Ogletree Deakins Podcasts

In this podcast, shareholders Leslie Wallis (Los Angeles) and Cara Barrick (San Francisco) discuss California’s employment-related laws that will take effect in 2027. They highlight a new requirement affecting employee handbooks: an expansion of bereavement leave to cover a designated person. Cara and Leslie also review new technology laws governing automated decision systems and workplace surveillance, the revised stay-or-pay law taking effect on January 1, 2027, and increased penalties under the state’s pay data reporting requirements.

In this podcast, shareholders Victoria Vish (Dallas) and Bethany Wagner (Pittsburgh) discuss how hospitality employers can effectively respond to workplace complaints when they are initially raised. They highlight the unique conditions in restaurants and hotels that can increase the risk of missteps, including late working hours, alcohol service, high employee turnover, and managers without proper training in investigations. Bethany and Victoria outline practical steps for handling initial complaints, including conducting prompt, thorough, and impartial investigations. They emphasize the importance of following up with the complainants and protecting against retaliation claims, citing examples from recent EEOC settlements. The speakers also address the role of AI in scheduling and employment decisions, concluding with key takeaways for establishing a defensible investigation process.

In this episode of our Cross-Border Catch-Up podcast series, Samantha Duncan (Washington, D.C.) and Jane Jeong (New York) discuss the key pillars of an effective risk management framework for multinational employers whose employees travel to or work from high-risk locations. Jane and Samantha cover how to classify risk using resources like the U.S. State Department’s travel advisories and the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) guidance, and outline mitigation strategies spanning travel policies, device and cybersecurity controls, employee acknowledgements, and security briefings. The speakers also address legal considerations specific to these assignments, including work authorization requirements, territorial employment law exposure, and workers’ compensation coverage for injuries occurring abroad.

In this episode of our Cross-Border Catch-Up podcast series, Samantha Duncan (Washington, D.C.) and Kristyn Lambert (New Orleans) examine why fixed-term employment contracts, which U.S. employers often treat as simple scheduling tools, operate under a separate set of rules in most  countries. Kristyn and Samantha discuss how fixed-term and indefinite contracts differ in justification, termination, and formality requirements; how probationary periods must be adjusted for fixe- term arrangements; and the time cap, renewal cap, and substance triggers that can convert a contract to permanent status—with examples from Spain, Poland, Brazil, France, Indonesia, the Philippines, and China. The speakers also address the financial exposure that follows conversion and offer practical steps for multinational employers, including regular audits and country-specific renewal tracking.

In this podcast, Perry Yung, Shir Fulga, and Erin Schacter discuss the Nova Scotia decision in Gentleman v. Kings (County), which addressed whether an individual was entitled to protection from a collective bargaining agreement, though her offer of employment was rescinded before the first day of employment. The speakers provide practical pointers, including the importance for employers to recognize the moment an offer for a unionized position is accepted, the employment relationship and all the rights and obligations under the collective agreement may begin.

In this episode of our Cross-Border Catch-Up podcast series, Kate Thompson (New York/Boston) and Carlos Colón-Machargo (Atlanta) examine Victoria’s proposed Equal Opportunity Amendment Work From Home Bill 2026, which would convert working from home from a request employees can make into a right they can claim, shifting the burden onto employers to justify any refusal. The speakers cover the bill’s eligibility rules, its interaction with the federal Fair Work Act’s flexible work provisions, the 21-day notice and response process, employer cost obligations, and the dispute path through the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and VCAT. The conversation closes with practical guidance for multinational employers on why a single global work from home policy cannot be assumed to apply uniformly across jurisdictions.

In this seventh and final episode of the Talent Risk Assessor series on Defensible Decisions, shareholders Scott Kelly (Birmingham/Washington, D.C.) and Lauren Hicks (Indianapolis/Atlanta) are joined by Pete Bell and Chrissy Blantz of the firm’s data analytics team to bring together the six workforce dimensions covered across the series—(1) selections and hiring, (2) dispositions, (3) separations, (4) talent progression, (5) performance, and (6) compensation—into a single, repeatable seven step framework. The speakers walk through each step in sequence, protecting privilege, validating the data, identifying the right comparison group, drilling down to investigate a flag, documenting a legitimate explanation, evaluating whether change is warranted, and monitoring over time, while emphasizing that these dimensions are interconnected windows into the same workforce rather than isolated analyses. The episode closes with a broader point that the Talent Risk Assessor’s value depends on integrating statistical rigor with legal judgment under privilege, and that this framework is designed to remain stable even as the regulatory landscape and underlying data continue to evolve.

In this episode of our Cross-Border Catch-Up podcast series, Maya Barba (San Francisco) and Kristyn Lambert (New Orleans) break down a commonly misunderstood risk for global employers: attorney-client privilege doesn’t operate across borders as most companies assume. From the U.S. baseline to recent legislative developments in France and Switzerland, the speakers walk through how different legal systems protect—or fail to protect—in-house counsel communications. Tune in for practical takeaways on how multinational teams can identify their privilege gaps and safeguard confidential legal advice worldwide.

In this episode of our Cross-Border Catch-Up podcast series, Patty Shapiro (San Diego) and Kristyn Lambert (New Orleans) break down what U.S. employers need to know about Australian employment law. They cover the layered framework of the Fair Work Act, modern awards, and enterprise agreements, as well as the strict procedural requirements for termination, redundancy, and discipline. The speakers also examine Australia’s proactive duty to prevent sexual harassment, a standard that goes well beyond what U.S. employers typically encounter.

In episode six of the Talent Risk Assessor series of Defensible Decisions, Scott Kelly (Birmingham/Washington D.C.) and Cam Ellis (Atlanta) are again joined by Pete Bell of the firm’s data analytics team to examine how compensation data can be analyzed for potential pay disparities. Building on the performance rating patterns discussed in episode five, the speakers walk through a layered approach, starting with average pay comparisons among similarly situated employees, moving to a review of outliers on a scatterplot based on tenure and time in role, and then, finally to statistical significance testing. The discussion continues with consideration for factors such as prior experience, education, and geographic differentials that may act to explain observed differences. The episode emphasizes that this work must be conducted under attorney-client privilege, and the need for analysis refresh given expected employment movements, and that a more robust, regression-based analysis should be considered where flags remain.