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and insights.
Noncompetes on a Rollercoaster: Status of FTC Rule and State Law Restrictions
Noncompetes on a Rollercoaster: Status of FTC Rule and State Law Restrictions
The legal landscape of noncompete agreements in the U.S. has changed significantly. It remains in flux, particularly considering the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) actions regarding its final rule on the matter. Employers – and those keeping up with employment law…
Workers’ Compensation Alert: New Rules on MSA
Workers’ Compensation Alert: New Rules on MSA
A new reporting rule went into effect on April 4, 2025, that could impact employers and businesses in the Gulf South, Midwest, and nationwide. Now, Medicare requires workers’ compensation payers to report MSA (Medicare Set Aside) amounts in any settlement…
How Employers Traverse the Complex Forest of Employee Leaves
How Employers Traverse the Complex Forest of Employee Leaves
Employee leave laws are incredibly complex with overlapping regulations, evolving expectations, and legal landmines. As a result, employers often can’t see “the forest for the leaves” and can be left tangled in confusion and exposure, trying to navigate the FMLA,…
Texas Legal Alert – Proposed Bills on Texas Property Code
Texas Legal Alert – Proposed Bills on Texas Property Code
Texas House Bill 3289, a proposed bill that could impact the Texas Property Code and construction contracts, is scheduled for public hearing on April 15, 2025 in Austin, Texas. Galloway Johnson Tompkins Burr & Smith attorney Shannon Walla, with decades of…
Longshore/Defense Base Act Update: Chief ALJ Compares Apples to Oranges Following Schulmeister Decision
Longshore/Defense Base Act Update: Chief ALJ Compares Apples to Oranges Following Schulmeister Decision
We previously highlighted the Benefits Review Board’s (BRB) decision in Marcus Schulmeister v. Blackwater USA et al, BRB No. 23-0255 (September 25, 2024) — a matter arising under the Defense Base Act — and how this decision casts doubt over the…
Maritime Attorney Jason Waguespack Featured in “The Marine Insurer”
Maritime Attorney Jason Waguespack Featured in “The Marine Insurer”
Galloway Johnson Tompkins Burr & Smith maritime attorney Jason Waguespack was featured in the January 2025 quarterly edition of “The Marine Insurer.” The text of the article, “When COGSA was challenged,” appears below. From a vessel leaving Vietnam to seeking…
Immigration Policy Changes: Expected Impacts for Corporations and Employers
Immigration Policy Changes: Expected Impacts for Corporations and Employers
Throughout his presidential campaign, Donald Trump emphasized the need for stricter immigration policies, framing corporate immigration reform—an integral aspect of business immigration law— as a crucial element of his “America First” agenda. He pledged to safeguard American jobs by curbing…
DEI: With Some Employers Moving Away from Past Trends, Where Are They Headed Now?
DEI: With Some Employers Moving Away from Past Trends, Where Are They Headed Now?
Near the end of President Donald J. Trump’s first term in office, he issued an Executive Order titled Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping, the purpose of which was to “combat offensive and anti-American race and sex stereotyping and scapegoating.” The…
Benefits Review Board Allows Claimant Another Bite at the Apple After Settlement
Benefits Review Board Allows Claimant Another Bite at the Apple After Settlement
The Benefits Review Board (BRB) recently reversed a grant of summary decision regarding whether a claimant’s current “left shoulder injury” claim is covered by the parties’ previous settlement for his “left pectoral muscle,” knee, and psychological injuries. In Marcus Schulmeister v.…
Longshore/Defense Base Act: U.S. Dept. of Labor Releases Annual Adjustments for 2025
Longshore/Defense Base Act: U.S. Dept. of Labor Releases Annual Adjustments for 2025
On September 12, 2024, the U.S. Department of Labor issued Industry Notice No. 203 providing the National Average Weekly Wage, the maximum and minimum compensation rates, and the cost-of-living adjustment for Fiscal Year 2025. The annual adjustments under Section 10(h)…
Mobile, Alabama Lawyer Procures Dismissal in Real Estate Case
Mobile, Alabama Lawyer Procures Dismissal in Real Estate Case
In the Circuit Court of Baldwin County, Alabama, Galloway Johnson Tompkins Burr & Smith real estate lawyer George Gaston quickly procured a summary judgment dismissal of all claims against our client, a realtor appointed by a divorce judge to sell a martial…
New Orleans Attorneys Recognized as Top Women in Law
New Orleans Attorneys Recognized as Top Women in Law
Kathleen Charvet and Suzette Marie Smith, experienced attorneys in Galloway Johnson Tompkins Burr & Smith’s New Orleans office, have been named Top Women in Law by New Orleans Magazine in the April 2025 issue. Nominated and voted on by their peers, Kathleen…
Noncompetes on a Rollercoaster: Status of FTC Rule and State Law Restrictions
Noncompetes on a Rollercoaster: Status of FTC Rule and State Law Restrictions
The legal landscape of noncompete agreements in the U.S. has changed significantly. It remains in flux, particularly considering the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) actions regarding its final rule on the matter. Employers – and those keeping up with employment law…
From Clerks to Courtroom: Building Stronger Summers at Galloway
From Clerks to Courtroom: Building Stronger Summers at Galloway
Each summer, Galloway Johnson Tompkins Burr & Smith brings bright, talented, and eager law students to its law clerk program and to the results-driven client service of a premier corporate defense and litigation firm. Clerks go beyond observing – they…
Galloway Adds Bench Depth in Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi
Galloway Adds Bench Depth in Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi
Galloway Johnson Tompkins Burr & Smith, a premier corporate defense and litigation firm in the Gulf South and Midwest, has added four additional attorneys to its talented and deep bench of result-driven attorneys. These experience attorneys strengthen Galloway’s reach and…
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