Nashville Labor and Employment Attorney

Employment Law Attorney

Thompson Burton’s labor and employment attorneys represent companies and individuals in resolving work-related disputes. We thoroughly understand all details of Tennessee labor laws as well as federal employment laws, including the Family Medical Leave Act, Equal Employment Opportunity Laws, and the Fair Labor Standards Act. We provide clients with litigation defense or avoidance, whether they are employees or business executives. Our attorneys also review employment contracts and other documentation to ensure business owners meet all legal requirements.

Employee Discrimination Cases

If you face discrimination from your employer, contact us. We are dedicated to defending Tennessee employees who experience wrongful treatment at work. Employee discrimination is illegal as stated by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, whether it is due to gender, race, religion, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, or age discrimination in the workplace. You are entitled to your employee rights, including the right against discrimination.

Family Medical Leave Act Violations

The Family Medical Leave Act protects covered employers and eligible employees who provide and receive family medical leave. Employees who qualify for the Family Medical Leave Act receive up to 12 weeks of unpaid time off with the continuation of group health benefits. Upon returning to work, individuals resume their job or begin an equivalent role. Violating these policies, whether as an employer refusing benefits or an employee wrongly obtaining leave, is illegal and will result in repercussions.

Fair Pay Disputes

The Fair Labor Standards Act is in place to ensure that all employees receive correct pay. When employers fail to pay overtime compensation, wrongly classify individuals as exempt, or do not provide agreed-upon wages, they violate the Fair Labor Standards Act and can face lawsuits. If you believe you’re receiving unfair pay, our labor and employment attorneys will proudly represent you.

Contact Us for Labor and Employment Law Services

Our employment lawyers at Thompson Burton serve residents throughout the state of Tennessee. If you have any questions about your employee rights, state or federal employment laws, or need representation for litigation, don’t hesitate to contact our law firm. We have extensive experience in labor and employment law and are dedicated to serving our community.

Join Me for a Presentation: “Countdown to FLSA Proposed Overtime Changes: The What, The When, The How-To Comply”

By Jennifer Lankford, April 5 2016

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The best kept secret these days – the proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act. If you are a business owner or work in human resources and are unfamiliar with these changes – stop everything. It is not to late, but the clock is ticking. As early as this summer, employees who are presently paid a salary and considered exempt under the FLSA may need to be reclassified as non-exempt, hourly employees entitled to overtime compensation. Right now, an employee making $455 per week, or $23,660 per year, can qualify as exempt, that is, not entitled to overtime compensation. One proposed change would require an employee to make $970 per week, or $50,440 annually, to be exempt from overtime pay. And this is not the only anticipated change . . . . If you own or operate a business or work in human resources, then you will have 60 days […]

Update on Proposed Overtime Changes: Are you Ready?

By Jennifer Lankford, March 22 2016

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For nearly a year, I have cautioned businesses to stand ready to respond to the Department of Labor’s (“DOL”) proposed changes to the Fair Labor Standards Act (which dictates employee overtime pay). For a time, the distance between idea and implementation gave a sense of false comfort, but as the gap steadily closes, it is crunch time for business owners. On March 14, 2016, the DOL sent the final overtime rule to the Office of Management and Budget (“OMB”). Once the OMB conducts its review, the final rule can be published in the Federal Register and a date for compliance. Typically, this compliance date is sixty (60) days from publication. In other words – 2 months to tailor your business practices to comply with revisions that are expected to affect millions of employees nationwide. As a recap, the proposed changes would: (1) Require that an employee make enough to […]

Employer’s Election Year Survival Guide

By Jennifer Lankford, March 8 2016

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I am a fan of a survival guide. “How to Survive Law School,” “How to Buy a Car,” “How-to Survive the Chick-Fil-A’s Drive-Thru Line at 11:30 a.m.” They write it; I read it. Given the never-ending primary election season, following by the fall Presidential election, many of my clients are in need of a guide to survive the next few months, which has been unlimited in its ability to generate water cooler discussion. To that end, I give you my top five suggestions for surviving election season (and avoiding litigation): 1. Supervisors – Be Switzerland. You know what I mean, be neutral. Don’t chose a side. Common sense says you should avoid discussing money, religion, or politics in mixed company. I would say that a synonym for “mixed company” is the workplace. Politics is a personal, subjective topic that raises many issues connected to employment laws. Political discussions invoke a […]

Is Sexual Orientation a Protected Class?

By Jennifer Lankford, January 27 2016

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Earlier this month, the EEOC filed an amicus brief (a brief filed by a non-party in support of a particular position) in a sexual orientation lawsuit pending before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Burrows v. College of Central Florida. Within that brief, the EEOC takes the position that sexual orientation discrimination is “sex discrimination” prohibited by Title VII. This is not a surprising position – the EEOC, the federal agency charged with investigating violations of federal employment laws, ruled in July of 2015 that it would find sexual orientation discrimination unlawful under Title VII. Why is this blog-worthy news, then, you ask? Because of one of the EEOC’s arguments. In the past few years, the Federal Employment and Non-Discrimination Act, which would make it unlawful to discriminate against employees and applicants on the basis of sexual orientation, has repeatedly failed to pass in Congress. The EEOC’s new position – we don’t […]

New Year’s Resolution – Avoid a FLSA Lawsuit

By Jennifer Lankford, January 5 2016

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The new year is not just for resolutions to inspire consistent flossing or commitment to a gym membership. If you are a business owner, then 2016 is an excellent, and in fact, the essential, time to resolve for full compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). In July 2016, the Department of Labor anticipates issuing its Final Rule updating the regulations governing the white collar exemptions from the minimum wage and overtime pay protections of the FLSA. To read more about what the Final Rule means for your business (BIG changes), click here. With this Final Rule imminent, there has never been a better time than the present to make FLSA compliance your goal for 2016. How do you do it? As with any good resolution, concrete goals are essential to execution. Here are my recommendations: (1) Update Your Employee Handbook The FLSA does not set forth requirements […]