Laura Noble Nominated for Business NC Magazine’s 2015 Legal Elite
Laura Noble of The Noble Law Firm in Chapel Hill, NC has been nominated for Business NC Magazine’s 2015 Legal Elite in the category of Employment Law. Business NC Magazine publishes a list of winners annually. Laura was named in the magazine’s 2014 list as a winner in the Employment law category. She is thrilled to have been nominated once again by her peers.
What to Expect at a Consultation
If you’ve never met with an attorney before (or even if you have), you’re probably wondering what to expect at the consultation you’ve scheduled with an employment attorney. You should expect that the attorney will: If your attorney advises that you should move forward, it is still your choice whether you wish to do so or not. If you wish to move forward by hiring the attorney, the attorney will draft a client services agreement that you will sign and …
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President Obama to Sign Executive Order Curbing LGBT Employment Discrimination
Yesterday, President Obama pledged that he would sign an executive order that would prohibit federal contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Because federal contractors employ 22% of the American workforce, the impending executive order will serve as an important step in eliminating discrimination against LGBT people in the workplace. While the executive order will not protect all LGBT workers in the private labor market, it is a step in the right direction. Employment opportunities should …
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Emotional Distress Damages Allowed in Wrongful Discharge Suit
While North Carolina follows the employment at will doctrine, North Carolina courts recognize specific exceptions to that doctrine based upon a violation of public policy. If an employer terminates an employee for reasons that violate a specific expression of state public policy, the plaintiff may pursue a wrongful discharge claim to remedy the personal injury suffered. Very recently, the North Carolina Court of Appeals analyzed the kinds of damages that a jury may award in a successful wrongful discharge action. …
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A Fool’s Resignation on April 1
Yesterday, I posted an April Fools’ Day piece for employers. Today, having been given some golden material by a friend of mine who ACTUALLY played this April Fool’s prank on his managers, I’m doing a belated April Fools’ Day lesson for employees. (He didn’t consult me before doing this, obviously). The following is an example, for several reasons, of a prank NOT to play on April Fools’ Day (or the other 364 days of the year)… This e-mail went out …
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Off the Clock
I’ve heard employees say, “My employer tells me to clock out once I have reached 8 hours in the day, even if I haven’t finished my work.” If you worked past when you clocked out, can you get paid for it? If you actually worked more than 40 hours — even if your employer has a policy against working unauthorized overtime – do you still have a right to be paid for it? The answer to both questions is yes …
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More than a Hunch
A federal court in Washington recently took up the case of a Muslim software architect who claimed harassment on the basis of his religion and national origin. After staying in a room numbered 911 at a hotel on a business trip, he believed someone at his company booked him in that particular room to harass him because they knew that his first name is Mohammed, in order to remind him of the 9/11 terror attacks. The case is Rahman v. …
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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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