Photo of Sarah A. Westby

Sarah is the Chair of Shipman’s Cannabis Industry Team and a Partner in our Employment and Labor Practice Group. She advises clients on formation and management of a cannabis business, interpretation of state and federal cannabis laws and regulations, social equity qualifications and partnerships, business-related disputes, employment matters and contracts. Sarah also counsels clients on a wide variety of employment matters, including discrimination, medical leave, sexual harassment, compensation, termination, severance, and workplace safety.  She has significant experience litigating cases in state and federal court and before administrative agencies.  Sarah also serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Simply Smiles, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that builds villages of foster homes for Native children in the United States and Mexico.

With everything going on in the world of cannabis, day-to-day personnel matters can fall by the wayside. International markets are beginning to emerge, bringing the potential for expansion and investment, but also increased competition. Here in the U.S., many anticipated that 2025 would see rescheduling, clarification around hemp manufacture and sales, and perhaps even safe

Join host Dan Schwartz and Sarah Westby, partners at Shipman & Goodwin, as they delve into the latest wage and hour regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This episode explores the implications of a federal court ruling that struck down recent DOL salary threshold increases, what it means for employers, and how

Today, the DOL’s Final Rule expanding overtime protection in the form of salary threshold increases for FLSA exempt workers takes effect for most employers across the country.  There has been some uncertainty over the past month with three cases pending in Texas federal court challenging the legality of the rule.  On Friday, June 28, 2024

FTC Issues Anticipated Rule Barring Non-Compete Agreements

On Tuesday afternoon, the Federal Trade Commission issued a final rule largely banning non-compete agreements for employees. The rule is intended to go into effect in around four months but will likely be the subject of multiple legal challenges.  

The rule is short in its nature. 

It defines

As the cannabis industry grows both locally and nationally, labor organizers have increasingly targeted the field for unionization. While Connecticut is one of the earlier states to legalize cannabis, Connecticut only recently joined the ranks of states with unionized cannabis workers. As a result, Connecticut-based cannabis companies arguably enjoy some benefit from having the opportunity

Businesses entering the provisional license stage in Connecticut’s nascent adult-use cannabis market are beginning to grapple with labor and employment issues.  In addition to hiring a workforce, prospective cannabis businesses must also consider the role of organized labor.  The Responsible and Equitable Regulation of Adult-Use Cannabis Act (the “Cannabis Act”) contains specific requirements for cannabis businesses pertaining

This week the United States Supreme Court held that highly compensated employees are not exempt from overtime requirements unless they are paid on a salary basis.  In other words, employers cannot avoid paying overtime to employees simply because they earn a high hourly or daily rate.  Rather, employers must provide employees with a reliable, predetermined compensation regardless

The year is 2015.  An employee, employer, and local union enter into a last chance agreement that forbids the employee’s use of controlled substances.  If the employee violates the agreement, he may be subject to immediate termination.  Subsequently, the claimant begins using medical marijuana in compliance with the terms of the Palliative Use of Marijuana

On August 5, 2022, the third edition of the Department of Consumer Protection’s (DCP) policies and procedures concerning the regulation of adult-use cannabis became effective. The regulations are extensive and cover everything from security procedures, to testing, to transportation.  We have summarized some of the key features of the regulations that cannabis businesses need to

A friendly reminder to employers that provisions of Connecticut’s adult-use cannabis statute concerning the use of cannabis in the workplace go into effect on July 1, 2022.  We published a detailed article about what the cannabis statute means for employers last year.  With the effective date of those provisions quickly approaching, now is the perfect