News, Events, Seminars & Articles by Gentry Locke Attorneys

Federal Court Strikes Down DOL’s New Companionship Services Exemption Regulations

Articles January 2015

The Department of Labor (DOL) promulgated a Final Rule which made a number of changes to the regulations concerning the companionship services exemption from the minimum wage and overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). These changes were scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2015. The Final Rule would have drastically reduced the number of domestic employees who would be entitled to an exemption from minimum wage and overtime. There are two major components in the Final Rule: (i) the companionship exemption would only be available to individuals and families who employ workers in the home directly (rather […]

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Workplace Violence: Employer Liability

Articles January 2015

Each year employers and employees in a variety of industries across the country face issues related to violence in the workplace. Given that the hospitality industry faces issues involving everything from alcohol consumption to guest frustration on a near-daily basis, it is particularly susceptible to workplace violence. Generally, workplace violence can be categorized in two ways: (1) violence by one employee upon another or (2) violence by a third party upon an employee. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) reports that on average, 1,700,000 workers are injured each year as a result of workplace violence. It is so […]

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Ghosts of Rivers Past

Articles January 2015

Mineral rights cases are property disputes that often turn on obscure questions of historic ownership or interpretation. For example if a river name changes over time, land previously described as “on the banks of the Smith River” is now on the banks of the Jones River, and the deed may become vulnerable to legal challenge. Likewise, when Becky’s Creek flowed into Smith River, it was a Smith River tributary; but, now, it is within the Jones River watershed. Today’s GPS technology allows us to find our way around anywhere and describe locations not only by postal address but also by […]

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“What’s in Your Contract?”

Articles January 2015

This article was first published as a guest post on Gentry Locke’s Virginia Construction Law Update blog. “Except in the middle of the battlefield, nowhere must men coordinate movement of other men and all materials in the midst of such chaos and with such limited certainty of present facts and future occurrences as in a huge construction project . . .” — Blake Construction Co. v. C.J. Coakley Co., 431 A.2d 569, 575 (D. C. Ct. App. 1981) How true. Anyone who has stepped foot onto the site of a large construction project understands it is little more than bedlam […]

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Gentry Locke Continues to Add Legal Talent, Welcomes Two New Associates to the Firm

News January 2015

The Virginia law firm of Gentry Locke is pleased to announce the addition of attorneys Andrew M. Bowman and Evans G. Edwards to the firm. Andrew Bowman has joined the firm’s Medical Malpractice – Plaintiff’s team. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pa., Andrew graduated with distinction from the University of Richmond School of Law in 2013 and earned his B.S. degree in Molecular Genetics from the University of Rochester in New York. He recently served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Patrick R. Johnson in Grundy, Va., and was Vice-President of the Buchanan County Bar Association. Evans Edwards joins Gentry Locke’s Workers’ […]

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What Can Employers Learn from the “Triple Play” Facebook Termination Case?

Articles January 2015

This article by Todd Leeson was published in the Winter/Spring 2015 edition of “Virginia Human Resources Today” magazine, a publication of the Virginia Society for Human Resource Management. In Three D, LLC, 361 NLRB No. 31 (Aug. 22, 2014), the NLRB held that an employer unlawfully terminated two employees who had posted content on Facebook that the employer considered to be disloyal or defamatory. What can Virginia employers learn from this case? Triple Play is a restaurant owned in part by Ralph DelBuono. In January 2011, employees learned that they owed more in state taxes than expected. In response to […]

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Gentry Locke Promotes Five Attorneys to Partner Status

News January 2015

ROANOKE, VA (January 2, 2015) – The Virginia law firm of Gentry Locke is pleased to announce that attorneys Les Bowers, Ben Byrd, Christen Church, Pete Irot, and Justin Lugar have been promoted to Partner. Les Bowers is a trial lawyer with a diverse litigation practice before federal courts, state courts and arbitration tribunals. Les focuses his practice on medical malpractice, personal injury, and products liability matters, but also regularly assists clients in complex commercial litigation and white collar criminal matters. Les is admitted to practice law in Virginia and North Carolina. He earned his J.D. from the University of […]

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U.S. Department of Justice Will Not Prosecute Senator Phillip Puckett

News December 2014

December 12, 2014, Abingdon, Va. – Today the United States Attorney’s Office agreed to not prosecute Senator Phillip Puckett following their investigation into events surrounding his resignation in June of 2014. A letter released by Timothy J. Heaphy, United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, states “After reviewing facts gathered during the investigation, considering potentially applicable statutes, and consulting with the Public Integrity Section at the Department of Justice, we have decided not to pursue federal criminal charges for acts surrounding Senator Puckett’s resignation. We are accordingly closing our investigation of this matter.” According to Thomas J. Bondurant, […]

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Gentry Locke Welcomes Two Associate Attorneys to the Firm

News December 2014

The Virginia law firm of Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, LLP is pleased to announce the addition of two new attorneys to the firm, Nicole Poltash and Scott Stephenson. Nicole A. Poltash is a member of Gentry Locke’s Construction law and Commercial Litigation practice groups, where she represents general contractors, subcontractors, trade contractors, suppliers, and design professionals. Nicole is a contributing author to two blogs:Virginia Construction Law Update at www.VAConstructionLawUpdate.com, and Virginia OSHA Law News at www.VaOSHALawNews.com. Originally from Los Angeles, California, Nicole graduated magna cum laude from the University of Richmond School of Law and earned her undergraduate degree with […]

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Gentry Locke’s Josh Johnson Elected President of Federal Bar Association Roanoke Chapter, Abigail Murchison is FBA Secretary

News December 2014

Gentry Locke Attorneys is please to announce that Joshua C. Johnson has been appointed president of the Federal Bar Association’s (FBA) Roanoke chapter. As the premier bar association serving the federal practitioner and judiciary, the FBA monitors, advocates and keeps its member attorneys abreast of federal issues that impact the practice of federal lawyers and the courts, provides opportunities for judges and attorneys to interact professionally and promotes high standards of professional competence and ethical conduct. At Gentry Locke, Josh Johnson litigates complex commercial cases with a focus on construction and government regulatory matters. Josh is the chair of Gentry Locke’s e-discovery […]

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