Plaintiffs face uphill battle for self-leave FMLA suits

By admin
POSTED: May 2, 2012
Tags: April 30 2012 issue

State employees seeking to file suit under the Family and Medical Leave Act’s self-care provision face an unlikely future after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Cyber security concerns changing attorneys’ roles

Proposed legislation offers new standards for cos. and lawyers

By admin
POSTED: May 2, 2012
Tags: April 30 2012 issue

The cyber attacks that the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 cautions against might sound like the plot of a new “Mission Impossible” movie, but for in-house lawyers at a wide variety of companies, such concerns soon might be unavoidable.

Injured nurse can’t get benefits under Chapter 151B

By David E. Frank
POSTED: May 2, 2012
Tags: April 30 2012 issue

A certified nursing assistant who received workers’ compensation benefits for injuries sustained at work was not a qualified handicapped person under Massachusetts’ Chapter 151B because she failed to prove she could perform the essential functions of her job with or without accommodation, a U.S. District Court judge has ruled.

More whistleblowers reporting suspected tax fraud to the IRS

By Sylvia Hsieh
POSTED: May 2, 2012
Tags: April 30 2012 issue

Lawyers have seen an uptick in people reporting employers, financial companies or high-worth individuals for ripping off the U.S. Treasury.

Computer-assisted e-discovery review wins judge’s OK

By CORREY E. STEPHENSON
POSTED: May 2, 2012
Tags: April 30 2012 issue

For years, technology experts and attorneys have been predicting the rise of computer-assisted coding and review for electronic discovery.

Decision invalidates part of controversial NLRB posting rule

By Kimberly Atkins
POSTED: May 2, 2012
Tags: April 30 2012 issue

Employers and business groups won a partial victory in federal court earlier this month with a ruling that invalidated the portion of a controversial National Labor Relations Board rule that makes failure to post notice of employees’ rights under the NLRA an automatic unfair labor practice.

In-house counsel cannot disclose conversations with manager

Ethics panel finds duty to employee

By Albert Turco
POSTED: April 10, 2012
Tags: April 30 2012 issue

Because an in-house attorney who met with a management employee about a sexual harassment allegation did not make clear that he was not representing that employee, he could not later disclose the substance of the meeting to company management or outside counsel, the Rhode Island Supreme Court Ethics Advisory Panel has ruled.

Interpreting who pays the cost of translators

By Kimberly Atkins
POSTED: March 30, 2012
Tags: March 31 2012 issue

The U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide whether the costs of document translators are covered under a federal statute that requires the losing party in litigation to pay for “compensation for interpreters.”

Case considers where workers can bring constitutional claims

By Kimberly Atkins
POSTED: March 30, 2012
Tags: March 31 2012 issue

The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court will soon decide whether the Civil Service Reform Act precludes federal workers from bringing certain constitutional claims in federal court.