More Employment Coverage

Expert Analysis

• 5 Steps Oil And Gas Cos. Can Take To Manage Cyber Risk

  

  In light of the recent ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline, oil and gas companies should consider potential legal exposure from cybersecurity breaches, implement plans and procedures for dealing with such incidents, and review vulnerabilities related to external parties, says Valerie Hatami at Conner & Winters.

• Ill. Noncompete Reform Balances Employee And Biz Interests

  

  The noncompete bill recently passed by the Illinois Legislature protects due process for workers while preserving employers' ability to guard business assets — a rare political compromise that may reduce noncompete litigation but increase the chances of enforceability in court, say Peter Steinmeyer and Brian Spang at Epstein Becker.

• Lawyer Perfectionism Is A Disease We Can Control

  

  The pursuit of perfection that is prevalent among lawyers can lead to depression, anxiety and other mental health impacts, but new attorneys and industry leaders alike can take four steps to treat this malady, says Liam Montgomery at Williams & Connolly.

• 5 Tips To Help Your 2021 Summer Associates Succeed

  

  Despite pandemic-related challenges this year, law firms can effectively train summer associates on writing and communicating — without investing more time than they ordinarily would, says Julie Schrager at Schiff Hardin.

• Weighing Ability To Pay Criminal Fines Amid FCPA Crackdown

  

  As Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement is expected to increase under the Biden administration, companies facing scrutiny should assess the reasonableness of fines in the context of their capacity to continue operations, and the potential impacts of filing an inability-to-pay claim, say analysts at Charles River Associates.

• Pa. Tax Talk: Takeaways From 2 Commonwealth Court Rulings

  

  A Pennsylvania appellate court's recent decision in Good Shepherd Rehabilitation v. Allentown sets a positive precedent for other nonprofits subject to Allentown's aggressive tax position, and its recent decision in Mandler v. Commonwealth offers a reminder that some taxes, including payroll withholding taxes, are never dischargeable in bankruptcy, says Jennifer Karpchuk at Chamberlain Hrdlicka.

• Firms Should Use Surveys To Make Smart Legal Tech Choices

  

  The utility of legal technology innovations may be limited without clear data and objectives from the outset, but targeted surveys can provide specific insights that enable law firms to adopt the most appropriate and efficient tech solutions, says Tim Scott at Frogslayer.

• Mass. Ruling Highlights Exec Employment Pact Pitfalls

  

  A Massachusetts court’s recent decision that a job offer letter was not enforceable as a contract in Moore v. LGH Medical reminds employers and executives to avoid reliance on ambiguous representations in written or oral negotiations, say Brian MacDonough and Nancy Shilepsky at Sherin and Lodgen.

• Don't Forget Due Diligence In Race For Lateral Associate Hires

  

  Amid high demand for associates and aggressive competition to attract talent, law firms should take three key steps to conduct meaningful prehire due diligence and safeguard against lateral hiring mistakes that can hurt their revenue and reputation, says Michael Ellenhorn at Decipher.

• China Trade Secret Ruling Shows US Cos. Path To Protection

  

  The high court of China recently upheld a record $25 million award against Wanglong Group for theft of vanillin trade secrets, joining several pro-plaintiff legal developments that illustrate why U.S. companies should utilize the jurisdiction when suing Chinese defendants, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn and YuandaWinston.

• 2 Paths To Green Cards For Employment-Based Immigrants

  

  In light of immigration policy changes by the Biden administration and pandemic-related consular processing delays, Cynthia Perez and Douglas Halpert at Hammond Neal lay out the pros and cons of two procedural paths to lawful permanent resident status for employment-based immigrants.

• Addressing Environmental Justice As Part Of ESG Initiatives

  

  Recent calls for racial equity and government regulators' increasing focus on social and environmental concerns make this a good time for companies to integrate environmental justice into their environmental, social and governance efforts, say Stacey Halliday and Julius Redd at Beveridge & Diamond, and Jesse Glickstein at Hewlett Packard.

• Lessons In Civility From The Alex Oh Sanctions Controversy

  

  Alex Oh’s abrupt departure from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and admonishment by a D.C. federal judge over conduct in an Exxon human rights case demonstrate three major costs of incivility to lawyers, and highlight the importance of teaching civility in law school, says David Grenardo at St. Mary's University.