The Library

April 28, 2017 – Gentry Locke Partner John R. Thomas, Jr., who represents clients with whistleblower, qui tam claims and False Claims Act litigation, was quoted in two recent articles discussing the recent settlement between the U.S. government and Brigham & Women’s Hospital, resolving allegations that the hospital fraudulently obtained federal grant money. The Boston Globe article, entitled, “Partners, Brigham and Women’s to pay $10m in research fraud case,” is available in a PDF or online here. In addition, Thomas was quoted in a Retraction Watch article entitled, “Harvard teaching hospital to pay $10 million to settle research misconduct allegations.” The […]

Gentry Locke is pleased to announce that 28 of the firm’s attorneys were selected for inclusion in the 2017 Virginia Super Lawyers® list, a national legal ranking. Attorneys were nominated by their peers and recognized for their outstanding professional achievement in several legal practice areas, including civil litigation, appellate law, criminal defense, business litigation, business/corporate law, construction litigation, employment & labor law and litigation, personal injury, professional liability, and tax law. Of those selected, 17 of the firm’s attorneys are from the Roanoke and Lynchburg offices and were named as Virginia Super Lawyers, while 11 attorneys were selected as Virginia […]

March 16, 2017 – Gentry Locke Parner Spencer M. Wiegard, who practices in the areas of construction law and construction litigation, was quoted in an article by Construction Dive writer Kim Slowey entitled “Regulation reboot: What is OSHA’s fate under a Trump administration?” You can read a formatted version of the article here. Here is the text of the article: Regulation reboot: What is OSHA’s fate under a Trump administration? Kim Slowey March 16, 2017 During last year’s presidential campaign, President Donald Trump ran on a variety of issues — with deregulation in order to create a more business-friendly environment as one […]

ROANOKE, Va. (March, 2017) – Thomas J. Bondurant, Jr., a partner in the Roanoke, Va., office of Gentry Locke, has been named by Emory & Henry College as the 2017 recipient of its E&H Distinguished Achievement Award. The award is granted annually to an alumnus/a who has attained distinguished achievements in a professional or volunteer capacity. Bondurant, who graduated with a B.A., cum laude, class of 1976, will be honored at the Emory & Henry College Founder’s Day on March 23, which pays tribute to the school’s founders and awardees. “I am honored to be recognized by Emory & Henry College […]

On January 6, 2017, the “Bloomberg BNA Daily Labor Report” published an article by Gentry Locke Partner Todd Leeson entitled Preventing Harassment in the Workplace: An Updated Analysis of the EEOC’s Call for a ‘‘Reboot.’’ A formatted version of the article provided the publication is available here: Leeson Insights Article (BBNA-2017_final) The article offers insights on the 88-page report on workplace harassment released by the EEOC’s Select Task Force in June 2016, and provides key takeaways for business owners and HR professionals to apply to their companies. It expands information provided in a previous article Todd published to our website. Contact Todd Leeson […]

ROANOKE, Va. (January 12, 2017) – Gentry Locke is pleased to announce that Catherine J. Huff has been promoted to the position of Partner, effective January 1, 2017. Huff, who practices in the firm’s Labor and Employment and Insurance practice groups, has litigated in federal and state courts throughout Virginia. In her practice, she defends employers against discrimination and workplace claims and advises businesses a number of industries, including the restaurant and hospitality industry. “I thoroughly enjoy working with a variety of individuals and getting to know my clients and their businesses,” said Huff. “Understanding how their companies operate enables me […]

The December 2016 issue of “The Federal Lawyer” features an unusual article by Gentry Locke Partner Justin Lugar entitled “Andy Warholing It: A New Take on an “Old” Tool”. Justin’s article covers the False Claims Act (FCA), particularly in connection with the expansion of authority for issuing civil investigative demands (CID). As the article introduction states, “…[s]ome creative thinking and bootstrapping of analogous legal principles in the FCA context may provide an avenue for affirmative challenges to government authority that might just turn the process on its head.” Read a formatted PDF of the article here, or the online version here. […]

Gentry Locke attorney Peter Irot, a partner practicing in Gentry Locke’s Insurance and Workers’ Compensation group, was quoted in an article written by reporter Ellen Goodman for WorkCompCentral. The article utilizes the following contributions by Irot: In Virginia, cumulative trauma cases are not covered because state law says workplace injury claims are compensable only if they are “injuries by accident,” which the courts have said must occur due to an “identifiable incident or sudden precipitating event.” That means a worker whose back has worn out from years of heavy labor likely wouldn’t be eligible for workers’ compensation in Virginia unless there was […]

Gentry Locke Employment Law Chair David Paxton was interviewed and quoted in a Law 360 article entitled “The Top Employment Regulations Of 2016”. Reporter Vin Gurrieri included the following comments by Paxton: The Overtime Rule: David Paxton of Gentry Locke said the outcome of the case “will be fascinating,” adding that the overtime rule, of all the recent regulations issued, was the one “that has the broadest impact on employers. For small businesses and nonprofits, it’s a major financial disaster,” Paxton said. “Trying to undo it will be problematic — I don’t know how it will play out.” New EEO-1 […]