S. McKinley Gray, IIILabor and Employment AttorneyWard and Smith, P.A.Websitewww.wardandsmith.comOrganization ProfileFull ProfileConnectEmail252-672-5476 Professional Biography Ken leads the Labor and Employment practice. His practice experience encompasses various areas of employment-related litigation. He advises clients and litigates cases involving all forms of employment discrimination, wrongful discharge, and breach of employment contracts from small start-up companies to Fortune 500 corporations. Ken is a frequent lecturer on employment discrimination, workplace retaliation, workers' compensation, and wage and hour law issues. He has been rated by his peers as being "preeminent" in his fields of law and serves in leadership roles with various legal and civic organizations. Ken is a former president of the Craven County Bar Association, a former two-term president of the Board of Directors for the United Way of Coastal Carolina, and Chairman of the Deacons of First Baptist Church of New Bern. More Legal and Business Bylines From S. McKinley Gray, III The Art of Effective Disciplinary Documentation: A Practical Guide for Manufacturing Managers - (Posted On Saturday, June 21, 2025) Key Employment Law Issues Employers Need to Watch in 2025 - (Posted On Tuesday, January 14, 2025) Part 1 in Heatwaves of Drama: A Case Study in "What Not to Do" for Southeastern HR Professionals - (Posted On Friday, December 13, 2024) Turning Back Overtime – Texas Judge Strikes Down Salary Threshold Increase - (Posted On Tuesday, November 19, 2024) Legal Showdown Continues: FTC Appeals Court Ruling Against Non-Compete Ban - (Posted On Thursday, October 24, 2024) Having the Talk: How Employers Should Prepare for Difficult Disciplinary Situations - (Posted On Tuesday, May 14, 2024) Raising the Rate: DOL Expands Overtime Protections to Millions of Workers - (Posted On Wednesday, April 24, 2024) The EEOC Issues a Proposed Rule Regarding the Pregnant Workers' Fairness Act - (Posted On Friday, September 15, 2023) NLRB Turning Up the Heat Over Employee Handbooks - (Posted On Monday, August 14, 2023) Employers Take Note: New Laws Provide Protections for Pregnant and Nursing Employees - (Posted On Wednesday, March 08, 2023) Pagination Page 1 Next page Next › Current Legal Analysis COSTLY WIN: Court Dismisses Suit Against Safeway Because COVID Messages Are Exempt But It May Have Lost the Bigger Battle by: Eric J. Troutman TEXTS ARE NOT CALLS!: Second Court Holds Text Messages Cannot Violate TCPA’s DNC Provisions And It Is Getting Interesting Now by: Eric J. Troutman FCA Findings Following UK Review of Algorithmic Trading Controls by: Neil Robson , Sara Portillo Borrowing and Lending 101 by: Financial Poise Faculty Valuing Lost Profits in Litigation: Making the Case (and the Math) Work by: Financial Poise Faculty Practical Tips for Taking and Defending Depositions by: Michele Schechter AI Notetaking Tools Under Fire: Lessons from the Otter.ai Class Action Complaint by: Joseph J. Lazzarotti Why Anthropic’s Copyright Settlement Changes the Rules for AI Training by: Timothy P. Scanlan, Jr. , Andrew R. Lee The Future of Work: California Employment Legislation in 2025 by: Christopher W. Olmsted , Charles L. Thompson, IV Beltway Buzz, August 29, 2025 by: James J. Plunkett ECHA Publishes Updated REACH Restriction Proposal for PFAS by: Lynn L. Bergeson , Carla N. Hutton Colorado Budget Cuts Hit Home for Medicaid Providers by: Ryan B. Thurber , Bragg E. Hemme PEER Petitions MAHA Commission to Remove PFAS from U.S. Food Chain by: Lynn L. Bergeson , Carla N. Hutton Canada’s Plan of Priorities Includes Several Nanoscale Materials by: Lynn L. Bergeson , Carla N. Hutton Age Discrimination Act—Which Proscribes Age Discrimination in Programs Receiving Federal Assistance—Does Not Apply to Medical Residency Rankings, Ninth Circuit Panel Rules by: Daniel J. Ganz Upcoming Events Sep 15-16 2025 Chief Litigation Officer Summit Sep 15-16 2025 US General Counsel Summit Sep 29-30 2025 Intellectual Property Law Institute 2025 - New York Oct 20-21 2025 Intellectual Property Law Institute 2025 - California Print
