The U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced on April 23, 2024, that it will raise the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) minimum annual salary threshold in a series of two steps.  First, on July 1, the threshold will increase from $35,568 to $43,888 per year.  Then, on January 1, 2025, it will increase to $58,656.   The FLSA mandates that employers pay overtime pay to workers who work more than 40 hours each week, unless the worker 1) earns the minimum salary threshold and 2) performs job duties that qualify for specified exemptions. The new increased salary threshold wil ..read more

Pictured from left to right Elle Shipley (LT Knoxville associate), Claire Heflin (future LT Nashville associate), Ariane Hookman (LT Knoxville associate), Judge Deborah Stevens, and London Lacoste (future LT Nashville associate). Lewis Thomason was recently a proud sponsor of University of Tennessee College of Law’s Law Women End of Year Banquet.  The banquet served as an opportunity to welcome a newly elected executive board and recognize this year’s scholarship recipients.  The Honorable Deborah Stevens, Circuit Court Judge for the 6th Judicial District in Knox County and former Le ..read more

Congratulations to Memphis shareholders Marcy Magee and Natalie Bursi who prevailed in the Court of Appeals of Tennessee in a healthcare liability matter.  In this case, the process server failed to serve our physician client personally.  In addition to denying liability, insufficiency of process was raised when the complaint was answered.  More than a year after the complaint was filed, we filed a motion to dismiss on behalf of our client.  The court granted the motion based on the insufficiency of process and further found the statute of limitations had run.  Plainti ..read more

On April 8 Shareholder Wally Irvin presented to the Conference for Catholic Facility Management.  He addressed AIA Document sets, the differences between project delivery systems, and key issues in determining which project delivery system and contract forms to utilize.  Wally concentrates his practice on the construction industry with a dedicated focus on serving architects, engineers, contractors, and surveyors.  He provides valuable counsel to clients in contract negotiations, project administration, closeout procedures, construction defect defense, and the assertion and enfo ..read more

By: Bridget J. Pyman “Article “Hello My Name Is” in DICTA” Grant Carringer graduated from University of Tennessee College of Law in May 2023 and immediately joined Lewis Thomason, P.C., practicing in the areas of healthcare liability defense, municipality defense, transportation defense, and general civil litigation. Prior to law school, he obtained a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies from South College, where he laid the foundation for his legal career. Grant, though one of the Bar’s newest members, is already an active member of various legal organizations, including the Knoxville Bar Ass ..read more

InclusivLT, Lewis Thomason’s equity, inclusion, and diversity committee, recently launched a Mock Case Comment portion of the law review write-on competition.  The competition is for 1L students that are interested in the Memphis Law Review at the University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law.  Attorneys in LT’s Memphis office will grade participating students’ submissions and provide feedback in order to encourage them in their law school education.  Lewis Thomason has a long history with the University of Memphis, and we currently have 27 attorneys who graduated from ..read more

Daniel Olivas, shareholder in Lewis Thomason’s Nashville office, was a guest lecturer at the University of Tennessee College of Law’s administrative law course recently.  Administrative law refers to the branch of law governing the creation and operation of administrative agencies.  Daniel represents industrial, construction, corporate, and non-profit clients before multiple administrative agencies in employment discrimination matters, including Title VII, ADA, ADEA, EPA, 1981, USERRA, and state employment law disputes.  He also has substantial experience representing private co ..read more

Congratulations to Lisa Ramsay Cole and Jackie Dixon who were both named to Nashville Post’s In Charge legal leaders.  The Nashville Post says it’s 2024 In Charge list represents those in Nashville to call on to make the city the best it can be.  Lisa Cole is a highly experienced and accomplished attorney with a strong focus on civil trial litigation in various areas of law. Her practice focuses on employment law, professional liability, workers’ compensation, and general casualty defense litigation. In addition to her legal practice, Ms. Cole is president and managing shareholder of ..read more

By: Justin Joy The dismissal of a company for lack of jurisdiction is not necessarily noteworthy, but with the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway Co., the often-mundane consideration of personal jurisdiction over corporations is back in the spotlight for business law practitioners. (An analysis of the opinion is available for TBA members.) Perhaps axiomatically, Tennessee business lawyers are rarely called upon to analyze personal jurisdiction issues for entities domiciled in the state. However, clients with operations outside of Tennessee are likely to seek out ..read more

By: Janet Strevel Hayes “Preserving Issues for Appeal” – That was the topic I intended to cover for this month’s Practice Tips. Rooted in rules and guidelines, the topic lent itself to compartmentalized bullet points with “tips” for the savvy practitioner of the law. Arguably, it would have been perfect for this column. But as I began writing, I was haunted by the reality that ChatGPT could probably generate those same tips. After all, it was about this time last year when AI passed the bar exam. I then began pondering (squirrel!) whether there are “practice tips” that transcend a computer’s l ..read more