Labor & Employment

Chinese Translation

The firm’s general labor and employment experience encompasses virtually every aspect of labor and employment law. The representation’s foundation is day-to-day advice and counsel to personnel and human resource departments, with respect to the numerous labor and employment matters which arise from daily operations. The firm’s goal is to assist employers in proactively minimizing them from the myriad of labor and employment law claims, whether wrongful termination, discrimination, or any of the numerous other possible lawsuits or administrative charges brought by current or former employees. Although litigation can never be ruled out, the Labor and Employment Group’s unique approach is to not just provide advice on employee matters, but to explore with its clients all possible weaknesses in their policies and procedures, in order to look beyond the pending concern to all aspects of employment.

In addition to trying to avoid litigation, attorneys within the firm’s Labor and Employment Group also spend a significant amount of time in labor and employment litigation, which includes failure to accommodate disabilities; discrimination, including race, gender, sex, national origin and age; unlawful discipline; wrongful discharge; “whistle-blower” actions, workplace defamation; and other tort-based employment claims and individual contract actions, as well as arbitration proceedings, before state and federal courts and administrative agencies. The Labor and Employment Group takes great care in providing a top-notch defense, with highly experienced attorneys who are familiar with all of the various state, federal and administrative courts in the States they are licensed. However, the firm’s attorneys in this field use their deep experience and familiarity with the courts, tribunals, and opposing counsel to avoid reinventing the wheel, and therefore providing excellent legal services without expending huge client resources.

Whether litigation or other labor and employment matters, the Labor and Employment Group approaches each representation with an eye on providing outstanding legal service, but also with the needs of the client in mind. Attorneys in the group are assigned to representations based on their experience, as well as their ability to efficiently complete the work. The Group will only assign the legal resources necessary for a zealous and effective representation. So, attorneys in the group will rarely be assigned to overlap on any individual matter, and they also will handle representations from start to finish, to avoid any duplicative or wasted effort caused by shifting personnel.

Our attorneys also assist employers in any and all aspects of dealing with private and public unions. The firm has represented employers for nearly a century, back to the very beginnings of the union formation and activity. The Labor and Employment Group handles the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements, as well as grievances that arise from those agreements. In addition, our employment lawyers have obtained injunctions and have instituted suits for damages and other relief for struck employers and have counseled employers faced with boycotts, slowdowns, union organization, and other forms of union activity.

The Labor and Employment Group also has extensive experience in dealing with government audits, claims, citations and administrative hearings. The firm has numerous contacts throughout the government agencies, to often help reach a speedy and reasonable resolution. The firm has even partnered with governmental agencies to provide timely updates and advice to its clients, as part of its decades-old commitment of providing seminars and legal alerts, free of charge. The Group is renowned for providing substantive content to the business community, free of any sales pitch, in order to keep its business clients up-to-speed in the rapidly changing area of labor and employment law.

Lastly, the attorneys in the Labor and Employment Law Group have broad experience in employee benefit matters. The Department has handled ERISA and other benefits-related advice and litigation and has extensive experience in drafting related plans. In addition, the Group’s attorneys have handled reductions in force, health care plans and advice under the Affordable Care Act, as well as drafting countless individual and group severance plans and agreements.