COVID-19 has resulted in no schools, no child care, and no after school activities, leaving no option for many working parents but to stay home and care for their kids while working full-time jobs. Working parents are struggling to balance childcare responsibilities and job responsibilities during these tough times. Additionally, employers are struggling to stay in business, leading to record lay-offs and unemployment. The result? Legal experts predict a significant increase in litigation.
Read more »COVID-19 Response
-
How Employers Can Best Accommodate Working Parents During COVID-19 & Avoid Discrimination Claims Posted on: July 02, 2020 In: COVID-19 Response, Labor & Employment
-
Business Email Compromise Attacks on the Rise in 2020 Posted on: June 18, 2020 In: COVID-19 Response, Data Privacy & Cybersecurity
A business email compromise (BEC) is a cyber crime that utilizes access to an organization’s email to defraud that organization and its employees, customers, or partners. In 2020, COVID-19 has provided attackers with a new source for BEC exploits. Attackers are taking advantage of the need for communications surrounding COVID-19 and increased remote work connections from employee home networks to their employers’ corporate networks.
Read more »
-
Three Tips to Mitigate Employment Discrimination Risks As Stay-at-Home Orders Are Lifted Posted on: May 21, 2020 In: COVID-19 Response, Labor & Employment
Many businesses are now being challenged to return some or all of their furloughed employees to work based on the modification or elimination of stay-at-home orders and other state and local restrictions. This post discusses three tips that employers should consider to help mitigate the risks of exposure to employment discrimination claims under federal, state, and local laws as this process unfolds.
Read more »
-
Enforcing Safety Measures While Maintaining Compliance with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act: Four Considerations Posted on: May 20, 2020 In: COVID-19 Response, Labor & Employment
Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability “in the full and equal enjoyment of the goods, services, facilities, privileges, advantages, or accommodations of any place of public accommodation.” Notably, this prohibition applies to both the built environment and to the policies and procedures affecting how a business provides goods and services to its customers.
Read more »
-
Work-From-Home: Five Tips to Avoid Overtime Liability Posted on: May 11, 2020 In: COVID-19 Response, Labor & Employment
By now, the coronavirus pandemic has caused considerable disruption to most employers. In light of various restrictions imposed under various stay-at-home orders, many employers have been forced to adopt Work-From-Home (WFH) policies on the fly, without the benefit of preparation or advice from legal counsel regarding potential liabilities that these policies can involve.
Read more »
-
New York City Council Proposes Essential Workers’ Bill of Rights Posted on: May 08, 2020 In: COVID-19 Response, Labor & Employment
In April, the New York City Council introduced a sweeping legislative package designed to aid small businesses, essential workers, tenants, and the homeless in the five boroughs during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The package includes a series of bills the Council calls the “NYC Essential Workers’ Bill of Rights,” which would require large employers to provide additional protections and hazard pay to hourly workers assisting the city’s efforts to continue to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more »
-
EEOC Provides Guidance for Businesses Contemplating Return-to-Work Policies and Procedures Posted on: May 06, 2020 In: COVID-19 Response, Labor & Employment
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, employers are adjusting their practices on an ongoing basis in accordance with ever-changing government guidelines. Indeed, the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently updated its recommendations for how employers may comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other employment laws as employees begin to return to work. This post summarizes the key elements of these updated guidelines.
Read more »
-
Trademark Lawsuits Used to Stop Exploitative Pricing Markup of Protective COVID-19 N95 Masks Posted on: April 29, 2020 In: COVID-19 Response, Intellectual Property & Technology
At a time when the world is grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic and the critical need for personal protective equipment, intellectual property owners have brought trademark infringement lawsuits to stop pandemic profiteers from price-gouging and engaging in other misleading tactics. These lawsuits demonstrate the power that intellectual property law has to protect valuable brands and stomp out outrageous conduct.
Read more »
-
Money for Nothin’ (If You’re Eligible): A Pandemic Response That ‘CARES’ Posted on: April 22, 2020 In: COVID-19 Response, Labor & Employment
By now we have all probably heard that the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, which seeks to pump an estimated $2 trillion into the economy, was signed into law on March 27, 2020. But what about employees who have been told they cannot work because their employer has to cut back or completely shut down for an unknown amount of time? The following is a brief overview of the benefits available to those who are out of work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read more »
-
Accounting Firm Vulnerability During Tax Season – Now Extended to July 15 Posted on: April 16, 2020 In: COVID-19 Response, Data Privacy & Cybersecurity
Last month, the IRS extended the usual April 15 tax filing deadline to July 15. While this brings relief to those facing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it also extends the window of opportunity for cybercriminals to attack accounting firms.
Read more »
-
Protecting Your Trade Secrets During a Crisis Posted on: April 10, 2020 In: COVID-19 Response, Labor & Employment
Virtually every business has had to quickly transition to employing a remote workforce, whether partially or in full, to ensure compliance with local and state orders related to slowing down the spread of the novel coronavirus. Many companies have adapted primarily by relying on their employees’ ability to perform work on their personal devices.
Read more »
-
How to Protect Yourself from Zoom-Hijacking Posted on: April 09, 2020 In: COVID-19 Response, Data Privacy & Cybersecurity
On March 30, 2020, the FBI announced that it has received multiple reports of video-teleconferencing (VTC) hijacking attacks in recent weeks. The attacks target the VTC platform Zoom and involve unidentified individuals joining online meetings and disrupting them with pornographic and/or hate images and speech. This type of attack is being referred to as “Zoom-bombing.”
Read more »