Tag: Government
By Phyllis Brantley, Chief, Diversity, National Guard Bureau NEARLY HALF a century ago, executive orders were issued to address affirmative action in federal agencies and mandate Special Emphasis Programs Groups to proactively promote a diversified workforce. Most recently, President Obama’s Executive Order 13583 set the stage for further progress in the field of diversity. For… Read the full article
By Gregory B. Jordan, Global Managing Partner, Reed Smith LLP LEGISLATION IN THE past fifty years, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, support workplace diversity. These legislative prohibitions on employment discrimination on the basis of… Read the full article
By Regina Speed-Bost, Partner, Schiff Hardin, LLP ALTHOUGH THE AMERICAN legal system has directly addressed the barriers that exist for diverse workers, sadly the legal profession has been slow to adopt the very changes that laws we help shape are intended to bring. Yet, as with any profession, time and circumstance have changed the practice… Read the full article
By Lecia Johnson, Shareholder, Godfrey & Kahn, SC In recent years, laws have been clarified and expanded to reflect the evolving family structures of employees. For example, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued an Administrator’s Interpretation under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) which clarifies that family leave is available not only… Read the full article
By Evie Jeang, Managing Partner, Ideal Legal Group, Inc. Politics have played a large role in pushing immigration reform, however many people still don’t know the hard facts about immigration, making legitimate and longstanding reform more difficult to achieve. I regularly represent illegal immigrants seeking to gain U.S. citizenship, and know firsthand the complexities and… Read the full article
By Elizabeth Williams-Riley, President and CEO, American Conference on Diversity FROM THE REPEAL of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell to the New York City law that makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against unemployed applicants, the law is paving the way to create more inclusive workplaces for our ever-diversifying nation. Drastic economic challenges—high unemployment rates… Read the full article
An Interview with Lawyers.com Editor-in-Chief Larry Bodine Q. What are the likely outcomes of the DOMA and Proposition 8 cases? I’ve read the merits briefs in both cases, and I think the Supreme Court is going to have to struggle to find ways to uphold these two laws. I think we’re on the threshold of… Read the full article
During Barack Obama’s first term as president, most of his pro-employee legislative agenda was stymied by Congress. Undeterred, the Obama Administration turned to administrative agencies such as the Department of Labor, National Labor Relations Board, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to move forward its workplace agenda. The stakes continue to be high for employers… Read the full article
By Bari Zell Weingberger | WEINBERGER LAW GROUP, NEW JERSEY New Department of Defense statistics show that women serving in the military are now three times more likely than men to end their marriages. What does the stress of war do to marriage? In recent years, this question has been answered by Department of Defense… Read the full article
BY SCOTT M. PORTER AND ERIC S. FISHER Labor and Employment Attorneys at Taylor English Duma LLP The recent case of Coy Mathis—the transgender Colorado six year old whose parents are suing the child’s school for not allowing her to use the girls’ restroom—has brought the issue of transgender rights to the forefront of the… Read the full article