Last week, the United States Senate held hearings to decide whether to confirm Amy Coney Barrett, President Trump’s nominee to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, to the Supreme Court. The similarities between Justice Barrett and the late Justice Ginsburg end at their use of both their maiden and married last names. Barrett’s judicial philosophy, the timing […]

Last week, Minces Rankin PLLC prevailed for our clients in a $45 million complex commercial arbitration. The claims involved were breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, fraud, and fraud in the inducement. The final hearing lasted one week. The three-arbitrator panel sided with Minces Rankin PLLC’s clients, who were also awarded 100% of their attorney’s […]

In the past week, President Donald Trump has exercised his executive powers in ways that will greatly affect employers and employees alike. The Executive Order on Aligning Federal Contracting and Hiring Practices With the Interest of American Workers, issued on August 3rd, will influence federal employees and businesses that contract with the federal government. The […]

On May 5, Governor Abbott began taking steps to reopen Texas businesses at a limited capacity. We wrote about the highlights of that Executive Order here. Since then, the governor has continued in the direction of allowing more economic activity to continue, through executive orders issued on May 18 and May 26. Here are some business highlights from these Executive […]

Yesterday, Governor Abbott unveiled plans for reopening additional Texas businesses at limited capacity. The reopening parameters depend on the type of business you have. Below, are the highlights for each business by type. Offices Single-person offices may operate now Offices with more than one person may reopen on May 18 and allow the greater of […]

Today, in a published opinion by Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed Texas Southern District Court Magistrate Judge Frances H. Stacy’s judgment in favor of 11 property tax consultants represented by Minces PLLC. Judge Stacy found, and the Fifth Circuit affirmed, that O’Connor & Associates violated the Fair Labor Standards […]

Families First Coronavirus Response Act We posted about the key provisions of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) on our blog last week (accessible here). At that time, the FFCRA was just signed into law and there were numerous unanswered questions and wrinkles to be ironed out by the Department of Labor (DOL) and […]

As businesses are making tough employment decisions due to the economic repercussions of coronavirus, the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) is encouraging them to consider using Shared Work programs. The Shared Work program is administered by the TWC and is a great alternative to layoffs. Essentially, the TWC will pay up to 16 hours (40%) of […]

Over the past several weeks, the coronavirus has created unprecedented hardships for individuals, families and businesses. The federal government has attempted to implement policies and procedures as swiftly as the spread of the virus. On March 18, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act was passed. One unique aspect of the Act is that it applies […]

In the coming months, the Supreme Court of the United States will decide whether Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 covers discrimination against LGBTQ+ workers. The current composition of the court makes the anticipated outcome hard to predict. At the moment, there are four judges appointed by a Democratic president, and five […]