The Library

Benchmark ranks leading local firms and star attorneys in the U.S. commercial litigation and plaintiff markets. Gentry Locke is a Highly Recommended Firm for Plaintiff cases and ranks among the Recommended Firms in the state of Virginia. Gentry Locke attorneys also named 2014 Local Litigation Stars list are: J. Rudy Austin General Commercial, Insurance W. David Paxton General Commercial, Insurance, Labor and Employment S.D. Roberts Moore Labor and Employment, Personal Injury, Product Liability Also recognized as a 2014 Local Litigation Star – Plaintiff are: W. David Paxton General Commercial, Insurance, Labor and Employment S.D. Roberts Moore Labor and Employment, Personal […]

File an EEO-1 Report by September 30, 2014 As a reminder, if your company (i) has 100 or more employees, or (ii) is a federal government contractor or first tier subcontractor with 50 or more employees and has a contract/subcontract of $50,000 or more, you are required to file the EEO-1 Report by September 30, 2014. The EEO-1 Report requires these employers to provide a count of their employees according to job category, race/ethnicity and gender.  Please note that there is a new EEO-1 Job Classification Guide this year. New Self-Identification Forms Also, government contractors are required to use new Self-Identification […]

ROANOKE, VA – The Virginia law firm of Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore is pleased to announce have the recognition of twenty-one attorneys on the 2015 Best Lawyers in America® list, with one attorney in particular being named Roanoke Lawyer of the Year. K. Brett Marston, a Gentry Locke attorney who specializes in Construction Law, has earned Roanoke Lawyer of the Year for Construction Law  for the second time—the first being in 2013. Gentry Locke attorneys named to the 2015 Best Lawyers in America® list are: J. Rudy Austin Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants Thomas J. Bondurant, Jr. Corporate Compliance […]

Gentry Locke employment law partner Todd Leeson was quoted in an article published by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) discussing the “ban the box” movement. The article, titled “Ban-the-Box Movement Goes Viral”, updates SHRM members across the country on cities and states that have passed laws to ban the check box on employment applications asking whether the candidate has ever been convicted of a crime. Under the section subtitled Impact on Employers, author Roy Maurer notes Leeson’s observations on the risks and dangers of employers unknowingly hiring persons who could pose a real threat to their business, employees, and […]

Albany, Georgia – As the third week winds to a close in the trial against three individuals who were targeted for prosecution in the first-ever case of salmonella contamination to go to trial, national and international news providers are weighing in with coverage. The Guardian, a newspaper based in the United Kingdom, published an Associated Press wire report entitled Salmonella trial reveals US food safety relies on self-reporting. Much of the article focuses on the voluntary nature of food testing in the industry, which was previously noted in the opening arguments offered by Gentry Locke attorney Thomas J. Bondurant, who is representing former executive Stewart Parnell. Following are […]

Gentry Locke Employment & Labor Law attorney Todd Leeson wrote an article on the “Ban the Box” movement, which was published in The Roanoke Times on July 30, 2014. “Ban the Box” is a movement to discontinue the use of a box to disclose a criminal conviction on applications for employment. In the article, Leeson discusses the EEOC’s initiatives and the risks to an employer of a negligent hire claim. Leeson concludes employers need to “keep the box” and advises best practices for hiring. Read the full article in the associated PDF file link to the right of this post.

Twenty-seven Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore attorneys have earned recognition on the 2014 Virginia Super Lawyers and Rising Stars lists. Partner Brett Marston was included on the Top 100 list in Virginia, as was Managing Partner Monica Monday, who additionally was listed among Virginia’s Top 50 Women. Attorneys named to the 2014 Virginia Super Lawyers list are: J. Rudy Austin Civil Litigation and Defense Thomas J.  Bondurant, Jr. Criminal Defense & White Collar Crime Matthew W. Broughton Personal Injury General: Plaintiff G. Franklin Flippin Business Law & Corporate Transactions W. William Gust Tax Law Gregory J. Haley Business Litigation Guy M. Harbert, III […]

Gentry Locke attorney Scott Austin was a speaker at the ABA Food & Supplements conference in Wayzata, Minnesota. He and his panel dealt with the Ethical Issues Arising from Governmental Investigations and Potential Criminal Charges Under the Park Doctrine. With the increased scrutiny of food companies, potential criminal sanctions have become a reality. This panel reviewed the implications of the Park Doctrine for food and supplement companies and discuss the ethical issues that arise for counsel handling those investigations. Additional panelists included: Jerry Wilhelm U.S. Attorney’s Office, Minneapolis, MN Jan M. Conlin Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi LLP, Minneapolis, MN

Employment & Labor Law team leader David Paxton recently chaired the Virginia CLE’s 23rd Annual Employment Law Update programs in Richmond (May 8) and in Fairfax (May 15). This program, which drew over 180 attendees at the two locations, is one of the oldest and best attended seminars on labor and employment law in Virginia. In addition to annual survey updates of new case decisions, the topics covered by the various panels included: Trade Secrets and Lessons learned from DuPont v Kolon Industries ENDA or not The Evolving Role of Gender in the Workplace Constant Headache – Managing Sick and Injured Workers […]