Mary Swanton

June 23, 2006 | Inside Counsel

AT&T, facing privacy lawsuits for allegedly giving customer call records to the National Security Administration (NSA), issued a revised privacy policy for Internet and video customers on June 23 that clarifies its position on providing subscriber information to law enforcement authorities. The revised policy defines customer account information as business...

By Mary Swanton

5 minute read

June 16, 2006 | Inside Counsel

Diversity programs won honors for three corporate law departments and a law firm at the Minority Corporate Counsel Association's Mid-Atlantic Region Diversity Dinner on June 13, while seven employers received "best practices" awards from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission at a ceremony June 14. The MCCA Employer of Choice Awards...

By Mary Swanton

5 minute read

June 09, 2006 | Inside Counsel

Verizon Communications Inc.'s bill to settle a class action lawsuit alleging pregnancy discrimination will total $48.9 million, the EEOC announced on June 5. The suit alleged that Verizon's predecessor companies, Bell Atlantic and Nynex, violated federal anti-discrimination laws by denying female employees service credit for pregnancy, maternity and newborn children...

By Mary Swanton

2 minute read

June 09, 2006 | Inside Counsel

The companies that developed and marketed the popular "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" video game agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they failed to disclose the game's hidden sexual content. The settlement, announced June 8, is subject to final FTC approval following a public comment period that ends...

By Mary Swanton

2 minute read

June 02, 2006 | Inside Counsel

In a precedent-setting human trafficking case, a federal judge ordered a Tulsa, Okla., company to pay $1.24 million to 52 workers from India, saying they were abused and exploited in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The John Pickle Co., an oil industry parts manufacturer, was accused...

By Mary Swanton

4 minute read

June 02, 2006 | Inside Counsel

In a precedent-setting human trafficking case, a federal judge ordered a Tulsa, Okla., company to pay $1.24 million to 52 workers from India, saying they were abused and exploited in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The John Pickle Co., an oil industry parts manufacturer, was accused...

By Mary Swanton

2 minute read

May 31, 2006 | Inside Counsel

When Alcoa Inc.'s senior attorneys sat down in late 2004 for their annual review of outside counsel costs, they wanted to get a feel for how their peer group's expenses compared. The team first scrutinized data from off-the-shelf law department benchmarking surveys, but found that wasn't helpful because the universe...

By Mary Swanton

12 minute read

May 31, 2006 | Corporate Counsel

Companies need to take a proactive approach to avoid the wage and hour lawsuit trap.

By Mary Swanton

27 minute read

May 31, 2006 | Inside Counsel

Companies need to take a proactive approach to avoid the wage and hour lawsuit trap.

By Mary Swanton

27 minute read

May 31, 2006 | Inside Counsel

When Alcoa Inc.'s senior attorneys sat down in late 2004 for their annual review of outside counsel costs, they wanted to get a feel for how their peer group's expenses compared. The team first scrutinized data from off-the-shelf law department benchmarking surveys, but found that wasn't helpful because the universe...

By Mary Swanton

12 minute read