James Harold Hanson

Profile James Hansons practice focuses on labor, employment, and wage and hour issues in the transportation industry, and he has lectured on those issues across the country. Hanson has also argued before the U. S. Supreme Court and many Circuit Courts of Appeal. He co-leads our class action defense team and labor and employment team. He has advised and represented numerous employers on myriad wage and hour claims and management labor and employment-related matters, including: Defending class and collective action wage and hour claims brought under federal and state laws across the United States, including under the FLSA and various state wage and hour laws Creating wage and hour policies for the transportation industry to help prevent claims and provide defenses to class and collective action claims Defending wrongful discharge and discrimination claims, including Negotiating severance agreements Preparing employee handbooks, policy manuals, and substance abuse and harassment policies Negotiating collective bargaining agreements Conducting counter-union organizing campaigns Handling wage and hour investigations Counseling employers on FLSA, FMLA, and COBRA compliance Representing employers before the NLRB, the EEOC, the U. S. Department of Labor, and other state and federal agencies Litigating in federal and state courts in defending motor carriers Advising and representing clients in claims under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) Accolades Indiana Super Lawyers peer selection survey Top Five Percent of Indiana Lawyers 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2008. The Best Lawyers in America 2025 Education Anderson University, B. A. magna cum laude Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, J. D. magna cum laude News & Publications Case Note: NLRB Structure Is Likely Unconstitutional, Fifth Circuit Holds by James H. Hanson, A. Jack Finklea, Donald J. Vogel, James A. Eckhart Trump Fires NLRB General Counsel and Board Member Wilcox by James H. Hanson, Donald J. Vogel, A. Jack Finklea Port Strike Likely Averted: Labor Deal Reached by James H. Hanson, A. Jack Finklea, Donald J. Vogel Texas Court Invalidates DOL Overtime Rule by Gregory M. Feary, James H. Hanson, Donald J. Vogel, A. Jack Finklea, Prasad Sharma East and Gulf Coast Ports Brace for Seemingly Imminent Strike by Gregory M. Feary, James H. Hanson, A. Jack Finklea, Donald J. Vogel, Prasad Sharma, Christopher C. McNatt, Jr. Case Note: California Supreme Court Blocks PAGA Intervenors From Contesting Settlements by James H. Hanson, Andrew J. Butcher, Charles Andrewscavage, Alaina C. Hawley DOL Increases the Salary Threshold for White Collar Exemptions by James H. Hanson, David D. Robinson, A. Jack Finklea, Donald J. Vogel, Sari L. Pettinger, Steven F. Stanaszak California Supreme Court Ruling Deals Blow to Employers Defending PAGA Claims by James H. Hanson, Angela S. Cash, , Andrew J. Butcher, Charles Andrewscavage, Christopher C. McNatt, Jr., R. Jay Taylor, Jr. DOL Releases Final Rule for Determining Independent Contractor Status under the FLSA by Gregory M. Feary, James H. Hanson, Shannon M. Cohen, Prasad Sharma NLRB Widens its Joint Employer Net by Gregory M. Feary, James H. Hanson, A. Jack Finklea, David D. Robinson, Donald J. Vogel Spotlight: Scopelitis Class Action Defense & Complex Litigation by James H. Hanson, Andrew J. Butcher, , Angela S. Cash, Charles Andrewscavage The FMCSA Will Consider Petitions for Waiver from the California and Washington Meal and Rest Break Preemption Decisions by Gregory M. Feary, Prasad Sharma, James H. Hanson, The NLRB Sets Employer Policies and Work Rules in its Sights by James H. Hanson, A. Jack Finklea, Donald J. Vogel, Alaina C. Hawley NLRB General Counsel Intends to Challenge Non-Compete Agreements by James H. Hanson, David D. Robinson, A. Jack Finklea, Donald J. Vogel, Gregory M. Feary USDOL Releases Proposed Rule On Worker Status Under The Fair Labor Standards Act by Prasad Sharma, Braden K. Core, Gregory M. Feary, David D. Robinson, A. Jack Finklea, James H. Hanson, Shannon M. Cohen, Allyson F. Boyd, Kelli M. Block Supreme Court Asks for Solicitor General to Weigh In On AB 5 Preemption Challenge by Gregory M. Feary, James H. Hanson, Shannon M. Cohen, Prasad Sharma Spotlight on Investigations and Audits by Kelli M. Block, Braden K. Core, Gregory M. Feary, A. Jack Finklea, James H. Hanson, Christopher C. McNatt, Jr., Steven A. Pletcher, David D. Robinson, Nathaniel G. Saylor, Rebecca S. Trenner Ninth Circuit Addresses Piece-rate Pay Plans by James H. Hanson, Scopelitis Labor & Employment News: August 2021: Covid-19 Vaccinations and Return To Work Policies- What Are Employers Permitted To Do? by A. Jack Finklea, James H. Hanson, Sari L. Pettinger, David D. Robinson, Donald J. Vogel Ninth Circuit grants Stay; Injunction Against Enforcement of AB-5 Against Motor Carriers Remains in Place by Shannon M. Cohen, Gregory M. Feary, James H. Hanson, Prasad Sharma, Ninth Circuit Denies Rehearing in CTA Case by Gregory M. Feary, James H. Hanson, Shannon M. Cohen, , Prasad Sharma 9th Circuit Rules AB-5 Not Preempted by Gregory M. Feary, James H. Hanson, Shannon M. Cohen, , Prasad Sharma DOL Opinion Letters on Gig Economy Workers and Compensability of Sleeper Berth Time Withdrawn by Gregory M. Feary, Shannon M. Cohen, Prasad Sharma, James H. Hanson, , Christopher J. Eckhart, Ninth Circuit Upholds California Meal and Rest Break Preemption by Gregory M. Feary, James H. Hanson, Prasad Sharma, , Christopher J. Eckhart Dispatches: Winter 2021 Industry News & Trends by Braden K. Core, James H. Hanson California Court of Appeal Rules AB5 not Preempted by FAAAA by Gregory M. Feary, James H. Hanson, Christopher C. McNatt, Jr., Shannon M. Cohen, Kelli M. Block California Voters Say YES to Prop 22 by Gregory M. Feary, James H. Hanson, Shannon M. Cohen, Kelli M. Block, Prasad Sharma Scopelitis Labor & Employment News: October 2020 by A. Jack Finklea, James H. Hanson, Sari L. Pettinger, David D. Robinson, Donald J. Vogel DOL Releases Text of New IC Rule for FLSA by Gregory M. Feary, James H. Hanson, Shannon M. Cohen, Kelli M. Block, Prasad Sharma Court Says Uber and Lyft Cannot Classify Their Drivers as Independent Contractors by Gregory M. Feary, James H. Hanson, Shannon M. Cohen, Prasad Sharma Labor & Employment News: August 2020 by James H. Hanson, David D. Robinson, A. Jack Finklea, Donald J. Vogel, Sari L. Pettinger Key Cases Addressing the Reach of Californias Strict Wage and Hour Laws by Christopher J. Eckhart, Gregory M. Feary, James H. Hanson, California Supreme Court Decides Key Wage and Hour Cases Impacting Interstate Workers by Gregory M. Feary, James H. Hanson, , Christopher J. Eckhart Spotlight on Scopelitis Class Action Defense by Andrew J. Butcher, Christopher J. Eckhart, James H. Hanson, Presentations North American Transportation Employee Relations Association 2025 NATERA Conference NLRB Update March 4, 2025 Nashville, TN The 2024 Scopelitis Transportation Law Seminar Navigating Class Actions April 16, 2024 Indianapolis, IN 2023 ATA Litigation Center Legal Forum Crash Course on Class and Collective Litigation July 17, 2023 La Jolla, CA Road Closed Ahead: Avoiding the Detours of Wage and Hour Class Action Lawsuits September 27, 2021 Austin, TX North American Transportation Employee Relations Associations Annual Conference September 26, 2021 Austin, TX Avoiding Class/Collective Action Scopelitis Transportation Law Seminar August 27, 2021 Labor & Employment Scopelitis Transportation Law Seminar August 26, 2021 Class Action Workshop Scopelitis Transportation Law Seminar August 25, 2021 While You Were Focused on the Pandemic... Scopelitis Webinar Series July 16, 2020 The California Supreme Courts Airline Cases: The Path Forward for Transportation Companies Scopelitis Webinar Series July 9, 2020 Class Action Update Scopelitis Webinar Series May 21, 2020 Predictive Scheduling - The Next Big Challenge for the Trucking Industry March 1, 2020 Orlando, FL Update on the Overlap of U. S. DOL and DOT Regulations Impacting Employment Issues Sep 16, 2019, James H. Hanson, North American Transportation Employee Relations Associations 2019 Building Block of Employee Relations Conference - Alexandria, VA September 16, 2019 Alexandria, VA Labor and Employment Issues Scopelitis Transportation Law Seminar June 4, 2018 Class Action Workshop Scopelitis Transportation Law Seminar June 3, 2018