Compliance Stuff

It started as merely trying out artificial intelligence (AI) tools. Now, more and more employers (and their employees) are relying on AI for their everyday operations, including drafting emails and summaries, screening and ranking applicants, managing employee performance, and answering routine questions. This expanded role has changed AI from a casual acquaintance into a new “co-worker” that can influence employment decisions, outcomes, and experiences. Employers are reviewing AI tools, assessing risks and deciding which tools are authorized in their workplace and for what purpose. Courts and regulators are also reviewing AI tools more closely, focusing on discrimination, transparency, monitoring, and protection of confidential information. AI Is No Longer Just a Tool – It’s a ‘Co-Worker’ As AI becomes embedded in workflows, its role can be difficult for employees to distinguish from the input or output of employees. For example, an employer might not know that some resumes never rea...

While the use of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to grow in many workplaces, some employees are asking for religious accommodations to avoid using AI tools at work. Quick Hits A number of organized religions have stepped into the public debate over AI to provide their religious perspective. Some employers are receiving accommodation requests from workers who have religious objections to using AI. Federal and state laws require employers to provide reasonable accommodations for an employee’s religious beliefs, unless it would impose an undue hardship. In recent years, many business leaders have implemented new work protocols and performance metrics that require workers to use AI tools for certain job functions. At the same time, religious objections to workplace requirements or procedures are on the rise. One stark example involved a  nearly $600,000 jury verdict upheld on appeal  in favor of an evangelical Christian employee who objected to his employer’s biometric hand...

Executive Summary What’s new.  As the frequency and sophistication of ransomware attacks increase, corporate responses to these incidents are subject to ever-growing regulation, and enforcement actions are becoming more frequent. Why it matters.  Businesses that are victims of a ransom attack face new regulatory risks and heightened scrutiny over their response processes, on top of potential operational damage and reputational harm. What to do now.  Organizations can mitigate legal and regulatory risks by ensuring incident response, escalation and notification protocols are thorough, up to date and well documented, and by engaging experienced legal counsel and cybersecurity advisers in advance of any incident. __________ Ransomware attacks continue to evolve in sophistication, disrupting operations and commanding the urgent attention of regulators, law enforcement and government agencies. Organizations victimized in these incidents now face not only the immediate operatio...

Internal investigations often start small. A complaint, a suspicious transaction, or a red flag in a routine audit. Most companies try to manage these issues internally, without specialized tools or external legal support. That’s usually because it’s unclear whether the situation will escalate into litigation, and the cost of outsourcing every case isn’t realistic. In many organizations, there are dozens or even hundreds of these smaller investigations each year. But even small cases carry serious risks. Poor handling can damage employee trust, allow systemic problems to persist, or turn a manageable issue into a legal crisis. And while every investigation is different—a discrimination complaint, a financial fraud alert, or concerns about intellectual property theft—the need is the same: a process that is fast, discreet, thorough, and defensible. In this blog, we’ll explore how to run internal investigations across different scenarios. You’ll find practical steps, key considerations, ...