Health Plans Must Now Include Gag Clause Prohibition Compliance Attestation
A requirement passed by Congress in 2021 becomes effective as of December 31, 2023. The Consolidated Appropriations Act (“CAA”) of 2021 prohibited “gag clauses” in contracts between insurance plans, insurance issuers, and providers. The law provides that a group health plan may not enter into an agreement with a healthcare provider, network or association of […]
Ernest Malone Named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers® 2024
The Kullman Firm is proud to congratulate Ernest R. Malone, Jr. on being named 2024 “Lawyer of the Year” in Labor Law – Management in New Orleans on The Best Lawyers in America© 2024 list. He has been recognized by Best Lawyers® every year since 2001, including “Lawyer Of The Year” in Louisiana Best Lawyers®, […]
M. Rebecca Cooper Named Finalist of the 2023 Frank L. Maraist Award
The Kullman Firm is pleased to announce that M. Rebecca Cooper has been named as a finalist for the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel’s (LADC) 2023 Frank L. Maraist Award. Rebecca Cooper is an associate in the New Orleans office and focuses her practice in a variety of labor and employment law matters. She defends clients […]
Alabama Exempts Overtime Compensation from State Income Tax
Effective January 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, Alabama has enacted a statute to exempt overtime pay received by full-time hourly employees from Alabama state income tax by excluding such wages from gross income. The exemption is only available for employees paid by the hour who work more than 40 hours in a week; hybrid […]
NLRB Issues New and Expansive Joint-Employer Rule
Last week, the National Labor Relations Board (“NLRB”) issued its final rule on the joint-employer standard under the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”). This “New Rule,” effective December 26, 2023, is essentially a rollback of the NLRB’s own 2020 joint-employer rule issued during the Trump administration. The 2020 Rule Under the 2020 Rule, an entity […]
MaryJo Roberts Recognized in the 2023 New Orleans CityBusiness Leadership in Law Publication
MaryJo Roberts, a shareholder in the Kullman New Orleans office, is recognized in the 19th edition of New Orleans CityBusiness Leadership in Law. MaryJo advocates nationally for clients in a wide range of workplace-generated disputes from inception through resolution, whether in motion pleading, mediation, arbitration, or trial. MaryJo represents employers in federal and state law […]
The Kullman Firm Welcomes Alexander Debruge as an Associate
September 5, 2023 – The Kullman Firm is pleased to announce that Alexander J. Debruge has joined the firm as an associate in the New Orleans, LA, office. Alexander “Alex” Debruge will handle a wide range of employment law matters and complex issues. He received his Juris Doctorate from Tulane University in 2023, where he […]
Fifth Circuit Decision Increases Employer Liability Under Title VII
Fifth Circuit Decision Increases Employer Liability Under Title VII with Broader Definition of Actionable “Employment Decisions” The recent en banc ruling in Hamilton v. Dallas County by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has brought a momentous change to a longstanding standard under Title VII. On August 18, 2023, the Fifth Circuit […]
The Kullman Firm Welcomes Jean Carlo “J.C.” Bonilla Rivera and Darla N. Nguyen as Associates
August 21, 2023 – The Kullman Firm is pleased to announce that Jean Carlo “J.C.” Bonilla Rivera and Darla N. Nguyen have joined the firm as an associates in the New Orleans, LA, office. Jean Carlo “J.C.” received his Juris Doctorate from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge in 2023. He received the CALI Excellence […]
Employee Handbooks in NLRB’s Crosshairs
On August 2, 2023, the NLRB announced its new analysis for whether a work rule or handbook provision violates the NLRA in Stericycle, Inc. 372 NLRB No. 113 (2023). The case explicitly overruled a line of cases from the previous Republican administration, most notably The Boeing Co., 365 NLRB No. 154 (2017), regarding how the […]
The Kullman Firm Scholarship
In 2020, The Kullman Firm established a scholarship in furtherance of the Firm’s commitment to advance diversity within the legal profession. Each year the Kullman Firm Scholarship is awarded to a Dillard University graduate who will be attending law school. The firm is pleased to announce that the Kullman Firm Scholarship was awarded to Ms. […]
Benjamin H. Banta Rejoins the Firm as a Shareholder
The Kullman Firm is happy to announce the return of Benjamin H. Banta to the New Orleans office as a Shareholder. Ben previously served as an attorney at The Kullman Firm from 1996 to 2012. In 2012, he joined Entergy’s in-house labor and employment group. Ben attended Northwestern University where he received a B.S. in […]
EEO-1 Component 1 Collection Date Pushed Back to Fall of 2023
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently posted on its EEO-1 data collection page that it has not yet completed the three-year renewal process for the filing of EEO-1 reports with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which is required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). As a result, they have again pushed back […]
Supreme Court Decision Now Imposes Higher Standard for Employers to Deny Religious Accommodations for Employees
In its recent unanimous decision, Groff v. DeJoy, the Supreme Court addressed the standards for when an employer may deny an employee religious accommodations. Groff was an employee of USPS and an Evangelical Christian. Pursuant to his religious beliefs, Groff refused to work on Sundays. This was not an issue for Groff at USPS when […]
MaryJo Roberts Named to 2023 CityBusiness Leadership in Law
New Orleans CityBusiness has named Kullman Shareholder MaryJo Roberts as a 2023 Leadership in Law Honoree. She has been selected as one of 50 outstanding legal professionals in New Orleans for her successes in law and contributions to the community. MaryJo is a highly regarded employment lawyer and is a Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization […]
California Court of Appeals Invalidates Arbitration Agreement Based on Terms In Other Documents
The California Court of Appeals has handed down a new ruling affecting how employers deal with employee contracts, and specifically, potential enforceability problems with arbitration agreements in the golden state. The case is Alberto v. Cambrian Homecare, 308 Cal.Rptr. 3d 230 (2023), and you can see the full text here. I. Overview Plaintiff Jennifer Alberto […]
PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act
On May 17, 2023, the US Department of Labor issued a bulletin (No. 2023-2) which gave attorneys and employers alike guidance on the new Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers Act (“PUMP Act” for short). The PUMP Act requires covered employers to provide compensated breaks to covered employees where they may use an employer […]
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act Set to Take Effect in June
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), signed into law in late 2022, will take full effect on June 27, 2023, at which time the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) will start to take charges under the new law. The PWFA requires covered employers to provide reasonable accommodations to a pregnant worker, or a worker who […]
The Kullman Firm Introduces The Summer Law Clerk Class of 2023
The Kullman Firm is pleased to introduce our Summer Law Clerks. Our program introduces law students to the inner workings of a law office and how they will implement their knowledge in a real-world setting. This summer, the firm welcomes two sessions of clerks. Law students joining the firm this summer include: Brianna Hanson – […]
INCLUSION IN ACTION: The Henry P. Julien, II Scholars Program
The Kullman Firm was recently asked to share some of its efforts to promote diversity in the legal industry in an article in the New Orleans Federal Bar Association’s newsletter The Advocate, written by M. Rebecca Cooper, Associate at The Kullman Firm. Read below or click here to the article AS SEEN IN The Advocate. […]
OFCCP Announces that Contractors must Implement Revised Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form by July 25, 2023
In late April of 2023, the Office of Management and Budget approved the OFCCP’s revised Self-Identification of Disability Form. The new form includes some additional examples of disabilities along with more descriptive explanations of some of the disabilities that were on the form previously. The revised form also explains that “completing the form is voluntary,” […]
MaryJo Roberts Awarded the 2023 Inspire Higher Award
The Kullman Firm is proud to announce that MaryJo Roberts, a shareholder in the New Orleans office, will be recognized for her dedication to the New Orleans Public School System and presented with the 2023 Inspire Higher Award. This award is presented to “those who have contributed tirelessly to the InspireNOLA community and by extension, […]
The Kullman Firm Welcomes Molly Gunnels as an Associate
February 28, 2023 – The Kullman Firm is pleased to announce that Molly J. Gunnels has joined the firm as an associate in the Baton Rouge, LA office. Ms. Gunnels received her Juris Doctorate from Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University, with a J.D./D.C.L. degree in 2018. Prior to joining a firm, she […]
The Kullman Firm Welcomes Matthew J. Braquet as an Associate
January 30, 2023 – The Kullman Firm is pleased to announce that Matthew J. Braquet has joined the firm as an associate in the New Orleans, LA, office. Mr. Braquet has been practicing law since he graduated from law school in 2019 and also was a part of the firm’s law clerk program in 2018. He […]
The Kullman Firm Announces Allison Fish as a Shareholder
The Kullman Firm is pleased to announce that Allison A. Fish was named as Shareholder effective January 1, 2023. Allison Fish resides in the New Orleans office and represents employers nationwide in a range of employment and labor law matters. She vigorously advocates for clients in cases involving allegations of workplace sexual harassment and discrimination […]
EEOC Publishes New “Know Your Rights” Poster Which Employers Must Begin Using
On October 20, the EEOC released a “Know Your Rights” poster which updates and replaces the former “EEO is the Law” poster. Although both posters’ versions give an overview of the job discrimination laws the EEOC enforces and the process for filing an EEOC charge, the updated version is designed for readability and contains a […]
The Kullman Firm Ranked as a U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firm”
The Kullman Firm is honored to be ranked in the 2023 U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firm” list. The firm’s Baton Rouge, Mobile, and New Orleans offices were included in the rankings. Regional Rankings Metropolitan Tier 1 Baton Rouge Employment Law – Management Labor Law – Management Worker’s Compensation Law – Employers Metropolitan […]
The Kullman Firm Welcomes Amiel Provosty
September 19, 2022 – The Kullman Firm is pleased to announce that Amiel Provosty has joined the firm in the New Orleans, LA, office. Mr. Provosty has been working as a trial attorney at the NLRB, Region 15 for the last 12 years and brings a wealth of NLRB-related experience to the firm’s labor practice. […]
The Kullman Firm Welcomes Benjamin Landau-Beispiel as an Associate
September 6, 2022 – The Kullman Firm is pleased to announce that Benjamin Landau-Beispiel has joined the firm as an associate in the New Orleans, LA, office. Mr. Landau-Beispiel, a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an associate in the Kullman New Orleans office. He joined the firm after being a part of the firm’s law […]
M. Rebecca Cooper Named Secretary, Younger Lawyers’ Division
M. Rebecca Cooper, an associate in Kullman’s New Orleans office was recently named Secretary of the Younger Lawyers’ Division of the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. On August 25, 2022, Ms. Cooper was sworn in to her position at the Chapter’s Annual Meeting. Congratulations Rebecca! We know you will represent the firm […]
COBRA SUBSIDY UNDER THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT OF 2021: NEW DOL GUIDANCE & MODEL NOTICES
COBRA Subsidy Under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021: New DOL Guidance & Model Notices On April 7, 2021, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) published its model notices and a set of frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) regarding the new COBRA subsidy under the recently enacted American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (“ARPA”). These notices […]
DISTRICT COURT JUDGE VACATES PORTIONS OF FINAL RULE REGARDING THE FAMILIES FIRST CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE ACT
Yesterday, a New York district court judge struck down portions of the Department of Labor’s Final Rule implemented to address the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA). The case was filed by the State of New York under the Administrative Procedure Act, which governs the process by which federal agencies develop and issue regulations. Rejecting […]