Chambers USA Ranks Conn Maciel Carey LLP “Band 1” Nationally for Occupational Safety and Health Law for the Fourth Year in a Row

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Conn Maciel Carey LLP (CMC) is honored to announce that the firm is one of only two law firms recognized as “Band 1″ for Occupational Safety and Health Law nationwide.  This is the fourth year in a row that CMC has received the “Band 1” honor, which is every year that Chambers has ranked the OSHA/MSHA Law category, and the firm remains the only “boutique” firm in the rankings.

Six CMC attorneys were individually ranked among a short list of leading OSHA and MSHA lawyers in the Occupational Safety and Health Law Rankings (the most of any firm recognized in the category), making up more than a quarter of the “Band 1” attorneys.

  • Eric Conn, OSHA Practice Chair – Ranked “Band 1”
  • Kate McMahon, OSHA Partner – Ranked “Band 1”
  • Aaron Gelb, Midwest OSHA Practice Chair – Ranked “Band 2”
  • Rachel Conn, California Practice Chair – Ranked “Band 3”
  • Valerie Butera, OSHA Senior Counsel – Ranked “Band 3”
  • Nicholas Scala, MSHA Practice Chair – “Up and Coming”

Client Feedback

Chambers is considered the gold standard for law firm rankings, which it generates based on independent research and feedback from private companies that utilize OSHA legal services. A few client comments about the CMC team in the Chambers research include: Continue reading →

Meet Our Guest Speakers! CMC’s Midwest Workplace Safety and Labor and Employment Law Summit in Detroit, MI

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Conn Maciel Carey’s Midwest Workplace Safety (OSHA / MSHA) and Labor and Employment Law Summit in Detroit, MI is an in-person program hosted by the attorneys in CMC’s national OSHA / MSHA Workplace Safety and Labor • Employment Practice Groups based out of our Midwest Region offices (Chicago, Detroit, and Columbus), and joined by their colleagues from Washington, DC and California. This program is designed to update employers on important developments from federal OSHA, MSHA, and the State OSH Plans in the Midwest (i.e., Michigan OSHA, Indiana OSHA, Iowa OSHA, and Minnesota OSHA), as well as important labor and employment law issues.​​

Check out the agenda below for more information about the program. Also, visit the event website for official updates and register today to take advantage of our early bird ticket pricing!

Meet Our Guest Speakers!

Jim Frederick led the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary from January 2021 to January 2025. Continue reading →

Coalition of Employers and Trade Groups to Modernize OSHA and MSHA Processes and Standards

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By Conn Maciel Carey LLP’s national OSHA and MSHA Practice Groups

The Trump Administration continues its quest toward easing regulatory burdens and improving efficiency of government functions by seeking input from the public about overly burdensome regulations that should be rescinded or replaced.  CMC invites employers who prioritize their workers’ safety but get frustrated by OSHA’s and MSHA’s sometimes antiquated or onerous regulatory framework to join the Employers OSHA and MSHA Modernization Coalition.

The Employers OSHA and MSHA Modernization Coalition will allow employers to take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity to recommend improvements to a broad swath of outdated or unduly burdensome workplace safety and health standards, processes, and enforcement policies implemented by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA).

The Coalition will be conducting separate open OSHA and MSHA kickoff virtual meetings next week – OSHA on Wednesday, May 7, 2025 and MSHA on Friday, May 9, 2025 – to discuss the types of reform for which we will be advocating, the process we will follow to present our advocacy to the Administration and to OSHA and MSHA directly, and how companies and trade groups can effectively contribute.  For more details, read on or contact Eric Conn, Chair of CMC’s OSHA Practice and Nick Scala, the Chair of CMC’s MSHA Practice.

What is the White House’s Objective? Continue reading →

Conn Maciel Carey Expands MSHA • Workplace Safety Practice with Powerhouse Hire – Former U.S. Department of Labor Appellate Litigation Counsel Emily Toler Scott

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Conn Maciel Carey LLP (“CMC”), a national boutique Labor and Employment and OSHA/MSHA Workplace Safety law firm, is pleased to announce that Emily Toler Scott has joined the firm as a Senior Counsel in its Washington, DC office. She will support the firm’s national MSHA • Workplace Safety Practice, as well as its OSHA and Labor and Employment Practices.

Emily brings over a decade of experience from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of the Solicitor, where she most recently served as Counsel for Appellate Litigation. In that role, she directed appellate strategy in over 100 matters involving the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), with cases before the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, federal appellate courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

“Emily’s unique insight into MSHA’s internal processes, combined with her deep litigation experience, makes her an incredible asset to our team and to our clients,” said Nicholas W. Scala, Chair of the firm’s MSHA • Workplace Safety Practice Group. “Her background elevates our MSHA practice and further solidifies Conn Maciel Carey’s position as a go-to firm for mine safety legal counsel.”

“Employers face complex challenges and need an attorney who can help them navigate that complexity – everything from compliance with regulations to the highest levels of litigation,” says Emily. “I am looking forward to helping mine operators and other employers navigate the changing landscape of administrative law, and to expanding my litigation practice outside mine safety and health.”

During her tenure at DOL, Emily also served as a Senior Trial Attorney and Honors Attorney, litigating complex enforcement and whistleblower cases under the Mine Act, OSH Act, ERISA, and other statutes. Continue reading →

Introducing CMC’s Labor/Employee Relations & Collective Bargaining Masterclass!

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Introducing Conn Maciel Carey LLP’s
Labor/Employee Relations & Collective Bargaining Masterclass

Join Conn Maciel Carey for an engaging and interactive learning experience on your rights and obligations under private sector labor law. With a focus on the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), this series will leave you better informed about your rights and responsibilities, empowered to protect your business interests, and equipped with tools to ensure positive employee relations and guard against unnecessary intrusions and disruptions to your operations. One common misunderstanding about the NLRA is that it only applies to employers with union-represented employees. The truth is the NLRA applies to most private sector employers, regardless of size, whether or not their employees are represented by a union.

CMC’s Labor/Employee Relations and Collective-Bargaining Masterclass Series is designed for in-house counsel, senior human resources leaders, and other key organizational leaders responsible for leading employee and/or labor relations or making decisions impacting employees’ terms and conditions of employment directly or indirectly. Join us for this informative, interactive, and empowering learning experience where we will fully explore and demystify complex legal standards under the NLRA, share professional insights, and share tips for everyday practical applications as well as high stakes, complex business transactions.

Click here for more information and to register!

Learning Objectives

At the end of this masterclass series, business participants should: Continue reading →

MSHA Announces Temporary Stay of Silica Rule Compliance Deadline for Coal Mining

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By Nicholas W. Scala

In a significant turn of events for the coal mining sector, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has announced a temporary enforcement pause on its stringent respirable crystalline silica regulation. This announcement follows a year of escalating anxiety in the industry since the final rule, officially titled “Lowering Miners’ Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica and Improving Respiratory Protection,” became effective on June 17, 2024.

 

Initially, coal operators faced an April 14, 2025, compliance deadline, significantly shorter than the two-year grace period granted to the Metal/Nonmetal (M/NM) industry, which has until April 8, 2026. However, as legal challenges from multiple industry associations loom over the rule, and the agency goes through a transition to the new administration, the landscape for compliance became fraught with uncertainty and lack of guidance. The challenges against the rule—currently consolidated in the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals—raise questions among stakeholders about whether the Court will uphold, vacate, or remand the final rule back to MSHA for revision and what impact that decision will have on compliance obligations.

Continue reading →

Save the Date! Midwest Workplace Safety (OSHA/MSHA) and Labor and Employment Law Summit in Detroit, MI

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Conn Maciel Carey’s Midwest Workplace Safety (OSHA / MSHA) and Labor and Employment Law Summit in Detroit, MI is an in-person program hosted by the attorneys in CMC’s national OSHA / MSHA Workplace Safety  and Labor • Employment Practice Groups based out of our Midwest Region offices (Chicago, Detroit, and Columbus), and joined by their colleagues from Washington, DC and California. This program is designed to update employers on important developments from federal OSHA, MSHA, and the State OSH Plans in the Midwest (i.e., Michigan OSHA, Indiana OSHA, Iowa OSHA, and Minnesota OSHA), as well as important labor and employment law issues.​​

A New Era of Workplace Law and Deregulation:
Key Updates and Compliance Strategies

This comprehensive event will provide essential updates on federal and state OSHA and MSHA enforcement and rulemaking, the latest developments from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and enforcement trends in wage and hour investigations and other employment law topics under the second Trump administration. Our panel of legal and compliance experts from both private industry and the regulatory community will offer valuable insights and practical strategies to help businesses remain compliant and mitigate risks in a shifting regulatory landscape, including: Continue reading →

Save the Date! CMC’s Cal/OSHA and California Employment Law Summit

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Conn Maciel Carey LLP’s Cal/OSHA and California Employment Law Summit is an in-person program presented by the California-based attorneys in CMC’s national  OSHA • Workplace Safety and Labor • Employment Practice Groups, to update California employers on important developments involving workplace safety and health issues in California.​

Learn How to Navigate California Requirements

California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) is the most aggressive and enforcement-heavy approved State OSH Program in the nation, and as a result, California employers face a host of requirements that other employers around the country do not. With a packed rulemaking agenda on the horizon, most employers stand to be impacted by at least one new standard. Additionally, California continues to experience regular changes in the labor and employment law landscape through new legislation and decisions from the California courts and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Continue reading →

Senior Leadership at DOL, OSHA, and MSHA Under a 2nd Trump Administration Is Taking Shape

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By Eric J. Conn and Darius Rohani-Shukla

As Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer braces for a flurry of questions at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) on her way to a full Senate vote to become President Trump’s Secretary of Labor, the Trump Administration is assembling its new senior leadership team to oversee workplace safety and labor policy. These key nominees will shape enforcement priorities, compliance strategies, and industry engagement across OSHA, MSHA, and the broader Department of Labor:

  • Lori Chavez-DeRemer – Nominee for Secretary of Labor: A former mayor and member of Congress, with unexpected ties to labor, is expected to emphasize regulatory flexibility and employer engagement.
  • Keith Sonderling – Nominee for Deputy Secretary of Labor: A former EEOC Commissioner and Dept of Labor official with expertise in AI, employment law, and compliance initiatives.
  • David Keeling – Nominee for Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA: A veteran of UPS and Amazon with decades of experience managing workplace safety in complex work environments.
  • Amanda Wood Laihow – Nominee for Deputy Assistant Secretary for OSHA: A former Commissioner at the OSH Review Commission and legal and policy expert with the National Association of Manufacturers.
  • Wayne Palmer – Nominee for MSHA Administrator: A regulatory veteran with previous leadership experience at MSHA and in the mining industry.

With these appointments, the second Trump Administration is signaling a shift in labor and workplace safety policy, though how far and how fast the pendulum will swing remains to be seen. Will workplace safety regulations lean toward deregulation, targeted enforcement, or greater collaboration with industry stakeholders? These questions will be central in upcoming confirmation hearings. Below is a deeper look at each nominee and the potential impact of their leadership on the operations of OSHA, MSHA, and the Department of Labor’s many other divisions. Continue reading →

Corporate INTL Ranks Conn Maciel Carey LLP Health & Safety Law Firm of the Year in Washington, DC

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Conn Maciel Carey LLP (CMC) is honored to announce that our national OSHA and MSHA Workplace Safety Practice Groups have been recognized as the “2025 Health and Safety Law Firm of the Year in Washington, DC.”

The recognition comes from Corporate INTL, a global publication that identifies leading firms and individuals in various legal fields based on excellence and expertise. Winners are chosen after Corporate INTL’s research department conducted a rigorous, 12-month review of the potential honorees, including insight from global business leaders, and advisers to choose the 2025 award recipients. This is the second time the attorneys who lead Conn Maciel Carey’s OSHA practice have been recognized as Health and Safety Law Firm of the Year by this publication. Continue reading →