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 We Get Work: Key Considerations for Companies Navigating Global Remote Work: Part 1 – Immigration [Video, Podcast] by: Christopher V. Anderson , Nadine T. Trinh USCIS Implements Holistic ‘Good Moral Character’ Evaluation for Naturalization Applicants by: Geeta M. Shah , Jacob A. Kanyusik US Department of Labor promotes AI literacy across the American workforce by: U.S. Department of Labor Sixth Circuit Raises the Bar for Employer Liability for Client-Based Harassment (US) by: Chase A. Clark Maine Bosses, Beware! Governor Held Bossware Bill, But Lawmakers Could Reconsider It by: Aimee B. Parsons USCIS Expands “Good Moral Character” Standards for Naturalization by: Immigration & Nationality Law Practice Trump Administration Derails Revolution Wind as Court Fight over Federal Policy Wages On by: Peter R. Knight On the Road Again – When Travel Time is Compensable Work Time by: Sarahanne Y. Vaughan , Matthew C. Lonergan Mintz On Air: Practical Policies – Disparage Me Not [Podcast] by: Jennifer B. Rubin , Natalie C. Groot California Legislature Advances Bills Impacting Private Equity and Management Services Organizations by: Paul A. Gomez , Ashley N. Osak Asked & Answered: A Labor & Employment Law Podcast Episode 10: The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act: What Employers Need to Know Now [Podcast] by: Kelly Dobbs Bunting , Mikaela Shaw Masoudpour Ogletree Deakins Payroll Brass Tax: SUB Plans—A Cost-Effective Alternative to Traditional Severance [Podcast] by: Michael K. Mahoney July 2025 Bounty Hunter Plaintiff Claims by: Sophia B. Castillo , Mitzi Ng Clark Employee Taxed on Mistakenly-Issued Stock by: David B. Shiner Australian Privacy Law Reform Tranche 2: The Time for Conversation is Over by: Cameron Abbott , Rob Pulham Upcoming Events Sep 15-16 2025 US General Counsel Summit Sep 15-16 2025 Chief Litigation Officer Summit Sep 29-30 2025 Intellectual Property Law Institute 2025 - New York Oct 20-21 2025 Intellectual Property Law Institute 2025 - California Print
