Noble Law Firm Participates in 4ALL Statewide Service Day
On March 7th, lawyers from across the state joined forces with The North Carolina Bar Association for it’s sixth annual “4ALL Statewide Service Day“, where from 7am to 7pm, North Carolina residents got to talk to a lawyer and ask legal questions–for free! The event took place in 8 locations across the state–from Wilmington to the Triangle to Greensboro, where volunteers managed to carry on despite a power outage. The result: 456 attorneys, paralegals, law students and other volunteers fielded …
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What protections are there for “whistleblowers”?
Ever witnessed something going on at work that you suspected was fraudulent or illegal? Public policy encourages people in your position to speak up and the law comports with public policy by attempting to protect those who do from retaliation in employment. We commonly refer to these insiders with information as whistleblowers. The term is pretty self-explanatory – it describes persons who blow the whistle on bad actors and fraudulent or illegal activity in which their employer is knowingly engaging. …
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Don’t Leave Your Money on the Table
If your employer has decided to end its relationship with you, you should hire an expert employment attorney to help you part ways with dignity, grace, and financial and career security. Often, employers offer what is called a “separation agreement” or “severance agreement” that will govern your exit from the company and your mutual obligations after your exit. There are ten very good reasons why you should hire an employment lawyer to review and negotiate your separation agreement prior to …
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Don’t be a #Twit(ter) at Work
Ever gotten bored during the workday and picked up your smartphone to play around on Twitter? Ever tempted to complain about your company or your boss? Beware. It could cost you your job. Social media is as much a part of our social fabric now as interpersonal communication. And people are using it while at work and to talk about work. Ask yourself… if you walked out to the sidewalk in front of your company and announced to everyone how …
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Employment Contracts: Why You Should Actually Read Them
“Sign now, read later” is usually a bad plan with Employment Agreements as it can have particularly awful consequences. I often meet with clients shortly after they have resigned or have been terminated from their job. At the exit interview the client may have been advised by the company that all of their “restrictive covenants” remain in effect. Generally speaking, “restrictive covenants” relate to activities that the former employee is NOT allowed to do post-employment. Some examples may be to …
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The Way You Dress at Work
Generally, your employer may maintain a dress code that applies to all employees within a certain job category, even if it means that, coincidentally, the dress code happens to conflict with some workers’ ethnic or religious beliefs. However, your employer’s policy can’t single out groups of people based upon factors such as national origin or religion. For example, the company can’t ban employees from wearing traditional African head wraps while allowing other employees to don western-styled hats (cowboy hats, fedoras, …
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Put and Get Everything in Writing
Sure, you have a great relationship with everyone at work. You trust your boss. You love your coworkers. Never had a problem with Susan from HR. Everything is just hunky-dory. Nobody expects an employment relationship to sour. But it happens, even to the best employees. That’s why you should put everything important in writing, and where possible, ask to get everything promised to you or expected of you in writing. If you get called into a meeting with your managers …
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Attorney Laura Noble Named Expert Attorney Workplace Investigator
Laura Noble of The Noble Law Firm in Chapel Hill has accepted membership in the Workplace Investigations Group (WIG) Directory of Expert Attorney Workplace Investigators. WIG is a nation-wide directory of attorneys providing workplace investigation services throughout the nation who have the necessary credentials, time and ability to conduct impartial and objective investigations and to testify about their investigative process and factual findings if litigation ensues. Noble holds one of two membership seats in the Federal District Court – Middle …
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Wrongful Discharge Claims Under North Carolina Law Must Plead a Specific Public Policy Basis to Avoid a Motion to Dismiss
In the recent case of Horne v. Cumberland County Hosp. Sys., 2013 N.C. App. LEXIS 720 (2013), the North Carolina Court of Appeals held that when a plaintiff alleges wrongful termination in violation of the state’s public policy, the complaint must allege “specific conduct by a defendant that violated a specific expression of North Carolina public policy.” (quoting Considine v. Compass Grp. USA, Inc., 145 N.C. App. 314, 321-22, 551 S.E.2d 179, 184 (emphasis added), aff’d per curiam, 354 N.C. 568, 557 S.E.2d 528 (2001)). The court further explained that …
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Financial Executives Group Invites Laura Noble to Speak on The Top Ten Employment Laws Executives Need to Know
Laura Noble of The Noble Law Firm in Chapel Hill has been selected by The Financial Executives Networking Group (FENG) Raleigh, NC Chapter to speak to members on the Top Ten Employment Laws Executives Need to Know on October 9, 2013. The group selected Noble due to her niche practice focused exclusively on employment law. The presentation will inform participants about the latest employment law developments, provide an introduction to a number of employment laws and explore new ideas on …
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