LAWS4403 · Law

Employment Law

Boston College Law School

This course addresses the legal regulation of employment of those without any form of collective representation, including executives, hourly and contingent employees. It addresses three major areas: (1) The common law regulation of the employment relationship. This includes formation of the employment relationship; common law exceptions to the at-will rule; privacy and dignitary protections (including electronic media); trade secrets and other intellectual property concerns; restrictions on competition; the use of arbitration as a means to avoid jurisdiction of common law courts. (2) The second area covered is federal regulation of wages and hours pursuant to the terms of the Fair Labor Standards Act (an area of substantial growth and litigation). (3) The law under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. This is a dynamic and controversial area of the law. Consideration of current developments and trends, economic and social, as well as comparative legal approaches, are included.