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Posted February 15, 2024 with Tags The Equal Pay Advisor

Are Pay Transparency Laws Working?

Nationally, the gender pay gap is the narrowest on record with the latest U.S. Census figures showing that, on average, women working full time earned 84% of what their male counterparts earned.[1] However, long-term progress towards narrowing the gender pay …

Posted February 15, 2024 with Tags The Equal Pay Advisor

Hawaii Expands Pay Discrimination Protections and Requires Pay Transparency

Hawaii recently joined the growing list of states expanding pay discrimination protections and requiring pay transparency from employers. Hawaii passed legislation that (1) expands the protections against pay discrimination beyond gender to include additional protected classes and (2) requires employers …

Posted January 25, 2024 with Tags Firm News

PFAS – “Forever Chemicals” – Regulatory and Litigation Developments for Product Manufacturers

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known by the acronym PFAS and better known by the moniker “forever chemicals,” are the focus of rapidly evolving regulatory regimes at the U.S. federal and state levels, which in turn is driving class-action litigation asserting …

Posted January 11, 2024 with Tags Firm News

Reminder to Employers: Transgender Employees may be Entitled to Reasonable Accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act

A recent Statement of Interest filed earlier this week by the Department of Justice in a federal prisoner lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia should serve as an important reminder to employers and …

Posted January 11, 2024 with Tags Immigration Law, Corporate Immigration

The Department of State has Expanded the Authority of Consular Officers to Waive Interviews for Certain Nonimmigrant Visa Applicants

On December 21, 2023, the U.S. Department of State announced the expansion of consular officer authority to waive interviews for certain nonimmigrant visa applicants. When nonimmigrant visa applicants are applying for a visa to enter the United States, the final …

Posted January 8, 2024 with Tags Corporate Immigration, Immigration Law

USCIS Set to Increase Premium Processing Fee (Again) For Qualifying Immigration Petitions In February 2024

On December 27, 2023, USCIS announced it will increase the premium processing government fee to $2,805. Currently, the premium processing fee is $2,500, so it is an increase of $305. The new fee will go into effect Monday, February 26, …

Posted December 29, 2023 with Tags Corporate Immigration, Immigration Law

Stateside Visa Renewals for H-1B Applicants – a Welcome Start!

On December 21, 2023, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced a pilot program to implement limited stateside visa renewal processing for certain qualified H-1B visa applicants. The application period begins January 29, 2024 and will go through April 1, …

Posted December 14, 2023 with Tags Firm News

My Mom is a Client. When I Move Firms, Can I Wish Her Happy Birthday? How Restrictive Covenants and Trade Secret Laws Can Impact Use of Client Names

We defend many financial advisory firms and individuals in restrictive covenant and trade secret litigation. When an advisor moves from one firm to another, we help manage legal risk, and, if necessary, defend against the resulting lawsuit from the prior …

Posted December 4, 2023 with Tags Firm News

Post-Hire Advice-of-Counsel—Why the Justification Defense Can Be Used in Ongoing Restrictive Covenant Litigation

Hiring an applicant who has a non-compete or non-solicit agreement with a prior employer creates risk for the both the individual and the new employer. The prior employer can sue both the applicant for violating the contract and the new …

Posted November 20, 2023 with Tags Firm News

Best Lawyers® Recognizes Firm and Multiple Attorneys

NJL and numerous attorneys have been recognized in the 2024 editions of Best Law Firms and Best Lawyers respectively. As a firm, NJL has been recognized for the Minneapolis metro area for practices in Business Litigation, Labor and Employment, and …

Posted November 3, 2023 with Tags Firm News

2023 Minnesota Employment Law Updates

NJL’s Labor and Employment team has compiled and summarized new Minnesota laws and amendments passed during 2023 that impact employers. The changes touch on a number of topics, including noncompete agreements, recreational cannabis and alcohol testing in the workplace, paid …

Posted October 5, 2023 with Tags Firm News

Nilan Johnson Lewis Continues to Grow with Three New Associates

Nilan Johnson Lewis (NJL), a fiercely independent law firm working to redefine the standards of legal services and a preferred employer of talented and diverse legal professionals, grows its attorney bench to its highest number since the firm’s founding with …

Posted August 22, 2023 with Tags Corporate Immigration, Immigration Law

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the Workplace

In July 2023, the U.S. Supreme Court gravely restricted the use of affirmative action in college admissions when it handed down its decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard. Since that decision, many questions have arisen over how the …

Posted August 4, 2023 with Tags Corporate Immigration, Immigration Law

EMPLOYERS TAKE NOTE: Temporary Final Rule Extending Certain Employment Authorization Cards by Up to 540 Days Will Sunset on October 26, 2023

As part of their I-9 obligations, many employees provide an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) as evidence of their authorization to work in the United States. Such EADs have an expiration date, and those dates can vary based on the category …

Posted August 4, 2023

Deborah Autrey to Co-Chair Black Women Attorneys Affinity Group

Minnesota Women Lawyers has announced the creation of an affinity group for legal professionals and law students who identify as Black Women, and NJL’s Deborah Autrey has been selected to co-chair the group during its inaugural year. The Black Women …

Posted July 28, 2023 with Tags Immigration Law, Corporate Immigration

Important Changes to the I-9 Process

There are several important changes to the I-9 process that all employers should be aware of. The immigration team at Nilan Johnson Lewis has prepared the following summary below. DHS TO PUBLISH NEW FORM I-9 On August 1, 2023, U.S. …

Posted July 19, 2023

19 NJL Attorneys on 2023 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists

Super kudos to our 10 Super Lawyers and 9 Rising Stars for 2023: 2023 MN Super Lawyers (given to no more than 5% of state attorneys) Heidi Neff Amanda Cialkowski Kathleen Curtis Doug Elsass Brian Johnson Judy Langevin Don Lewis …

Posted July 18, 2023 with Tags The Equal Pay Advisor

Pay Equity, Diversity Efforts, and Litigation Risks

Many corporate employers throughout the United States have recognized the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”) as a matter of social justice, employee engagement and brand protection. These companies have adopted robust DEI plans, including pay equity efforts, and …

Posted July 18, 2023 with Tags The Equal Pay Advisor

Colorado Equal Pay Amendments Increase Burden of Pay Transparency Obligations

As we previously reported here, in 2019 Colorado passed a pay transparency law requiring employers to (1) disclose in their job postings the pay ranges and benefits for their Colorado jobs, and (2) make information about promotional opportunities known to …

Posted July 18, 2023 with Tags The Equal Pay Advisor

Rhode Island Enacts Pay Equity Safe Harbor

We previously reported that several states have enacted safe harbors for employers who proactively audit their pay practices and remediate any observed equal pay violations. Now Rhode Island has joined the fray. The state’s new pay equity law, which became …