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.

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.

ATLANTA (October 5, 2022) – Benchmark Litigation announced today that Allegra Lawrence-Hardy and Celeste Coco-Ewing have been selected as 2023 Litigation Stars, a distinction that recognizes preeminent litigation practitioners in the United States.

By Jack Rodgers

Law360 (August 11, 2022, 4:42 PM EDT) -- Andrew Herman, the new leader of Lawrence & Bundy LLC's political law group, has represented a number of high-profile clients in his nearly two-decade legal career, including Major League Baseball before the House Government Reform Committee and former
New York congressional candidate Jack Davis before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Allegra Lawrence-Hardy, co-founder of Lawrence & Bundy has been appointed to serve on the Board of Trustees of Spelman College. Spelman is a historically black liberal arts college for women located in Atlanta, Georgia. The college is dedicated to the intellectual, creative, ethical and leadership development of its students, and deeply rooted in a tradition of inspiring commitment to positive social change through service.  

“As an alumna of Spelman College, I can think of no greater honor than to be invited to participate in the strategic leadership of the College,” said Allegra Lawrence-Hardy. “Spelman prepared me for my choice to change the world. I am humbled to follow in the footsteps of my grandmother, former registrar, and my mother, former chair of the computer science department, in service to our beloved Spelman. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue the Spelman legacy and pass it on to future generations.” 

As a member of the Board of Trustees, Ms. Lawrence-Hardy will work closely with the other members of the Board in providing basic oversight and governance of the institution, basic educational and fiscal policy, the granting of degrees, and the promotion and tenure of faculty based on the recommendation of the president.

After graduation from Spelman magna cum laude, Lawrence-Hardy went on to receive her J.D. from Yale Law School. An exemplary lawyer, Lawrence-Hardy served on the highest-ranking governing body of an international law firm for several years before co-founding her own firm, Lawrence and Bundy, which represents organizations in complex commercial litigation and labor & employment matters.  

Since the start of the pandemic, employers have worked diligently to navigate the maze of regulations impacting their employee workforces. New EEOC guidance just added several new twists.

On July 12, 2022, the EEOC revised its prior guidance on What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws (“Revised Guidelines”). The Revised Guidelines make several important changes, most notably, changing the standard for when employers may permissibly test employees for COVID-19.