Legal News

2019 saw courts issue several significant decisions that have implications for employers nationwide who rely on arbitration agreements with their workforce. The nation’s highest court decided a trio of cases in the first quarter involving the...By: Locke Lord LLP

The City of Dallas Earned Paid Sick Time Ordinance (the “Dallas Ordinance”) went into effect on August 1, 2019 for employers with six (6) or more employees. To allow employers time to become compliant with the Dallas Ordinance, the City of Dallas...By: Locke Lord LLP

In December 2019, the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) released a report that revealed a continued increase in the use of non-competition agreements in the workplace. According to the EPI study, between 36 and 60 million American workers have entered...By: Locke Lord LLP

As employers head into 2020, the most closely-watched federal employment law issue is whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964’s prohibition against discrimination “on the basis of sex” includes sexual orientation and gender identity....By: Locke Lord LLP

Many companies that operate their businesses on an independent contractor model or supplement their workforce with ICs may be wondering if they will be impacted by the U.S. Department of Labor’s final rule on joint employer status, which was...By: Locke Lord LLP

Our combined news update provides guidance for companies that utilize independent contractors on what not to do. The first lesson involves a company’s waiver of its best argument for compelling arbitration of an IC misclassification claim....By: Locke Lord LLP

It has been several years since the US Supreme Court issued a decision in a case involving the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). In the upcoming term, the U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to review three ERISA cases. Below is a...By: Locke Lord LLP

Ten years ago, when we began a legal blog dedicated to independent contractor compliance and misclassification, the landscape of the law involving ICs was quite different than today – although a great deal remains unchanged. We summarize below over...By: Locke Lord LLP

In 2017, the IRS significantly limited the ability of plan sponsors to request a determination letter that its individually-designed retirement plan met the tax qualification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code. Since that date, plan sponsors...By: Locke Lord LLP

A bifurcated benefit option allows participants to receive a portion of their benefit as a lump sum payment and the remainder as an annuity. While this option is somewhat uncommon, if your defined benefit plan offers it, you may have a December 31,...By: Locke Lord LLP