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 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) Confidentiality and Non-Disparagement Agreements with Non-Supervisory Employees: New Limitations from the NLRB - (Posted On Wednesday, March 01, 2023) Pagination Page 1 Next page Next › Current Legal Analysis Revised Draft California Privacy Regulations Lessen Impact on Business by: Alan L. Friel White House Council on Environmental Quality Releases Draft NEPA Template Following CEQ’s Rescission of Longstanding Regulations by: Nicholas DuBroff , Jennifer Jeffers China Releases Typical Cases of Intellectual Property Protection by China Customs in 2024 – China Facing Imported Counterfeits Due to Manufacturing Moving to Other Countries by: Aaron Wininger Minnesota Employment Legislative Update 2025, Part II: It’s Déjà Vu—Lengthy Omnibus Bills, Buried Employment Law Changes by: Bruce J. Douglas , Maria B. Shatonova Onshoring Pharma Ops: Reading Recent EO and Policy Tea Leaves by: Dominick DiSabatino , Jonathan Wang The Hypocrisy of “Delete IP”: Billionaire Frustrations Masquerading as Policy by: Bryan K. Wheelock The State of Employment Law: Ohio’s Unusual Constitutional Minimum Wage Protections by: Douglas M. Oldham Lights, Camera, Action: Florida Set to Become Friendliest State for Non-Compete Agreements by: Cody D. Woods , Hannesson Murphy Do You Really Want to Be an ERISA Fiduciary? by: Karen N. Brandon , Mark E. Schmidtke Indiana Boosts Film Industry with New Tax Credit Incentives by: Stephen G. Weizenecker First 100 Days of Tariffs During President Trump's Second Term: Recap & Lessons by: Christine J. Sohar Henter Beltway Buzz, May 9, 2025 by: James J. Plunkett Georgia Bill Will Reinstate Tax Credit for Post-Production Expenditures in Film, Television by: Stephen G. Weizenecker Navigating Challenges and Opportunities in the Film Industry by: Stephen G. Weizenecker The Subtle Bully: Breaking Trust, Creating Workplace Liability by: Leslie K. Eason Upcoming Events May 22 2025 Kidd Aitken & Chambers USA Q&A May 13 2025 OHCA’s First Year of Material Change Transaction Notices: A Panel Discussion with OHCA and Polsinelli May 13 2025 PFAS Updates: What’s Happening in the U.S. and EU May 13 2025 What Conflicts Trigger an Insurer’s Duty to Provide Independent Counsel to Defend an Insured Print
