Posted April 7, 2016 Safety Rules for Small Drones Prepare for Lift-off As businesses anxiously await final rules from the FAA governing commercial drone use, the Micro Unmanned Aircraft Systems’ Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) released an important report on April 6, 2016, that laid out specific safety recommendations related to the FAA’s proposed rules for small drones under 55 pounds.
Posted April 7, 2016 Nilan Johnson Lewis Named Leadership Award Winner by Minnesota Women Lawyers for Third Time Nilan Johnson Lewis is pleased to announce that it has been named the 2016 Leadership Award recipient by Minnesota Women Lawyers (MWL), in recognition of the firm’s efforts to enhance the status, influence, and effectiveness of its female attorneys.
Posted April 1, 2016 with Tags Kate Andresen Nilan Johnson Lewis Welcomes Shareholder Katheryn Andresen Kate brings more than 20 years of experience of information technology law, eCommerce law, intellectual property, and corporate law to the firm.
Posted April 1, 2016 with Tags Sarah Didrikson Sarah Didrikson Elected President of the Association of Legal Administrators, Minnesota Chapter Nilan Johnson Lewis’ Applications and Database Manager Sarah Didrikson has been elected president of the Association of Legal Administrators, Minnesota Chapter (ALAMN). Didrikson’s term began April 1, 2016, and ends March 31, 2017.
Posted March 24, 2016 Labor Department Signficantly Reduces Allowable Levels of Silica Dust in Work Sites On March 24, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor released new rules significantly reducing the allowance of workplace exposure to silica. Silica is a potentially harmful mineral found in materials commonly located in construction and hydraulic fracking sites.
Posted March 11, 2016 Supreme Court: ERISA Preempts State Health Care Reporting Requirements in 18 States The Supreme Court decided this month that a Vermont law requiring health insurers and other entities to provide regular reports to the state—including health insurance claims and enrollment—impermissibly interferes with the uniform recordkeeping scheme established by ERISA and is therefore preempted.
Posted February 8, 2016 Minnesota Business Magazine Highlights NJL’s Majority Female Board Nilan Johnson Lewis Shareholder Sheila Kerwin discussed and shared the firm’s view on the importance of supporting female attorneys with Minnesota Business Magazine, as the firm recently announced that two female attorneys were elected to its board of directors, making it 60% majority female.
Posted January 26, 2016 Nilan Johnson Lewis’ Board of Directors Now Predominantly Female With the election of two shareholders to the board of directors, the leadership team at Nilan Johnson Lewis is now majority female. The Minneapolis-based law firm elected shareholders Susan Kratz and Christy Mennen to join fellow shareholders Sheila Kerwin, founder Brian Johnson, and current president Stephen Warch to serve on the board.
Posted January 21, 2016 Supreme Court: ERISA Plan’s Equitable Lien Cannot Be Enforced Against Plan Participant’s Separate Assets In an 8 to 1 decision, the Supreme Court held that a subrogation lien set forth in the benefit plan cannot be enforced in equity under section 502(a)(3) of ERISA against a plan participant's separate assets—those funds that exist outside a specified fund.
Posted January 1, 2016 Nilan Johnson Lewis Announces Its 2016 Board of Directors Nilan Johnson Lewis is pleased to announce its 2016 board of directors. Newly elected shareholders Susan Kratz and Christy Mennen join fellow shareholders Sheila Kerwin, founder Brian Johnson, and current president Stephen Warch. The election of Kratz and Mennen makes the board of directors majority female.
Posted December 18, 2015 EEOC’s Attack on Severance Agreements Rejected by U.S. Court of Appeals In a result that will likely be viewed as an important victory for employers, the Seventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal of the EEOC’s landmark lawsuit against CVS Pharmacy Inc.
Posted December 10, 2015 with Tags FLSA, DOL, Overtime Overwhelming Response Forces US DOL to Change Release Date for Revisions to FLSA Overtime Rules The DOL recently revealed that it received three times as many comments as expected to the proposed changes.
Posted December 2, 2015 Labor Department Proposes ERISA Rule Changes Nilan Johnson Lewis attorney Bill Hittler consults with organizations on ERISA and employee benefits matters and is available to provide interpretation on the possible changes. He says that, if enacted, these modifications will require administrators to modify their procedures to provide for additional disclosures and to ensure that all decisions are based on a full and fair review of the relevant information in the claim file.
Posted October 28, 2015 Major Changes in Store for Classifying Worker Overtime Status Nilan Johnson Lewis labor and employment attorney Joe Schmitt analyzes President Obama’s push for expanding overtime rules, and explains the impact on businesses and employees. Overview The United States Department of Labor is set to announce significant changes to the “exempt” classification …
Posted September 28, 2015 Illusory Promises May Derail Your Non-Competes Katie Connolly authored an article on illusory promises in non-competes for the Corporate Compliance Insights website.
Posted July 6, 2015 Nilan Johnson Lewis Attorney Awarded Highest Law Honor Nilan Johnson Lewis law firm announces that Joe Schmitt has been elected as a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. The College recognizes the leading lawyers nationwide in the practice of labor and employment law.
Posted July 1, 2015 Nilan Johnson Lewis Successfully Defends Client Evenflo Against Class Action Claims Nilan Johnson Lewis attorneys Amanda Cialkowski, Matthew Murphy, Cortney Sylvester and John Wackman have successfully defended their client Evenflo Company, Inc., in the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota.
Posted June 26, 2015 Nilan Johnson Lewis Proud to Support Supreme Court’s Decision for Marriage Equality "This is an important decision for the country," said Stephen Warch, president of Nilan Johnson Lewis. "It affirms the principles of fundamental fairness and equality that are embedded in the Constitution."
Posted June 4, 2015 Nilan Johnson Lewis Welcomes Attorney Zachary Crain Crain brings nearly a decade of law firm and in-house experience representing corporate and individual clients in complex business and real estate transactions, as well as mergers and acquisitions, business succession planning, and commercial disputes.
Posted May 19, 2015 The 30% Rule: Proposed EEOC Guidance on Corporate Wellness Programs Would Set Cap on Incentives “Employers have a brief window, until June 19, 2015, to comment on the EEOC’s proposed rules,” says Mark Girouard.