E D I T O R ’ S M E S S A G E J o s e l i n e J e a n - L o u i s H a r d r i c k –
W M U C o o l e y L a w S c h o o l
readyfor2022 ? Yeah , meneither ! whatever2022maybring , let ’ sembraceitwithgraceandoptimism .
It ’ s hard to believe but 2022 is almost here . November and December are well known for the holiday season , including shopping , family vacations , and an overall break from work and school . But many of us are still processing 2020 while we work to figure out the new normal for 2021 .
If you ’ re like me , you may have had a lot of trouble placing recent events on a timeline ; did that happen last year or the year before ? Has it really been that long since I ’ ve visited the dentist ? And what exactly happened in 2021 ? Without the usual celebrations and rituals that mark the passage of time , we can get lost in our daily activities and lose track of time .
Here ’ s some good news . Despite some surges in the Delta variant , COIVD-19 is better controlled now more than ever , millions of people are vaccinated , in-person activities are returning safely , and life is still moving forward .
This time period is historic , no doubt . When we reflect on 2021 , history books will record it as a time of dramatic changes , shifts in how we run our businesses , govern our nation , states , and cities , and of course , the expected , and sometimes surprising , impact of COVID-19 on the economy .
Here are some trends as discussed in several articles in this issue : courts are moving forward with trials and ruling on outstanding motions ; see the Appellate Section article on “ Certiorari Review of Orders Denying Discovery ,” at page 20 ; the Department of Labor is grappling with the new reality of the gig economy , and what that means for the definition of “ joint employer ;” see the Labor & Employment Section article “ Revisiting the FLSA Joint Employer Tug of War ” at page 38 ; criminal prosecutions of high profile cases have gone forward so that justice
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