News

In June 2019, the New York State Legislature adopted four major pieces of legislation that will have sweeping impacts on public and private employers in New York State.  Three of these bills have already been signed into law – (1) a law requiring employers to provide equal pay to employees in all protected classes, (2) a law prohibiting employers from requesting information and making decisions based on applicant and employee wage and salary histories, and (3) a law expanding the [...]

Whiteman Osterman & Hanna LLP, the Capital Region’s largest law firm, is very pleased to announce it has been named a Tier 1 firm in Albany by U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” in 2019 in the following practice areas: Corporate Law, Education Law, Employment Law – Management, Environmental Law, Litigation – Trusts and Estates, and Trusts & Estates Law.            Firms included in the 2019 Edition of [...]

On May 9, 2018, Mayor Bill de Blasio signed the Stop Sexual Harassment in NYC Act (the “Act”), designed to combat sexual harassment in the workplace. The Act contains provisions similar to the sexual harassment provisions contained in the 2018-2019 New York State Budget. While the New York City Human Rights Law (the “NYCHRL”) applies to employers with four or more employees in New York City, the Act eliminates this employee threshold with respect to gender-based [...]

As part of the 2018-2019 New York State Budget, the Legislature adopted new legislation that is designed to combat sexual harassment in the workplace. This legislation was signed into law on April 12, 2018, and applies to both public and private sector employers.  Key changes that we expect to have the greatest impact moving forward include the following:   No mandatory arbitration agreements: Effective July 11, 2018 (ninety (90) days after the legislation became law), [...]