During his campaign for Governor of Maryland, Wes Moore’s platform emphasized raising the minimum wage, addressing other employment-related policies, and pledging to foster economic innovation in the state. Since taking office in January, Governor Moore has moved quickly to implement aspects of his platform, signing several new bills into law. Some of these laws significantly affect companies and their employees in the state, while others, and a new executive order, aim to attract new industries to Maryland. On the economic development front, it remains to be seen whether the Governor’s action will bolster Maryland’s business climate and if such changes will come at the expense of other states.

On Tuesday, the DOL issued an Opinion Letter explaining how an employer should calculate the amount of leave for an employee who takes leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (“FMLA”) during a week that includes a holiday. The letter also provides guidance on how employers can properly convert the twelve weeks of FMLA leave provided to eligible employees to an hourly equivalent.

According to a recent study by the Society for Human Resource Management, nearly 80% of HR departments using AI and other algorithm-based tools rely on these tools during the hiring process, and over 10% use these tools when making promotion or succession planning decisions.

The Decision’s Impact on Employers 
Last week, in Helix Energy Sols. Grp., Inc. v. Hewitt, the United States Supreme Court held that a purported Highly Compensated Executive (“HCE”)[1] remained overtime-eligible under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) because he was not paid on a salary basis, as required by the regulations. Instead, Helix paid him based on a daily rate using a formulation that did not satisfy the salary basis test under review or the alternative test. This ruling may subject employers using similar compensation approaches to liability for unpaid overtime premiums, liquidated damages, and attorney’s fees. It is a stark reminder of the need to perform a careful, in-depth analysis before applying the white-collar overtime exceptions.

Super Lawyers® identified four Lawrence & Bundy attorneys for distinction in their 20th Anniversary Issue. The issue featured Allegra Lawrence-Hardy on the cover along with other attorneys who have earned the Super Lawyers® distinction every year since the magazine's launch in 2004.

Lawrence & Bundy attorneys who earned the Super Lawyers® along with Allegra are Leslie Bryan and Rod Ganske. Maia Cogen was named to the Super Lawyers® One to Watch list.

Read the full article here.

Since the 2015 amendment, the proportionality requirement under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 26(b)(1) has become the focus of considerable and often protracted discovery-related battles. While the rule incorporates six factors for a court to consider, no bright-line rules have surfaced regarding the analysis of these factors in the past seven years. The difficulty in formulating clearer rules or standards is that the inquiry is fact-dependent and therefore highly individualized.

We are honored to announce that three of the firm’s attorneys, Lovita Tandy, Maia Cogen, and Bria Stephens, have been invited to join National Black Lawyers (NBL), an organization comprised of the nation’s most accomplished Black lawyers. 
 
Membership is by invitation based on their outstanding reputation among their peers, the judiciary, and the public; notable achievements, settlements, and verdicts as attorneys; participation in statewide lawyer organizations; and rankings and ratings by leading national evaluation organizations and associations.
 
Bria Stephens received an invitation to NBL’s Top 40 under 40.  This distinction is reserved for the most talented Black lawyers in Georgia who are under the age of 40. 
 
Lawrence & Bundy co-founder, Allegra Lawrence-Hardy, is also a member of this distinguished group of NBL attorneys.
 

Employers looking for a respite from the drastic workplace changes of the past few years did not find it in 2022. The year saw multiple judicial, legislative, and executive actions of pivotal and historical proportions, including the Supreme Court’s decision regarding abortion rights and hearings on two related cases regarding affirmative action; and laws passed at the local, state, and federal levels affecting sensitive topics, such as marijuana usage, gun control, pay transparency, and sexual assault and sexual harassment.