In celebration of Disability Pride Month, Jennifer Duke, Littler Learning Group Director and attorney, talks with Anna Curry Gualano, Littler Principal and co-chair of the firm’s Individuals with Disabilities affinity group, about the importance of disability inclusion and its impact in the workplace for both employers and employees.
  

This podcast episode is dedicated to unraveling the complexities of filing an H-1B petition and remaining compliant following an approval.

The H-1B visa program is known for its competitiveness, intricate regulations, and fact-specific nature. Whether you're an employer looking to hire and maintain foreign talent or an H-1B applicant, our podcast explores the common pitfalls and crucial considerations you need to be aware of regarding the H-1B process.

Littler has a partnership with a firm client through The Veterans Consortium that is focused on helping veterans. David Haase speaks with Littler attorneys Matthew Hank, Neil Alexander, Don Nguyen, Jake Thorn, and Director of The Veterans Consortium's Discharge Upgrade Program Christie Bhageloe about the work they’ve done through the consortium.  

Since the United States Supreme Court issued its ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard University and the University of North Carolina on June 29, 2023, striking down race-conscious admission processes in higher education, it has sent shock waves throughout the corporate community as business leaders consider the decision’s potential impact on their own diversity, equity & inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Littler Principal Cindy-Ann Thomas and her guest, Littler Shareholder Kim Carter, explore:

This podcast discusses the critical considerations when evaluating whether and how to terminate employees in Asia. Trent Sutton (U.S. qualified lawyer), Soowon Hong (Korean qualified lawyer) and Shiau Sang Tee (Hong Kong and Malaysia qualified lawyer), members of Littler’s APAC Regional Office based in Singapore, set out the general three approaches to terminations across Asia. They explore what grounds are generally defensible (or not) and the variation in the usage of negotiated exits.
 

On August 7, 2024, the City of Los Angeles unveiled its “Model Contract” under the Freelance Workers Protections Ordinance (FWPO). This ordinance, which took effect on July 1, 2023, was designed to bolster protections for freelance workers in Los Angeles.

Ensure Compliance with California Labor Code Section 2775 et seq.

In June 2023, the Georgia Court of Appeals held in North American Senior Benefits, LLC v. Wimmer that an employee non-solicitation covenant must contain an express geographic limitation to be enforceable.

Kristy Peters shares her legal insight on recent changes in labor and employment laws.

Greater Phoenix In Business Magazine

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The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) was established in 2008 to document the history and legacy of residential schools, which were operated between the late 1800s and the late 1990s by the federal government and Christian churches as part of a federal policy to assimilate Indigenous peoples into Canadian society.

Erin Webber and Zoe Argento discuss the effect the pandemic has had on working mothers and the impact on women in the workforce generally.
 

Jeanine Conley Daves hosts a conversation between Tom Bender and Shin-I Lowe. They discuss the importance of mentorship, what a successful mentorship relationship looks like, and how male mentor influences are equally important to women.
  

One year into a global pandemic, with vaccinations underway, we are eagerly preparing for social “re-entry.” But how do the isolating behaviors that we have now perfected – in the interest of sheer survival – bode for the concept of “inclusion” in a post-pandemic world?

Littler Principal Cindy-Ann Thomas and her guest, Enidio Magel, Managing Director and Founder of the Multicultural Institute, consider:

Erin Webber shares how inclusion, equity and diversity has positively impacted her legal career at Littler. 

L'Economia

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Jennifer Youpa and Nina Markey discuss the importance of advancing gender equity in the workplace, how access and representation are critical to creating opportunities for women, and how women can help each other achieve their professional goals.
  

Margaret Parnell Hogan interviews Wendy Buckingham and Emily Haigh on how their experience as women in the U.S. military influenced their legal careers, and how their backgrounds shaped their outlook on gender equity in the workplace.
  

Michael Chichester explains how the pandemic has changed what the workforce looks like today and in the future.

Law360

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In support of AAPI Heritage Month, this podcast features Danielle Herring (Houston), Emilie Hammerstein (Pittsburgh) and Alan Sims (Downtown Los Angeles) as they explore their biracial identity and how that shapes the way they practice law.
  

In continued celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, Eddie Chyun (Cleveland), Lavanga Wijekoon (Chicago) and Aki Tanaka (Boston) share their stories of moving to the U.S., assimilating and adding to the American culture, and how their worldview, experiences, and background prepared them to practice law.
  

In celebration of Pride Month, Whitney Williams (L.A. – Century City) and Michael Hui (San Francisco) discuss their personal experiences growing up gay in the Black and Asian American communities, what their similar upbringings have taught them about being an attorney, and how the Littler Pride affinity group is an important part of their lives at the firm.
  

Racially offensive symbols, such as Confederate flags, displayed in the workplace can constitute evidence of a racially hostile work environment. In light of this and our ever-increasing efforts to foster harassment-free workplaces, Alyesha Asghar Dotson discusses how employers can prepare for and respond when potentially offensive symbols appear in their workplace.
  

Jim Paretti discusses the rescinding of a controversial EEOC rule that would have required the agency to share more information with employers credibly accused of discrimination during the conciliation process.

Law360 Employment Authority

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In Schachter v. Citigroup, Inc.,¹ the California Supreme Court rejected claims that an incentive plan that conditioned the earning of restricted stock based on continued service was unlawful where the employee voluntarily elected to participate in the plan, and the employee quit before the date on which the incentive was earned. The plan was lawful even though the incentive plan was funded from wages that the employee would have otherwise received in cash.

On July 21, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (H.R. 4173) (the "Act"), which is intended "to promote the financial stability of the United States by improving accountability and transparency in the financial system" and "to protect the American taxpayer by ending bailouts, to protect consumers from abusive financial services practices, and for other purposes." While the Act is directed at the financial system, it incorporates broad executive compensation provisions that apply beyond the financial services industry.

As many employers are on the way to normalizing their business practices and re-engaging their employees, they should not overlook the many potential pitfalls in the administration of their retirement, health and welfare plans and their executive compensation arrangements. The risks of missteps are high, and include loss of tax-qualification of retirement plans, penalty taxes in connection with the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) employer mandate rules, other IRS penalties, employee lawsuits and Department of Labor enforcement actions.

As required under the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 2015, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced, through the Federal Register, increases for penalties under the Immigration Reform & Control Act (IRCA), effective February 13, 2024. Interestingly, the Federal Register announcement for DOJ increases also included penalties for sections of IRCA administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Stephan Swinkels and Michael Lotito discuss the intersection of employment and geopolitics and offer key considerations for the C-suite of global companies. 

Chief Executive

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To tackle illegal employment through subcontracting more effectively, the Flemish government improved chain liability, and introduced a duty of care. According to this duty of care, companies working with subcontractors in the Flemish Region are obliged to request certain data from these subcontractors (Cf. Decree of 27/10/2023).  

The Flemish Government's Implementing Decree was published in the Belgian Official Gazette on June 4, 2024, containing a checklist of the specific data to be requested. The decision will enter into force on January 1, 2025.