Internships have long been a popular way for college students to gain valuable on-the-job experience and exposure to a particular employer or industry. When paying jobs are in short supply, individuals seeking relevant...more
Many colleges and universities require some kind of practical, hands-on experience as a part of their curriculum. Employers and schools alike place a premium on real world experience that cannot always be gained from sitting...more
As the end of another academic year approaches, college students across the country are seeking summer employment opportunities. As a result, your organization may soon be faced with the question of whether to hire summer...more
With summer approaching, you may be considering hiring an unpaid intern for the summer months. The process for doing so seems pretty cut and dry. However, litigation in the area of internships has recently increased due to...more
EEOC Releases Letter Addressing Wellness Programs and Reasonable Accommodation Obligations - In a letter issued recently by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ("EEOC"), Peggy Mastroianni, the agency's Legal Counsel,...more
A former unpaid intern, Dajia Davenport, recently filed a class action lawsuit against Elite Model Management. The lawsuit was filed in the Southern District Court of New York and seeks $50 million in connection with various...more
We have warned for some time now that businesses and other organizations should think carefully if they are considering the possibility of permitting unpaid internships. What might be described as the internship "season" is...more
Wang v. Hearst Corp., 12-CV-0793 (HB) (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 9, 2013): Like many corporations, Hearst Corporation required that its unpaid interns receive college credit as a condition of their internship. In Wang, the plaintiff...more
Who, What, Why . . . Who does it apply to: Every employer who has or intends to hire unpaid interns. When must an intern be paid: All “employees” of a business must be paid at least minimum wage unless they are a...more
Students of all ages seek out desirable unpaid internships. An internship gives the individual valuable experience in a potential chosen field of employment and could possibly lead to a job offer. Recently, a movie production...more
Pastor v. Partnership for Children’s Rights, 10-cv-5167 (E.D.N.Y. Sept. 27, 2012): In this discrimination case, the Partnership for Children’s Rights sought to dismiss the complaint on the grounds that it was not an...more
She’s studying journalism on her way to a career in fashion publishing. Knowing it is almost impossible to get a job in the industry without experience, she was thrilled to be selected for an internship at one of the...more
Although the summer internship season is coming to an end, it is never a bad time to evaluate your organization’s employment practices, and unpaid internships are no exception. Unpaid interns can gain valuable, real world...more
Employers in California who make use of “unpaid interns” must take special care. The importance of this issue is spotlighted as a risk-laden trend in three recent, high visibility lawsuits. In the first, two former interns...more
Our earlier post prompted questions about whether federal Fair Labor Standards Act principles are different for unpaid internships at non-profit organizations or for those sponsored by educational institutions for which the...more
For awhile now, unpaid internships have been a hot topic under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. We noted some time ago that the U.S. Labor Department was taking a skeptical view of these relationships. In...more
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