Deep Dive

Industry insights from our journalists

  • Diverse group of professionals, in discussion, sitting around conference table.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Xavier Arnau via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    No, not all companies are abandoning diversity, equity and inclusion. Here’s why.

    Amid a high-profile backlash, many businesses are scrutinizing their policies. But the vast majority end up sticking with DEI, in part because it’s key to growth.

    Daphne Howland • Sept. 23, 2024
  • litigation funding
    Image attribution tooltip
    Alfexe via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Why in-house counsel and law firms are warming up to litigation funders

    The dispute-financing industry is poised for growth as legal departments seek to evolve their reputation as pure cost centers.

    Justin Bachman • July 21, 2024
  • The exterior of the Supreme Court.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    What employers can expect following the end of Chevron deference

    For one thing, the U.S. Department of Labor’s regulations may not fare well under federal courts’ scrutiny post-Chevron, a former DOL official told HR Dive.

    Ryan Golden • July 17, 2024
  • A storefront with riding mowers, wheelbarrows and other garden equipment out front.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Tractor Supply
    Image attribution tooltip

    Tractor Supply may have thought it solved a big problem. Now it has a few more.

    The retailer retreated from its diversity and climate goals after an “anti-woke” protest on social media — and ignited a backlash.

    Daphne Howland • July 11, 2024
  • In a black and white photo, Lyndon B. Johnson sits in the foreground signing the Civil Rights Act, surrounded by Martin Luther King Jr. and dozens of politicians.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Stoughton, Cecil. (1964). Retrieved from Wikipedia Commons.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Title VII’s future will be shaped by AI, recent SCOTUS rulings, attorneys say

    The law’s anti-discrimination provisions remain a topic of complex debate, and sources who spoke to HR Dive expect the conversation to carry on well into the next several years.

    Ryan Golden • July 1, 2024
  • Image attribution tooltip
    Mario Tama via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Johnson & Johnson drug benefits suit ‘absolutely’ a wake-up call for employers, exec says

    Employer health plans are being held to account for drug costs, but they may lack key information when negotiating with pharmacy benefit managers and similar intermediaries.

    Ryan Golden • Feb. 29, 2024
  • in-house counsel 2024
    Image attribution tooltip
    new look casting via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    6 in-house legal trends to watch in 2024

    AI, labor, antitrust, bankruptcies, women GCs and cross-collaboration are among the headlines in-house counsel can expect this year.  

    Lyle Moran and Robert Freedman • Jan. 9, 2024
  • A massive gray storm cloud gathers on the horizon over a placid body of water.
    Image attribution tooltip
    petesphotography via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    ‘Rough ride’: 5 tips for cutting insurance costs amid climate change

    Executives face a seller’s market for commercial property insurance as carriers push up premiums and pull back from high-risk areas.

    Jim Tyson • Nov. 30, 2023
  • Data privacy
    Image attribution tooltip
    FotografieLink via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Companies hit with class actions under Illinois biometric data law

    After years of little activity, the Biometric Information Privacy Act is spurring litigation by consumers and employees over use of their facial scans, fingerprints and other imaging data.

    Lisa Burden • Nov. 8, 2023
  • A person walks across a landfill in India with a bale of recyclables on their head.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Daniel Berehulak via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    New regulations seek to expose fashion greenwashers’ true colors

    In Europe, governments plan to prohibit fashion companies and other industries from making vague or misleading environmental claims, and the U.S. could soon do the same.

    Lauren Schenkman • Nov. 1, 2023
  • Shopify bag logo and name. in front of a brick wall.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Courtesy of Shopify
    Image attribution tooltip

    Companies hit back by trying to unmask patent troll funders

    Defendants such as Shopify try to use discovery to hammer plaintiffs who rely on financial backers to drive patent infringement lawsuits.

    Robert Freedman • June 13, 2023
  • A row of six teenagers are sitting on a outdoor bench. Most are looking down at cellphones in their hands.
    Image attribution tooltip
    LeoPatrizi via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    ‘Wave’ of litigation expected as schools fight social media companies

    Districts are joining a complaint against Meta, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, but some doubt the firms can be blamed for teens’ mental health struggles.

    Kara Arundel • June 1, 2023
  • Fingers hover over a computer keyboard with numbers on a screen, against a shadowy backdrop.
    Image attribution tooltip
    jariyawat thinsandee via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Payments fraud climbs as banks reach for joint response

    Financial institutions and payments players are seeking to coalesce around new efforts to battle skyrocketing payments fraud.

    Lynne Marek • May 30, 2023
  • An abstract blockchain concept in which small blocks form a bigger block
    Image attribution tooltip
    cgtoolbox via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    How blockchain may improve job candidate credentialing efforts

    Leading HR groups and staffing agencies are part of an initiative to make the sharing of prospective employees' background information more reliable and secure.

    Lisa Burden • April 10, 2023
  • People gather outside Silicon Valley Bank.
    Image attribution tooltip
    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    ‘Meme stock in reverse’: SVB collapse portends new era of viral bank runs

    SVB’s demise gave the banking sector a glimpse into how social media and digital banking can turn a financial institution from operational to insolvent in a matter of hours.

    Anna Hrushka • March 16, 2023
  • Jonathan A. Segal, an employment lawyer, stands at a podium during a 2023 conference
    Image attribution tooltip
    Caroline Colvin/Legal Dive, data from HR Dive
    Image attribution tooltip

    Antisemitism at work: How the face of hate is changing

    The SHRM speaker explained how antisemitism these days tends to manifest as conspiracy theories and history denial.

    Caroline Colvin • Feb. 28, 2023
  • A cut out image of a person singing a document at a desk.
    Image attribution tooltip

    Photo illustration: Shaun Lucas/Industry Dive; Greg Gibson/AP

    Image attribution tooltip

    FMLA: The 30-year legacy of a celebrated — and complicated — employment law

    The law has helped hundreds of millions of workers in its relatively short history. But the FMLA doesn’t provide paid leave, and employers say it can be difficult to administer.

    Ryan Golden • Feb. 3, 2023
  • We all have our own goals to improve
    Image attribution tooltip
    Tinpixels via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    5 trends that will shape HR in 2023

    The attention paid to people issues has placed HR leadership in the C-suite’s spotlight, but the next task is keeping the momentum going.

    Ryan Golden • Jan. 26, 2023
  • A businessperson holding a table showing a virtual hologram of statistics
    Image attribution tooltip
    ipopba via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    2023 outlook: Legal spend tools expected to gain greater traction

    In-house legal departments are increasingly using tech solutions that provide real-time information about outside counsel spending.

    Lyle Moran • Jan. 24, 2023
  • The Federal Trade Commission headquarters is pictured in Washington, D.C. The agency's proposed noncompete ban may face legal challenges on several grounds.
    Image attribution tooltip
    RiverNorthPhotography via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    ‘Take a deep breath’ in response to FTC noncompete ban, attorneys say

    Despite the hurdles the proposed rule faces, employers still may need to pay attention to how it interacts with state and local laws.

    Ryan Golden • Jan. 18, 2023
  • law business
    Image attribution tooltip
    kitzcorner via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    2023 outlook: Slower economy will pressure GCs to cut spend, operate more efficiently

    General counsel are expected to rely on legal operations specialists to help them increase in-house departments’ value to the broader organization.    

    Robert Freedman • Jan. 11, 2023
  • Forecast
    Image attribution tooltip
    Natali_Mis via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    6 in-house legal trends to watch in 2023

    Legal chiefs will be expected to do more with less even while operational costs rise and compliance risks grow.

    Robert Freedman and Lyle Moran • Jan. 6, 2023
  • salary disclosure
    Image attribution tooltip
    Creativalmages via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    Objective measures can provide flexibility under NYC pay transparency law

    By tying salary to experience and skill, employers could have a reasonable defense against discrimination claims within the range they publicize, specialists say. 

    Lisa Burden • Nov. 23, 2022
  • A new general counsel is introduced to their colleagues in an office setting
    Image attribution tooltip
    VioletaStoimenova via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    More large companies are hiring experienced outsiders for GC posts

    Rapid changes sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic have prompted Fortune 500 corporations to frequently seek legal department leaders from outside their ranks.

    Lyle Moran • Nov. 15, 2022
  • Cropped shot of a man having a therapeutic session with a psychologist.
    Image attribution tooltip
    PeopleImages via Getty Images
    Image attribution tooltip

    How to address mental health issues in compliance with FMLA, ADA

    Due to the prevalence of mental health issues, employees are often in in need of family medical leave, accommodations, or EAP assistance.

    Laurel Kalser • Nov. 8, 2022