Arbitration clauses are everywhere in today’s workplace — but are they right for your organization?
In this episode of From Lawyer to Employer, host Dan Schwartz is joined by Shipman attorney Emily McDonough Souza to break down arbitration agreements in plain English. They explore the real pros and cons: speed, privacy, predictability, cost concerns
In a significant decision for Connecticut employers, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled in Del Rio v. Amazon.com Services, Inc. (SC 21109) that employees must be compensated for time spent undergoing mandatory security screenings on their employer’s premises. The unanimous decision establishes that Connecticut wage laws are more protective than federal law on this issue.
Massachusetts continues to be one of the most active and technical states for employment law compliance. In this episode of From Lawyer to Employer, host Dan Schwartz is joined by Shipman partner Jared Lucan to break down the most important developments impacting employers with Massachusetts-based employees (or operations spanning both Massachusetts and Connecticut).
They cover
On January 22, 2026, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission voted 2-1 to rescind its 2024 Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace effective immediately. The recission comes as no surprise, as Chair Andrea Lucas of the EEOC signaled her opposition to portions of the guidance almost a year ago. Although the development is technically
In this seasonal episode, host Dan Schwartz and Shipman partner Peter Murphy unpack the workplace risks that often accompany end-of-year celebrations — from alcohol service to harassment concerns to wage-and-hour pitfalls. They offer practical, proactive tips for planning inclusive, safe, and genuinely fun events while keeping legal risk in check. Whether you’re gearing up for
Massachusetts has finalized a new salary range transparency law, An Act Relative to Salary Range Transparency. If you have employees whose primary place of work is in Massachusetts, or you post roles that can be performed from Massachusetts or report to a Massachusetts worksite, this law changes how you advertise jobs and how you share
Last month, we joined forces with 17 attorneys from Tarlow Breed Hart & Rodgers as we opened a Boston office, right in the Prudential Center. As a result, we have been talking with our clients more about what laws in Massachusetts may be overlooked by employers. Time and again, three issues keep coming up. Here’s
Last week, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) released updated educational materials addressing national origin discrimination, alongside new technical guidance that “clarifies” the prohibition of discrimination against American workers.
Providing no statistics or recent examples, the EEOC suggests that such discrimination is a “large-scale problem in multiple industries nationwide” and that “[m]any employers have policies
In this episode of From Lawyer to Employer, host Dan Schwartz sits down with Abby Booth to unpack highlights from Shipman’s annual Labor & Employment Seminar — from evolving federal and state developments to real-world compliance takeaways for employers. They cover the latest on I-9 audits, NLRB updates, harassment and retaliation trends, reductions in
In April of last year, the Supreme Court held that employees alleging discrimination under Title VII only need to show “some harm” to the terms and conditions of their employment in order to prove that they suffered an adverse employment action, unanimously rejecting the heightened “significant harm” standard followed previously by many lower courts. The