Nashville Associate Austin Wells was recently featured in NashvilleVoyager Magazine’s “Local Stories” segment about his experience as a transactional music attorney at Lewis Brisbois.

As previously reported, 2024 brought many employment law developments to employers operating in New York and New York City. Thus far, 2025 appears to be no different. To help employers keep pace with these changes, we summarize some of the key legal developments that have taken effect in the first two quarters of 2025.

Wilmington Partner Scott Cousins recently spoke with Law360 for an article discussing how BigLaw has impacted the development of bankruptcy law.

Madison County Partners Adam Johnson and Zachary Shelton and Associate William Saunders recently secured a defense verdict on behalf of a Lewis Brisbois client in St. Clair County, Illinois. It was the team’s second defense verdict within three weeks.

Phoenix Partner and Chair of the firm’s Sports Practice Gregg Clifton and Reno Managing Partner Brandon Wright recently obtained a preliminary injunction against the NCAA that paves the way for their client, wide receiver Cortez Braham, Jr., to play college football in the upcoming 2025-26 season. 

Fort Lauderdale Partner Marcela Gyires was recently selected as Chair of The Florida Bar’s Seventeenth Judicial Circuit Grievance Committee “F” for the 2024-2027 term. 

Phoenix Partner Gregg Clifton recently spoke with Law360 Employment Authority for an article examining the continued legal uncertainty surrounding student-athletes’ employment status one year after the Third Circuit’s landmark decision in Johnson v. NCAA.

Los Angeles Partner Rod Cappy recently obtained summary judgment for his electric company client in a lawsuit brought by an electrician who claimed he developed mesothelioma in part due to exposure to asbestos-containing products distributed by the client.

Since January 1, 2025, New York has required private-sector employers (of any size) to provide employees working in New York State with up to 20 hours of paid prenatal leave within a 52-week period for health care services related to an employee’s pregnancy (including fertility treatment or care appointments). Paid prenatal leave is in addition to, and is a separate leave right from, New York sick leave. This means employers must provide New York employees with up to 40 or 56 hours of paid or unpaid sick leave (depending on employer size) as well as up to 20 hours of paid prenatal leave.  

Madison County Partners Adam Johnson and Zachary Shelton and Associate William Saunders recently secured a defense verdict on behalf of a Lewis Brisbois client in Sangamon County, Illinois. The matter arose from a motor vehicle accident that occurred in Spaulding, Illinois.

In a disappointing ruling on July 8, 2025, the Sixth Circuit in Cox v. Total Quality Logistics, Inc. (24-3599) determined that the plaintiff’s negligent hiring claim against Total Quality Logistics, Inc., and Total Quality Logistics, LLC, (collectively “TQL”) was not preempted by the Federal Aviation Administration Authorization Act of 1994 (“FAAAA”) found in 49 U.S.C. § 14501(c)(1). According to the Court, plaintiff’s claim fell within the ambit of the “safety exception” found in 49 U.S.C. § 14501(c)(2)(A).

On June 30, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14312 (Order). The Order bolsters recent U.S. efforts to reset the United States’s relationship dynamic regarding Syria, relying on perceived positive steps from Syria’s new leadership. These changes may offer new business opportunities in that country.

Orange County Partners Laura Lopez and Patrick J. McCormick will join a panel on “Navigating Your Way Through Your HOA” at the Orange County Bar Association (OCBA) seminar in Newport Beach on July 28 at 5:00 p.m. PT.

On June 18, 2025, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued the fourth iteration of General License 55 (GL 55D) to continue authorizing certain services related to the maritime transport of Russian crude oil that originated from the Sakhalin-2 project (Sakhalin-2 byproduct), as long as the Sakhalin-2 byproduct is solely for importation into Japan. This is an exception to the prohibition in Executive Order 14071 barring services that facilitate the maritime transport of crude oil of Russian Federation origin.