Sherrod Banks Featured in Business North Carolina as Part of Leaders of the Pack

HumAdmin Affordable Housing, Announcements, Firm News, Housing & Community Development, Real Estate Law, Sherrod Banks

Identified as North Carolina’s largest minority-owned law firm, The Banks Law Firm has shown an unprecedented commitment to creating a positive impact on the community. Leading affordable housing cases through better outcomes and working through public-private partnerships for housing developments has resulted in personal gratification. Read the full story as it appears in the Business North Carolina February 2022 issue. …

The Banks Law Firm Has Relocated to Accommodate Growth

Cathy Sanita Affordable Housing, Announcements, Business Litigation, Firm News, Housing & Community Development, Labor and Employment, Labor Law, Nonprofit Corporations, Public Housing Authority, Real Estate Law

October 1, 2020 – Durham, NC – The Banks Law Firm has relocated to accommodate increased demand for its services. Founded in 1994 in downtown Durham, the Firm has also established offices in Atlanta and Houston.  The Firm’s new address is 4309 Emperor Boulevard, Suite 110, Durham, North Carolina 27703. Their telephone number remains the same at  919-474-9137.  Practice areas …

COVID-19 Compliance Reminders and Resources for Employers

HumAdmin Announcements, CDC Guidance, Coronavirus, coronavirus-related executive orders, COVID-19, Danielle Wilson, EEO Compliance, Employment Law, Employment Relations Analysis and Advice, Families First Coronavirus Response Act, federal agency COVID-19 compliance bulletins, Labor and Employment, Labor Law, Publications, Stay at Home Orders

Navigating COVID-19 compliance during this challenging time is a struggle for many employers. The current global pandemic is something employers have not faced before. Below, we have compiled links to relevant information which may be useful during this time of uncertainty.  Because the situation surrounding the global COVID-19 pandemic is constantly evolving, there may be guidance included below that may change …

Antoinette “Toni” Jackson to Speak at Novogradac Conference

Cathy Sanita Announcements, Events, Firm News, Housing & Community Development

Affordable housing professionals gather to learn and network in the Big Easy DURHAM, NC (September 11, 2019) – The Banks Law Firm announced today that Antoinette “Toni” Jackson will be a speaker at the Novogradac Conference and Workshop. The Workshop will be held on October 3 – 4 at the JW Marriott in New Orleans. Novogradac’s Credit and Bond Financing …

Joint HUD/DOJ Initiative to Combat Sexual Harassment in Housing Continues with Newly-Launched Public Awareness Campaign

Talicia Neal Housing & Community Development

As part of an ongoing joint effort with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to combat sexual harassment in housing, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced the launch of a public awareness campaign aimed at empowering victims to fight back against sexual harassment and other violations of the Fair Housing Act (FHA).  The campaign features …

Drafting Enforceable Non-Competes

Danielle Barbour Wilson Danielle Wilson, Employment Law, Employment Relations Analysis and Advice, Labor and Employment

Non-competition agreements (also referred to as “covenants not to compete” or “non-competes”) are restrictive covenants used to limit the employment and business activities of former employees. They are used to prevent former employees from directly competing with employers after the employment relationship ends. Any agreement limiting the rights of any person to do business in North Carolina must be in ...

Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit Holds that Title VII Covers Sexual Orientation Discrimination

Danielle Barbour Wilson Danielle Wilson, Labor Law, Title VII - Civil Rights Act

Recently, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit became the first federal appellate court in the country to hold that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is prohibited under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII). Title VII is the federal statute which prohibits employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, ...

A PHA Success Story in Developing Tax Credits/RAD Housing [Video Available]

HumAdmin Catherine Liu, Housing & Community Development, Publications

Learn how the Charlotte Housing Authority succeeded in obtaining low-income housing tax credit award  Congratulations to the Charlotte Housing Authority on its recent closing on the tax-credit equity financing and RAD conversion of its $14.2 million Tall Oaks redevelopment project. Part of the development costs is financed by a low-income housing tax credit award of over $8.2 million. Despite strong …

EEOC Issues Enforcement Guidance on Retaliation and Related Issues

HumAdmin Danielle Wilson, Employment Law, Labor and Employment, Retaliation

In late August 2016, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) issued Enforcement Guidance on Retaliation and Related Issues, a sub-regulatory document that addresses the Commission’s interpretation of the law related to retaliation in the workplace. The enforcement guidance replaces previous guidance issued by the EEOC in 1998. As defined by the Commission in the enforcement guidance, retaliation occurs when …

From May to Must: Supreme Court of North Carolina Holds PHAs Must Meet the Discretion Requirement Before Eviction

HumAdmin Housing & Community Development, Howard Rhodes

A public housing agency (“PHA”) is obligated to protect residents from the dangers of illegal drugs. Federal law requires PHAs to include lease provisions that grant them power to evict tenants who sell or use such drugs on or off premises. This power is expansive: the U.S. Supreme Court confirmed that PHAs may even evict tenants who did not know …