Current Issues in Employment Law (S)

This seminar focuses on recent trends and developments in employment law as seen from the perspective of a practitioner. Topics include recent legislative and practice developments related to the pandemic and vaccination, as well as other legislative trends including with respect to paid leave and equal pay. Topics also include: exceptions to the at-will employment doctrine and expanding theories of protection, including expansion of protected classes (e.g., pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity); the increased prevalence of retaliation claims and wage and hour claims, including with respect to the latter the challenges created by a "gig economy" (i.e., employee vs. independent contractor classification); and the contractual waiver of employee rights through class action waivers, mandatory arbitration agreements, and non-competition agreements. NOTE: Prior labor/employment law coursework preferred but not strictly required. UPPER-CLASS WRITING REQUIREMENT: This class may not be used to satisfy the requirement. ** A student who fails to attend the initial meeting of a seminar, or to obtain permission to be absent from either the instructor or the Registrar, will be administratively dropped from the seminar. Students who wait list for a seminar are required to attend the first seminar meeting to be considered for enrollment.