Labor and Employment

We counsel many of our clients on a day-to-day basis about all aspects of the employment relationship – including recruiting, hiring, training, compensation, benefits, leaves of absence, promotion, demotion, layoff, workforce restructuring, discipline, and termination. We have extensive litigation experience before administrative agencies and in state and federal courts on a wide-range of labor and employment issues. Nevertheless, we believe in taking a proactive and preventive approach to help our clients avoid issues and stay out of court with respect to a variety of employment issues, including with respect to discrimination, harassment, wage and hour decisions, and employee vs. independent contractor matters.

We assist employers in preparing handbooks and developing and implementing sound personnel policies, and in training managers, about a host of matters including the employment-at-will doctrine, the prevention and investigation of sexual and other harassment, The Americans With Disabilities Act, references, workplace violence, leaves of absence, smoking in the workplace, and use of computer equipment, the Internet, social media, e-mail, and cell phones. We prepare and negotiate employment and separation agreements for both employers and executives. These agreements routinely include trade secret, confidentiality, non-competition, non-solicitation, invention assignment, and work for hire provisions. They can also include bonus programs, phantom stock programs, and equity opportunities.

Our extensive labor experience includes assisting employers in remaining union free, representing management in collective bargaining, assisting employers with strike preparations, and representing clients in mediation, grievances, arbitration, unfair labor practices, fact-finding conferences, settlement negotiations, administrative proceedings, and litigation.