Legal Updates

Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance Program First Payments and Reporting Due

The first quarterly wage reporting and premium payments under Maine’s paid family and medical leave insurance program are due by April 30th, 2025. Employers can access the online contributions portal here.

... Read More

Cook County Amends Paid Leave Rules

Cook County has amended the procedural rules for the county’s Paid Leave Ordinance. Here is a summary of the changes: You can find the changes here.

... Read More

Maryland Delays Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance

The Maryland General Assembly recently passed a bill to establish new implementation dates for Maryland’s paid family and medical leave insurance program. Payroll deductions have been delayed until January 1, 2027, while leave benefits for employees have been delayed to January 3, ... Read More

Four Law Firms Reach DEI-Related Settlement with EEOC

Four of the world’s largest law firms—Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Latham & Watkins LLP, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, and A&O Shearman Sterling, LLC—recently entered into a settlement agreement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) over DEI-practices. On ... Read More

Washington State Amends “Isolated Employee” Protections

Washington state currently requires every hotel, motel, retail, or security guard entity, or property services contractor that employs an individual who spends a majority of her or his working hours alone, or whose primary work responsibility involves working without another ... Read More

Utah Increases OSHA Penalties

Utah has increased the civil penalty amounts for Occupational Safety and Health violations, as follows: The increases take effect on May 7, 2025. Find more here.

... Read More

Kansas Amends Restraint of Trade Act

Kansas has amended the state’s Restraint of Trade Act, providing that restrictive covenants in certain contracts are enforceable and not considered a restraint of trade in certain circumstances. Specifically, the amended law states that a covenant in writing in which an ... Read More

Missouri Earned Paid Sick Time Notice to Employees

As you know, on November 5, 2024, Missouri voters approved Proposition A, providing changes to the state’s minimum wage and establishing a new earned paid sick time benefit for employees. Earned paid sick time benefits are effective May 1, 2025. ... Read More

Virginia Bans Noncompete Agreements for Non-Exempt Employees

Under Virginia law, employers may not enter into, enforce, or threaten to enforce a covenant not to compete with any “low-wage employee.” Previously, a “low-wage employee” meant one who earns less than the average weekly wage in the Commonwealth. Now, ... Read More

Preliminary Injunction Against DEI-Related EOs Lifted by Court of Appeals

In February, a federal judge for the U.S. District Court of Maryland issued a preliminary injunction, effective nationwide, blocking certain aspects of the current administration’s recent Executive Orders concerning diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The U.S. Court of Appeals for the ... Read More

Virginia Requires Workplace Violence Reporting Systems for Hospitals

Virginia has passed a new law requiring hospitals in the Commonwealth to establish a workplace violence incident reporting system to document, track, and analyze any incident of workplace violence reported. The bill requires each hospital to (i) report the data ... Read More

Arkansas Expands Employer Disclosure Rights

The Arkansas Code § 11-3-204(a)(1), concerning the information that may be disclosed by a current or former employer to a prospective employer, has been amended to include “a substantiated allegation of sexual abuse or sexual harassment by the employee, or the ... Read More