Today I appeared on Business Radio X – a local online radio show that spotlights local businesses. I talked about wage and hour law, independent contractor vs. employee classification and how small businesses can safeguard themselves against problems with these issues.
I was quoted in Creative Loafing:
http://clatl.com/atlanta/body-politic/Content?oid=12877838&showFullText=true
Interesting editorial about the prevalence of wage theft.
I represent 110 adult entertainers who sued a local strip club. The club classified them as independent contractors, but the judge just ruled that they are in fact employees, which makes them subject to wage and hour laws, including minimum wage and overtime. The club paid them nothing and charged them fines and fees for the privilege of coming to work.
Here’s an article in the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/judge-pin-ups-strippers-are-employees-not-independ/ncbyS/
Interesting article about how to complaint about your job without getting fired. I always advise clients to include discrimination or whistleblower language in workplace complaints to Human Resources or management.
This article and the study it discusses gives an excellent illustration of how difficult it is to get a discrimination case to a jury in Federal court here in Georgia.
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/crime-law/workers-who-cry-foul-seldom-get-a-day-in-court/nbQM6/
The study showed that 100% of racial harassment cases brought by workers in the Northern District of Georgia in 2011 and 2012 were dismissed by judges prior to reaching trial. Only one sexual harassment case made it through summary judgment and survived to reach trial during the same period. This behavior by federal judges is having a chilling effect on both plaintiffs and their attorneys, who generally work on a contingency fee basis.
Coming up on my two year anniversary of opening this firm, I decided an update was in order. I have recently switched my website to WordPress-based. This will make it easier to keep the site fresh and updated. It will also allow me to provide more content without having to outsource the maintenance of the site. Many businesses are going this route now and it seems to be providing a better way to connect with visitors. Please let me know if you like the change.
I have also formally added an Appellate Law area of practice. I hope to expand this area and assist those who have final judgments or intermediate orders that they wish to appeal. I will expand on this topic in the next few months.