More than a year after it issued its first proposed rule, on Wednesday, May 18, 2016, the U.S. Department of Labor (“DOL”) released its final regulations governing overtime exemptions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). These regulations take effect on Dec. 1, 2016, and are designed in large part to increase the number of employees … Read More
Christian & Small Partner Richard E. Smith has been appointed to Samford University’s Board of Overseers. He will serve a three-year term on the board, which provides advice and counsel to the Samford University President and Board of Trustees on academic issues and policies and supports the university’s advancement in the community. “We congratulate Richard as he … Read More
This article originally appeared in Volume 17, Issue 1 of the Defense Research Institute’s (DRI) “Certworthy – The Newsletter of the Appellate Advocacy Committee.” The original article can be found here. Parties are entitled to full and accurate responses to their voir dire questions to help them make informed decisions in challenging jurors for cause … Read More
In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Week, we’ve teamed up with our community partner Teach for America-Alabama to bring you a guest blog post contributed by Teach for America-Alabama staff members. Each corps member below penned an appreciation of the teachers that inspired them to pursue education as a career: Ms. Gutierrez was my English … Read More
When a restaurant, bar, or any vendor of alcohol is served with a lawsuit based on a patron’s alleged intoxication, the common reaction is typical of anyone else served with a lawsuit: “Great, so now what?” The easy answer to that question is generally going to be that you should contact your insurance carrier. Slightly … Read More
In representing pharmaceutical manufacturers against product liability claims, a common claim we see is that the manufacturer failed to warn the consumer about some side effect or unintended result of using the medicine. One of our standard first-line arguments against that claim is that the lawsuit is “preempted” by federal law. That is, the federal … Read More
Christian & Small is pleased to announce that Partner Daniel D. Sparks has been appointed to the Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Institute’s (SBLI) board of directors. The SBLI is known as the premier bankruptcy education seminar in the country. Sparks was appointed director by fellow SBLI board members. “I am honored to be nominated and selected … Read More
Large public works construction projects can give rise to complex disputes. Often these disputes center around compensation owed, and sometimes withheld, by one party to a downstream party (e.g., prime contractor to a sub-sub contractor). The upstream, non-paying party might forgo immediate payment as a means of leveraging increased productivity from the downstream party, achieving … Read More
Christian & Small is pleased to announce two attorneys have been recognized in Birmingham Magazine’s seventh annual “Top Attorneys” issue. Partner Daniel D. Sparks, who also chairs the firm’s Creditors’ Rights and Bankruptcy Practice Group, was recognized for both banking and bankruptcy law. Partner David B. Walston, chair of the firm’s Labor and Employment Practice … Read More
