PROFESSOR SAMANTHA PRINCE INTERVIEWED ON ACCELPRO EMPLOYMENT LAW PODCAST
November 2023 — Professor Samantha J. Prince joined host Matt Crossman of the AccelPro Employment Law Podcast to discuss worker classification, apps, and the future of work.
During the podcast, Professor Prince discussed the high stakes involved for workers, employers, and governments in classifying workers as employees or independent contractors. Drawing on her two articles regarding worker classification, she covered the current lay of the land including differences in state laws, while providing advice for human resource professionals and employment law attorneys. Additionally, Professor Prince pointed out that the uncertainty and volume of lawsuits surrounding worker classification is not sustainable and that it is not just a financial issue. Worker classification is also a health issue. During the interview, she also emphasized that there is no legal reason for benefits such as retirement, health, and paid time off be only available to employees. “Some people do conflate receiving benefits with the current culture of traditional employment, which means ‘giving up your freedom,’ … but there is no rule that says you have to give up control of your hours or how you work just because you’re receiving benefits.”
Professor Prince has been researching and writing about platform work and worker classification for several years. She has published two articles that address worker classification: The Shoe is about to Drop for the Platform Economy: Understanding the Current Worker Classification Landscape in Preparation for a Changed World and The AB5 Experiment — Should States Adopt California’s Worker Classification Law?. She has also been quoted in several articles about platform work. AccelPro Employment Law provides expert interviews and coaching to accelerate professional development of its clients.
Professor Samantha Prince is an Assistant Professor of Law and Director of Legal Analysis & Writing at Dickinson Law. She has a Master of Laws in Taxation from Georgetown University Law Center and was a partner in a regional law firm where she handled transactional matters that ranged from an initial public offering to regular representation of a publicly-traded company. Most of her clients were small to medium sized businesses and entrepreneurs, including start-ups. A significant part of her practice was in employee benefits including retirement plan design and operation. An expert in entrepreneurship law, she established the Dickinson Law entrepreneurship program, is an advisor for the Entrepreneurship Law Certificate that is available to students, and is the founder and moderator of the Inside Entrepreneurship Law blog. Her research mainly comprises the changing world of work.