Dana Thrasher, head of our Employee Benefits Practice Group, offers her reflections on the U.S. Department of Labor's final Fiduciary Rule and what it means for those who provide investment advice.

And, if you haven't done so already, please do get over to visit our new FOCUS blog for Women Leaders in the Workplace and their friends. Subscription is free. It's cooler than a Harriet ...

We now have an April Fool's Day Persuader Rule challenge (but it's real). The National Federation of Independent Business leads this group of plaintiffs, and has filed suit in federal court in Texas, which is in the Fifth Circuit. The other two lawsuits were filed in Arkansas and Minnesota, both in the Eighth Circuit.

Here's our scorecard:

PERSUADER RULE SCORECARD

March 30

UPDATE (April 1): Here's the latest challenge, filed today in federal court in Texas.

UPDATE (4:33 P.M. EDT, 3/31/16): A second challenge to the Persuader Rule has been filed today in federal court in Minnesota.

Like the first robin in spring, here is what we believe is the first lawsuit challenging the "Persuader Rule," issued last week by the U.S. Department of Labor. The suit was filed ...

UPDATE (April 1): Here's the latest challenge, filed today in federal court in Texas.

Mercy me! We now have a second challenge to the U.S. Department of Labor's Persuader Rule, filed today in federal court in Minnesota. This morning, I reported on a lawsuit filed yesterday in federal court in Arkansas. What will tomorrow bring?

The Minnesota lawsuit was filed by a network of labor ...

UPDATE (April 1): Here's the latest challenge, filed today in federal court in Texas.

UPDATE UPDATE (4:36 P.M. EDT, 3/31/16): Now a second lawsuit has been filed, in federal court in Minnesota.

UPDATE (Approx. 8 A.M. EDT, 3/31/16): Boom! Here is what we believe is the first lawsuit challenging the rule, filed yesterday in federal court in Arkansas. The plaintiffs include trade ...

NOTE FROM ROBIN: Ellen Kearns is head of our Boston Office and co-chair of the firm's Wage-Hour Practice Group.

The new overtime white-collar exemption rule will be issued approximately July 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's fall 2015 regulatory agenda, which the Office of Management and Budget published just before Thanksgiving.

I had earlier reported that ...

NOTE FROM ROBIN: This post is by Ellen Kearns, head of our Boston Office and co-chair of our Wage and Hour Practice Group.

You have probably heard by now that Patricia Smith, Solicitor of Labor, announced at the annual labor and employment conference of the American Bar Association that a final rule on the white-collar exemptions to the overtime regulations will not be issued ...

Yesterday the U.S. Department of Labor began enforcement of its Home-Care Rule, which prohibits third-party employers from taking advantage of the overtime exemption for some domestic workers. The rule also narrows the definition of exempt "companionship services" under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Ellen Kearns, co-chair of our firm's Wage and Hour Practice Group, and I ...

Are you still using "independent contractors"? Get out of here - you know they're really employees!

On Wednesday, I did a very short "breaking news" post on the new Interpretation issued by Wage and Hour Administrator David Weil on when workers are "employees" versus "independent contractors" under the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Here's more.

As employers probably ...

The U.S. Department of Labor announced today its Final Rule changing the definition of "spouse" in the Family and Medical Leave Act to include most same-sex married couples. I blogged about the proposed rule in June, and the Final Rule is the same for the most part.

The changes reflect (and expand upon) last year's Supreme Court decision in United States v. Windsor. That decision ...