Lori Bullock, Katherine Charonko, and Joshua Hammack Named to 2024 Lawdragon X – The Next Generation List

Bailey Glasser partners Lori A. Bullock, Katherine Charonko, and Joshua I. Hammack have been named to Lawdragon’s 2024 500 X – The Next Generation guide. This recognition acknowledges the achievements of the top 500 lawyers who have vaulted to the forefront of the legal profession. This Lawdragon recognition is prestigious as the 500 lawyers included were selected through a process of “select[ing] members of this guide through our time-honed process of submissions, independent research and vetting with friends and foes.”

Lori Bullock is an impactful litigator, handling challenging cases across several litigation areas, including Title IX athletics, labor and employment, sexual harassment, disability discrimination, education law, and civil rights, and is the managing partner of BG’s Des Moines, Iowa office. Lori has won ground-breaking Title IX settlements for student-athletes at nine U.S. colleges and universities for violating the federal civil rights law prohibiting sex discrimination at educational institutions receiving federal funds, including appeals to federal circuit court and the Supreme Court included in this submission. She was also part of the team that won the $5 million judgment against “MyPillow’s” Mike Lindell related to false claims made about the 2020 election.

Katherine Charonko is a litigator and head of the firm’s sophisticated and cutting-edge ESI group where she oversees e-discovery in complex disputes involving billions of documents and ensures proper collection, production, and review of electronic data. Kate holds the global Certified e-Discovery Specialist (CEDS) credential, a global recognition that assures clients and co-counsel that our approaches are compliant, efficient, cost-effective, and reduces risk in all phases of e-Discovery. In addition, Kate is a key part of the firm’s multidistrict litigation (MDL) teams, which concentrate largely on automotive and medical device product liability actions. She serves as liaison director of e-Discovery and ESI on several MDL leadership committees nationwide and has worked on landmark MDL matters including some of the largest vehicle defect litigations in history, including the Volkswagen emissions case, and many more. Indeed, Kate was recognized for her product liability work in this year’s Chambers & Partners accolades in the nationwide plaintiffs category, among other recognitions.

Joshua Hammack handles complicated matters from their inception through appeal. He has briefed and argued appeals in state and federal courts across the country for a host of substantive legal areas, including Title IX, the Commerce Clause, contract interpretation, deed construction, statutes of limitation, and the Video Privacy Protection Act. He has briefed multiple issues to the Supreme Court of the United States. In just the last eight months, he has argued before the Second, Sixth, and Ninth Circuits, as well as intermediate appellate courts in West Virginia and New York. Members of the firm regularly gather to watch or listen to his oral arguments, and he also hosts an annual training session on brief writing for lawyers at the firm.

To learn more about the 2024 LDX500 guide, visit: https://www.lawdragon.com/guides/2024-06-28-the-2024-lawdragon-500-x-the-next-generation

University of Iowa Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Attracting Media Coverage

A Bailey Glasser lawsuit filed last week against the University of Iowa on behalf of a former professor for sexual harassment, gender-based discrimination, and unequal pay, is gaining local media attention – most recently by the Iowa Capital Dispatch, The People’s Network, and The Gazette.

The lawsuit alleges that Mélisse Brunet, the former Director of Orchestral Activities, was the victim of repeated sexual advances by Associate Director Alan Huckleberry, and also alleges she was subjected to gender-based discrimination and retaliation resulting in her resignation.

Partner Lori Bullock, who is representing the plaintiff said, “These disparities, are not only a violation of the Iowa Civil Rights Act but also a reflection of the school’s ongoing failure to make the cultural changes necessary to address gender discrimination throughout the university.”

The lawsuit “has sent shockwaves through the University of Iowa’s School of Music and the broader academic community,” according to the article by the People’s Network.

Read this article and other news coverage of this lawsuit below:

The People’s Network

Iowa Capital Dispatch

The Gazette

#EmploymentDiscrimination #GenderEquality #SexDiscrimination

42 Bailey Glasser Lawyers Named To The Best Lawyers in America & Best Lawyers: Ones To Watch 2024 Guides

Today we announce that 42 Bailey Glasser lawyers have been recognized across various categories (including one as a “Lawyer of the Year”) in the 30th edition of The Best Lawyers in America® and the fourth edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America®.

“Lawyer of the Year” honors are awarded annually to only one lawyer per practice area in each region with extremely high overall feedback from their peers, making it an exceptional distinction.

For more, follow this link.

Client Alert: Friend or Foe? Legal Risks Arising From ChatGPT and Other Generative AI Software

Introduction

Recent breakthroughs in generative artificial intelligence (AI) have captured significant media attention. Developers argue that the technology, which learns from data to produce new text, visual, or audio content based on a user’s prompt, will turbocharge productivity and revolutionize business. Organizations in sectors ranging from banking to health care to journalism are already exploring integrating tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot and DALL-E image generator into their workplaces.

These new tools should be approached with a great deal of caution as introducing generative AI into your business could create a complex minefield of legal risks. The technology raises significant dangers related to breaches of confidentiality and data privacy, intellectual property infringement, obligations to consumers, and liabilities for negligence, defamation, or discrimination related to the use of false or biased information.

Earlier in June, a Manhattan lawyer faced sanctions in federal court for filing a legal brief generated by ChatGPT which included several citations to nonexistent cases. After being scolded by the judge for relying on “legal gibberish” generated by AI, the attorney admitted that he had no idea that ChatGPT could fabricate cases. At a recent United States Senate hearing on the dangers of AI and potential regulatory safeguards, OpenAI’s CEO, Sam Altman, practically begged lawmakers to create a new AI regulatory agency that would license, test, and screen AI models. This is an unprecedented act by a tech leader. Around the world, authorities are eager to tighten regulations related to AI and changes may be on the horizon.

In this article, legal dangers related to the use of generative AI will be discussed in five specific areas: confidentiality and data privacy, intellectual property, obligations to consumers, false information, and bias and discrimination.

Generative AI and Gibberish

Artificial intelligence generally refers to technology that utilizes data to perform tasks typically done by humans, such as analysis, pattern-recognition, and prediction. One particular subset of AI technology—generative AI—is responsible for the current cultural and corporate metamorphosis. Of the fleet of emerging generative AI products, ChatGPT has grabbed the greatest share of headlines. AI developer OpenAI released the online chatbot in November 2022, with bankrolling from Microsoft. The company launched an update, GPT-4, in March 2023.

ChatGPT has impressed—and even stunned—with its ability to create unique content that sounds convincingly human. OpenAI’s system and rival tools from Google and Bing are what AI developers call “large language models” (LLMs). Using a huge library of text data that includes books, articles, research papers, blogs, and social media posts, LLMs are “trained” to decode, analyze, and produce language.These AI applications can process and respond to a user’s prompts in an instant. They’re capable of handling requests that are far more sophisticated than simple web searches.

For instance, ChatGPT will eagerly respond to an essay question on the Roman Empire, craft a Shakespearean sonnet about any subject, suggest improvements to computer code, or devise a reply to your mother-in-law’s email. Other popular generative AI models can design graphic art, replicate voices, produce songs, or even put together a rudimentary sitcom episode. Many of these new tools are widely available online and at no charge, or with a relatively modest subscription fee.

An Overview of Select Legal Risks

The power of generative AI technology is already transforming the workforce, and in ways we never could have imagined just a year ago. LLMs like ChatGPT are now instantly finishing certain research, analysis, writing, or administrative tasks that would take hours for a human employee to complete. However, the risks associated with implementing generative AI tools are extensive and demand careful consideration. We are continuing to monitor developing elements of these risks as they unfold.

Continue reading “Client Alert: Friend or Foe? Legal Risks Arising From ChatGPT and Other Generative AI Software”

New Non-Compete Legislation Takes Effect in D.C.

by J. Jeffrey Craven, Michael de León Hawthorne, and Abraham B. Reiss

Introduction and Background

Washington, D.C.’s new non-compete law, the “Non-Compete Clarification Amendment Act of 2022” (the “Amended Act”) went into effect last month. As of October 1, 2022, employers operating in the District of Columbia are prohibited from using most non-compete provisions, with key exceptions. The Amendment Act is not retroactive: non-competition agreements predating October 1, 2022, are not affected, although employers may still want to review such non-compete provisions with their legal counsel.

The new legislation represents a toned-down version of the “Ban on Non-Compete Agreements Amendment Act of 2020,” an outright ban on non-competes covering nearly all D.C. employees, passed by the city council in December 2020. The 2020 ban, which became law in January 2021, would have constituted one of the most employee-friendly non-compete laws in the country. However, significant backlash from D.C. business interests effectively pressured the city council to delay its implementation and draft a more modest version of the law. On June 12, 2022, the council passed the Amended Act, which includes important employer-friendly exemptions that had been requested by the D.C. business lobby.

Covered and Exempted Employees

All current and prospective non-governmental employers in D.C. are prohibited from using non-compete language in agreements with their “covered employees.” Covered employees are defined as workers who do not qualify as “highly compensated” (discussed below) and either spend more than 50% of their work time for their employer in the District or spend a “substantial amount” of their work time in D.C. and not more than 50% in another jurisdiction. Both remote and in-person employees qualify, as well as newly hired employees who have yet to begin working, provided an employer can reasonably anticipate that they will spend most of their work time in D.C.

Employers may use non-compete restrictions for their “highly compensated” employees, defined as those whose total annual compensation, including wages or salaries as well as bonuses, commissions, vested stock, and overtime pay, exceeds $150,000. For medical specialists, the minimum qualifying annual compensation is $250,000. However, non-competes for these employees must clearly stipulate any geographic limitations and the length of time covered after separation is capped at 1 year (2 years for medical specialists). “Broadcast employees” do not qualify as highly compensated, regardless of what they earn and are defined by the Amended Act as any “on or off-air creator (such as an anchor, disc jockey, editor, producer, program host, reporter, or writer)” working at any D.C. station or network that provides broadcast services. Minimum qualifying annual compensation values will be adjusted based on the local Consumer Price Index beginning on January 1, 2024.

The new law also includes an anti-moonlighting provision allowing employers to restrict employees who also work simultaneous, separate employment. Employers may use non-compete provisions for such simultaneous employment when they “reasonably believe” that their employee’s second job would result in a conflict of interest, disclosure of confidential information, or the breach of industry rules or local or federal laws and regulations. The legislation also permits non-competition provisions in the context of long-term incentive agreements in which employers award bonuses, equity, and/or stock as performance-based rewards.

In some professions, governing associations already bar the use of non-competes. For instance, the ethics rules of the American Bar Association (ABA) prohibit non-competition clauses in agreements among attorneys.

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BG Client Alert – Pandemic-Era Requests for Workplace Accommodations by Caregivers: Navigating Employer Liability Under New EEOC Guidance and Applicable Law

On March 14, 2022, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued new technical assistance guidance entitled “The COVID-19 Pandemic and Caregiver Discrimination Under Federal Employment Discrimination Laws.” In doing so, the EEOC recognized that “[t]he COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted employees’ work and personal obligations” and “required millions of Americans with caregiving responsibilities for children, spouses, partners, older relatives, individuals with disabilities, or other individuals to quickly adjust to vastly changed circumstances.”
Continue reading “BG Client Alert – Pandemic-Era Requests for Workplace Accommodations by Caregivers: Navigating Employer Liability Under New EEOC Guidance and Applicable Law”

BG Client Alert – COVID Confusion: New Florida Law Imposes Additional Exemption Requirements on Employers with Mandatory Vaccination Policies

Jaclyn Clark

On November 18, 2021, Florida passed a new law during a special legislative session that bans private employers in the state from implementing mandatory vaccination policies for their workforce unless they provide opportunities for their employees to request exemptions to such policies for: (1) medical reasons (including pregnancy or anticipated pregnancy); (2) sincerely held religious beliefs; (3) COVID-19 “immunity”;(4) the employee’s agreement to submit to periodic testing; or (5) the employee’s agreement to comply with an employer-provided Personal Protective Equipment (“PPE”) requirement.

Continue reading “BG Client Alert – COVID Confusion: New Florida Law Imposes Additional Exemption Requirements on Employers with Mandatory Vaccination Policies”

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