The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a Final Rule increasing the salary threshold for Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) overtime exemptions, a move which the DOL anticipates will result in around four million additional workers becoming eligible for overtime pay.  Currently, the minimum salary requirement for the “white collar” exemptions (executive, administrative, and professional) is no less than $684 per week ($35,568 per year).  Under the DOL’s new Final Rule, this amount will increase to: $844 per week ($43,888 per year) on July 1, 2024 $1,128 per week ($58,656 per year ..read more

Over the past two decades, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has been working on a Design Law Treaty focused on aligning examination and procedural guidelines associated with what have historically been referred to as “industrial designs.” One main goal of the Design Law Treaty is to help designers in domestic and foreign jurisdictions obtain design protection faster, easier, and cheaper. In theory, the Design Law Treaty would help to streamline the registration formalities in jurisdictions that are signatories to the treaty and reduce the amount of “red tape” that comes with ..read more

Lost in the hoopla over the FTC’s noncompete ban announced on the same day, April 23, the United States Department of Labor (“DOL”) unveiled its final rule significantly raising the minimum-salary threshold to qualify for overtime exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”).  If this rule survives likely challenges, millions of previously-exempt employees will lose their exempt status and become entitled to overtime pay unless their employers give them big raises. The FLSA requires overtime pay when employees work more than forty hours in one workweek; however, it exempts ..read more

Seyfarth Synopsis: The FTC approved a final rule to implement a nationwide ban on non-compete agreements between employers and their workers. The rule would supersede most state laws regarding noncompete provisions except where a state law prohibition is stricter. On April 23, 2024, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved in a 3-to-2 vote a final rule (“Final Rule”) which bans post-employment non-compete clauses between employers and their “workers,” including independent contractors. The Final Rule will become effective 120 days after being published in the Federal Register.&nbs ..read more

Employees presented with a severance agreement should be aware of a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) decision with significant implications. In a February 2023 ruling, the Board deemed confidentiality and non-disparagement provisions in severance agreements unlawful when presented to employees protected by Section 7 of the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The NLRB reasoned that these provisions stifle employees’ exercise of their rights under Section 7, which guarantees workers the right to self-organize, form labor unions, bargain collectively, engage in concerted activities for ..read more

I see what he did there! David Greetham of Level Legal has published a terrific new article on risk mitigation in the age of IoT! The post Risk Mitigation in the Age of IoT: Data Security Trends appeared first on eDiscovery Today by Doug Austin ..read more

Check out this webinar from Lexbe tomorrow on genAI and the legal horizon, with special guest speaker Judge Xavier Rodriguez! The post GenAI and the Legal Horizon, with Judge Xavier Rodriguez!: Artificial Intelligence Conferences appeared first on eDiscovery Today by Doug Austin ..read more

This week, I discuss whether AI has caught on to the non-compete ban and some bigger issues regarding market changes and how AI reacts to those changes. AI will change the world, but how will it change M&A? I want to focus on AI’s impact on M&A in this newsletter. I am not an expert on either M&A or AI, but I want to learn about both topics and how they intersect. I thought there might be others in my situation (or people who are experts in one field or the other) who would find information on M&A and AI helpful in their careers, so I created this newsletter to track and sha ..read more

  Many law firms have excellent, centralized, concierge-type Marketing and Business Development (MBD) departments and professionals working in their firms. Due to the increased scope and scale of law firms and their intense workload, most MBD professionals mainly respond and REACT to attorneys’ requests for marketing assistance and sales enablement support. The fact is that most MBD professionals are swamped with marketing and sales enablement projects such as assisting with events, seminars, presentations, and RFPs; pursuing awards and rankings; obtaining opportunities for media exposur ..read more

Congratulations to Cohen & Buckmann Co-Founder Carol Buckmann on her appointment to the 2024 Law360 Benefits Editorial Advisory Board. The editorial advisory boards cover many practice areas and specific regions nationwide. In this role, Carol and other members will provide necessary feedback and share their unique insights on Law360’s current employee benefits coverage, including sharing best practices and suggestions for future reporting and articles. The new board members were selected by Law 360’s editorial staff members. “I am very excited to be appointed to this prestigious Editorial ..read more