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. 

Jeff Nowak offers advice to employers on the DOL’s announcement that it will ramp up Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), as well as wage and hour, audits.

SHRM Online

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David Goldstein talks about some differences as the Labor Department proposes changes to a Trump-era rule that it says “undermined” how it handles and resolves discrimination claims by federal contractors.

Government Executive

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Aki Tanaka talks about how the monthly average working hour per employee went down in Japan after the country started implementing a law limiting overtime in 2018.

SHRM Online

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New York is postponing its AI bias law’s effective date, and Eli Freedberg says there really was no way that companies could have gotten compliant in time because of all the uncertainty still surrounding the law.

Law360 Employment Authority

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(November 8, 2023) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labour law practice representing management, has released its sixth annual European Employer Survey Report. Based on responses from 780 human resources (HR) executives, in-house lawyers and business leaders from across Europe, the report explores the myriad ways in which employers are responding to changes in workplace management, policy and culture.

(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 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 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.

PORTLAND, Ore. (January 9, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has added Lisa P. Shevlin as a shareholder in its Portland, Oregon office. Shevlin joins from Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP with wide-ranging experience as an employment law advisor and litigator.

(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. (April 8, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has added Elizabeth Sitgreaves as special counsel in its Nashville office. Sitgreaves joins from The Law Offices of John Day, P.C. and brings over 15 years of litigation experience.

In a letter sent to Congress today, the Coalition expresses support for legislation that would modernize America’s workforce development and education system

Update: On August 2, 2024, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed SB 2979 into law, reforming the liability guidelines under the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act.

CHICAGO (April 11, 2024) – Today, the Illinois Senate passed SB 2979, which would reform the liability guidelines under the state’s Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA). The bill marks an important milestone in the broader effort to resolve BIPA’s vague statutory language and courts’ expansive interpretations of the law, which have posed a threat to businesses that capture biometric information.

MIAMI (May 8, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has appointed D. Porpoise Evans as office managing shareholder (OMS) of the firm’s Miami office. Evans succeeds Lori Brown, who will fully shift her role to focus on her firmwide management and operational responsibilities.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (May 20, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, continues to expand its shareholder ranks with the addition of Gregory Tumolo in its Providence, Rhode Island office. He joins the firm from Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith, where he was co-chair of the Employment Advice and Counseling practice group. Tumolo’s arrival follows several recent additions at the shareholder level, including Stephen Shore (Toronto), John Tripoli (Milwaukee) and John Nordlund (San Diego).

(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.

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.

New Additions Follow Arrival of Three Partners in Recent Months

(July 24, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has named new office managing shareholders (OMS) in Indianapolis; Denver; Portland, Oregon; San Diego and San Jose.

Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute files brief for the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace urging court to grant review of Goldstein v. Professional Staff Congress and reaffirm Constitutional protections against compulsory union representation

Survey also reveals significant misalignment among top executives, posing challenges for effective AI risk management

Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has released its 2024 AI C-Suite Survey Report, completed by more than 330 C-suite executives across the United States.

(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.

Littler, the world’s largest employment and labour law practice representing management, has released its seventh annual European Employer Survey Report, based on responses from nearly 630 human resources (HR) executives, business leaders, and in-house lawyers from across Europe—57% of whom hold C-suite positions at their organisations.

SAN FRANCISCO (October 7, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, is pleased to announce the addition of Amit Shah as the firm’s Chief Digital Innovation Officer (CDIO). He joins Littler from Excelitas Technologies, where he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer for Information Technology.

Brendan Fitzgerald explains why directors must understand their company's workforce risks and devise strategies to minimize potential business disruptions.

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The Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) has just issued some much-needed guidance, through Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), on whether enrollment and use of E-Verify is prohibited in Illinois for private employers that do not have federal contracts. The answer is NO.

A bill introducing a right to bereavement leave was submitted this summer in the Netherlands. The following is a brief outline of this proposal.   

Current Law

(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^®:

Alyesha Asghar and Julian G.G. Wolfson explain “background circumstances,” which are required as evidence in cases of reverse discrimination, and the implications for employers and IE&D.

Wolters Kluwer

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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.

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Kwabena Appenteng weighs in on the challenges to international data privacy regulations and data transfers and says companies should make sure that they have standard contractual clauses in place.

SHRM Online

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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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Deborah Margolis, Jan-Ove Becker and Stephan Swinkels discuss AI’s impact on the global economy and the workforce.

International Employment Lawyer

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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.

Australia’s Senate on Thursday, February 8, 2024, passed a bill that would prevent an employer from contacting employees outside of work hours. The bill gives the employee the right to refuse to monitor, read or respond to contact, or attempted contact, from an employer outside of the employee’s working hours without fear of being penalized, unless the employee’s refusal is unreasonable.