Expert Analysis

• Cos. Should Heed IRS Warnings About Employee Tax Credit

  

  The IRS has recently been cautioning employers claiming the pandemic-related employee retention credit to carefully review all the eligibility requirements and be wary of relying on third-party advisers regarding their qualification for the credit, say Eric Pearson and Timothy Voigtman at Foley & Lardner.

• AI For Advancing Diversity In The Workplace: Friend Or Foe?

  

  In the wake of calls for increased workplace diversity, employers are turning to artificial intelligence to automate hiring and cut costs to reach environmental, social and governance objectives, but this technology requires human oversight to minimize biases and discrimination, say Consuela Pinto and Dawn Siler-Nixon at FordHarrison.

• Building On Successful Judicial Assignment Reform In Texas

  

  Prompt action by the Judicial Conference could curtail judge shopping and improve the efficiency and procedural fairness of the federal courts by implementing random districtwide assignment of cases, which has recently proven successful in Texas patent litigation, says Dabney Carr at Troutman Pepper.

• What To Watch In High Court's FCA Scienter Standard Case

  

  Depending on what role subjective intent plays in False Claims Act liability after the U.S. Supreme Court decides SuperValu and Safeway — to be argued April 18 — FCA defendants may be able to successfully move for dismissal prior to discovery or, conversely, find that internal discussions about legal exposure have become discoverable, say attorneys at Bryan Cave.

• Opinion

  Noncompete Ban Is Key To Empowering Low-Wage Workers

  

  The Federal Trade Commission's proposed ban on noncompete clauses is needed because limitations alone have very little practical value to low-wage workers, who will continue to be hurt by the mere existence of these clauses unless they are outlawed, says Brendan Lynch at Community Legal Services of Philadelphia.

• Religious Institution Unionization Risks Post-NLRB Decision

  

  A recent National Labor Relations Board decision granted Saint Leo University religious exemption from the National Labor Relations Act, potentially setting a new standard for other religious educational institutions, which must identify unionization risks and create plans to address them, say Terry Potter and Quinn Stigers at Husch Blackwell.

• How DOJ Self-Disclosure Policy Affects Internal Investigations

  

  In response to the U.S. Department of Justice's recent guidance on its voluntary self-disclosure policy for corporate misconduct, companies should take steps to ensure their ability to conduct swift and complete internal investigations into whistleblower complaints, say Robin Mark and Jim Hoover at Burr & Forman.

• AmEx Ruling Proves A Double-Edged Sword In Labor Antitrust

  

  Though the U.S. Supreme Court's 2018 decision in Ohio v. American Express was a defense victory, both the plaintiff and defense bars have learned to use the case's holdings to their advantage, with particularly uncertain implications for labor antitrust cases, say Lauren Weinstein and Robert Chen at MoloLamken.

• What Employers Should Know About Proposed Calif. AI Regs

  

  Recently proposed California regulations aim to hold employers and agencies liable for disparate treatment arising from automated-decision systems, and there are five things employers should look out for, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

• Do Videoconferences Establish Jurisdiction With Defendants?

  

  What it means to have minimum contacts in a foreign jurisdiction is changing as people become more accustomed to meeting via video, and defendants’ participation in videoconferencing may be used as a sword or a shield in courts’ personal jurisdiction analysis, says Patrick Hickey at Moye White.

• Top 5 Issues For Employers If Their Bank Suddenly Fails

  

  The sudden closure of a bank can create a host of ripple effects, and if such a liquidity crisis occurs, employers should prioritize fulfilling their payroll obligations, as failing to do so could subject employers and even certain company personnel to substantial penalties, say attorneys at Manatt.

• Prepare Now To Comply With NJ Temp Worker Law

  

  New Jersey temporary staffing firms and their clients must prepare now for the time-consuming compliance requirements created by the controversial new Temporary Laborers' Bill of Rights, or face steep penalties when the law's strict wage, benefit and record-keeping rules go live in May and August, say attorneys at Duane Morris.

• Opinion

  Humanism Should Replace Formalism In The Courts

  

  The worrying tendency for judges to say "it's just the law talking, not me" in American decision writing has coincided with an historic decline in respect for the courts, but this trend can be reversed if courts develop understandable legal standards and justify them in human terms, says Connecticut Superior Court Judge Thomas Moukawsher.

• Employment-Related Litigation Risks Facing Hospitality Cos.

  

  A close look at recent hospitality industry employment claims highlights key issues companies should keep an eye out for, and insurance policy considerations for managing risk related to wage and hour, privacy, and human trafficking claims, say Jan Larson and Huiyi Chen at Jenner & Block.

• Acquiring A Company That Uses A Professional Employer Org.

  

  With the professional employer organization industry rapidly expanding, those seeking to acquire a company that uses a PEO should understand there are several employment- and benefits-related complexities, especially in regard to retirement, health and welfare plans, say Megan Monson and Taryn Cannataro at Lowenstein Sandler.