following:

(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.

MEXICO (December 7, 2023) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, is pleased to announce that attorneys in its Mexico offices have been recognized in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers^®.

The individual attorneys that were acknowledged include:

(January 2, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, is ringing in the new year with a new shareholder class. The firm elevated 26 attorneys to shareholder across its U.S., Mexico and Singapore offices, effective January 1, 2024.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (January 4, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has appointed Paula Anthony as office managing shareholder (OMS) of the firm’s New Haven, Connecticut office, effective January 1, 2024. Anthony succeeds Lori Alexander who will be stepping down to continue to focus on her full-time litigation and advice practice.

(January 24, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has elected five new members to its 2024 board of directors: William Anthony (New York), Kristine Grady Derewicz (Philadelphia), Danielle Herring (Houston), Charlotte Main (Atlanta) and Stephan Swinkels (Amsterdam). Additionally, Michael Wilder has been reelected as board chair.

(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.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (June 4, 2024) – Bruce Buchanan, an attorney in the Nashville office of Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has published the 2024 edition of The I-9 and E-Verify Handbook, along with co-author Greg Siskind of Siskind Susser, PC.

(June 6, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, and its attorneys have again been recognized by Chambers and Partners in its Chambers USA 2024 guide. Based on in-depth market analysis and independent study, the Chambers USA guide ranks the leading lawyers and law firms across all 50 states and Washington, D.C., covering hundreds of practice areas.

(June 21, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, and its attorneys have been featured in the 2025 editions of Best Lawyers^® in France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.

The individual attorneys that were listed include the following:

(August 15, 2024) – More than 240 lawyers  from Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, have been included in the 31st edition of The Best Lawyers in America^® guide.

(August 22, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labour law practice representing management, and its attorneys in several Latin American offices have once again been recognized by Chambers and Partners in the Chambers Latin America 2025 guide.

Littler’s Colombia and Costa Rica offices earned a Band 1 ranking for Labour & Employment and its Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela offices received band rankings in the same practice area.

In addition, the following attorneys were named as leaders in the field for the Labour & Employment practice area:

TORONTO (August 29, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labour law practice representing management, is pleased to announce that three of its attorneys have been featured in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada™ in Labour and Employment Law.

The attorneys included in this year’s edition were:

Amid election uncertainty, employers face challenges that include a growing skills gap, an increasingly active labor movement, and legal complexity around corporate diversity efforts

(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.

(November 7, 2024) – For the 15th consecutive year Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has achieved “National Tier 1” rankings for the following practice areas in the 15th edition of Best Law Firms^®, ranked by Best Lawyers^®:

Emily Haigh, U.S. Army veteran and co-founder of Littler's Veterans Initiative, speaks with Littler attorneys Michael Kibbe, Caroline Lutz and Jonathan Heller, about how their military experience has had a positive impact on their legal practice.
  

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

Legaltech News

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Paul Weiner, Denise Backhouse and Gretchen Marty explain how the legal and technical matters of e-discovery are prominent in lawsuits and in the legal industry as a whole.

Law360

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Scott Forman gives his predictions for legal technology and data analytics tools, especially towards generative AI point solutions, in 2024.

Legaltech News

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As we look ahead to 2024, it is clear that both data protection and AI will continue to take center stage in the UK, as it will in many other countries.

In this article we look ahead to the developments that are expected to impact UK employers in the coming year.

2024 promises to be a consequential year for employers. The U.S. is preparing for an election that could significantly impact the future of employment and labor law. At the same time, businesses continue to wrestle with cultural changes stemming from the pandemic and are confronting newer challenges such as the disruptive impact of artificial intelligence (AI).

May 25th marked six years since the General Data Protection Regulation has been in effect.

Since it was implemented, GDPR has been regarded as the gold standard for data protection legislation across the world. The implementation of GDPR signaled the European Union’s firm stance on data privacy and security, demonstrated by the large fines introduced for businesses that violate GDPR standards. The GDPR is retained in the UK’s domestic law as UK GDPR, which sits alongside the Data Protection Act 2018.

Stephan Swinkels discusses key findings in Littler’s 2024 European Employer Survey Report, including AI use and politically charged issues in the workplace.

Law360

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In light of news that the EHRC legal support scheme funded only 27 race discrimination cases during 2022-23, Philip Cameron and Lisa Cameron say it’s important that legal support schemes continue to support litigants in employment discrimination cases.

Personnel Today

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Paul Piccigallo says the Second Circuit panel's unanimous ruling in Herrera v. Comme Des Garçons Ltd has resulted in the filing of fewer motions to dismiss at the initial responsive pleading stages in overtime lawsuits.

Law360 Employment Authority

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