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 USCIS Policy Alert: Derogatory Information Unknown to the Benefit Requestor by: Anna Reiff ‡ Private Bills and High-Net-Worth Immigration: How a Gold Card Could Be Introduced Without Changing Existing Law by: Kate Kalmykov Nippon Steel Completes Acquisition of US Steel Under National Security Agreement by: Sevren R. Gourley , Eric R. Markus The Art of Effective Disciplinary Documentation: A Practical Guide for Manufacturing Managers by: S. McKinley Gray, III , Avery J. Locklear One Big Beautiful Bill Act - Senate Proposal Would Limit Applicability of House’s 3.5% Remittance Tax on Fund Transfers Abroad by: Shane Foster , Robert Mangas UK Employment Appeal Tribunal Clarifies Employer Obligations in a Redundancy by: Roger James USDA TO THE RESCUE! First, Immigration Policies — Will MAHA be Next? by: James V. Aidala , Kathryn A. Bursick EPA Will Extend Postponement of Effective Date of Certain Provisions of Final TCE Risk Management Rule by: Lynn L. Bergeson , Carla N. Hutton Supreme Court Rejects Heightened Standard for Student Disability Cases by: James C. Pennington California Continues to Promote Clean Energy Transition Despite Federal Backstepping on Clean Energy and Hydrogen Funding by: Dana P. Palmer , Meghan Clark Beltway Buzz, June 20, 2025 by: James J. Plunkett DOJ Civil Division Sets Enforcement Priorities to Advance Administration’s Policy Objectives by: T. Scott Kelly , Nonnie L. Shivers July 2025 Visa Bulletin: Limited Advancement for India and China by: Amanda R. Goodman Privacy Tip #447 – Understanding Cybersquatting by: Linn F. Freedman Sixth Circuit Holds TPAs Do Not Get a Free Pass from ERISA’s Fiduciary Duties by: William P. Sweeney , John D. Martini Upcoming Events Jun 23 2025 The First 100 Days and Beyond Under the New Administration | Session 7: Changing Landscape of Federal and State Financial Services Regulation Jun 24 2025 2025 Special Assets Summer School Webinar: Agricultural Borrowers and Problem Loans Jun 24 2025 Proposition 65 Short-Form Warning Requirements and Compliance Strategies Jun 25 2025 TSCA Reform – Nine Years Later Print
