Labor & Employment

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Faced with complex federal and state statutes, administrative rules, and other court rulings, businesses need a solid legal partner with an in-depth understanding of the issues challenging employment relationships and transactions. With a wide geographic reach across the United States and Canada, Dickinson Wright’s Labor and Employment practice group provides broad coverage for public and private organizations. We regularly advise on a full spectrum of employment and labor law issues, helping clients implement effective risk avoidance strategies and litigating disputes for our clients when necessary.

Our team of labor and employment lawyers possess extensive knowledge of the laws governing employment relationships. We believe that effective legal advocacy goes beyond mere knowledge of the law and requires a thorough understanding of our clients’ businesses. Working hand-in-hand with individual clients, we assess their needs and goals in the context of their competitors and surroundings, and then determine the best course of action.

Recognitions

Our Labor and Employment practice group is ranked in The Legal 500 United States as well as in Chambers USA®. Many of our Labor and Employment lawyers have also been individually recognized by The Legal 500 United States, Chambers USA®, Best Lawyers in America© and Super Lawyers®. 

Our Services

Preventive Counseling: We focus a large part of our Labor and Employment practice on preventative counseling. With vast experience helping clients work through a broad spectrum of issues, we regularly advise clients on day-to-day issues, conduct compliance audits and offer onsite training and offsite seminars. When the law changes, we make sure that our clients are immediately informed. Some of the areas we regularly counsel on include:

  •  Affirmative Action Plans and Compliance
  • Non-compete Agreements and Trade Secrets
  •  Drug Testing and Substance Abuse Management
  •  Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
  •  Disability Accommodation and Leaves of Absence
  •  Reductions in Force and the WARN Act
  •  Employee Misclassification and Independent Contractors
  •  Supervisory Training
  •  Traditional Labor
  •  Wage and Hour Compliance
  •  Whistleblowing and Retaliation
  •  Maintenance of a Union-Free Workforce
  •  Workplace Privacy and Data Security
 

Employee Benefits: In keeping with our tradition of a proactive approach, we help our clients avoid costly lawsuits by ensuring they have the information they need about even the slightest change in employee benefits laws. From start-ups to international corporations, we work closely with our clients to draft and review plans for every area of employee benefits, including:

  • Arbitration Clauses and Agreements 
  •  Nondiscrimination Rules
  •  Disability and Family Leave
  •  Retirement
 

Policies, Procedures, and Handbooks: Our labor and employment lawyers make sure that our clients have the proper tools to effectively communicate with their employees. Many issues that arise at work can easily be avoided by having clear, user-friendly guidelines readily available for current and new employees. We help companies draft these documents, ensuring they are current and comprehensive.

Employment Litigation: We regularly handle claims in courts at all levels and before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), state civil rights divisions, and other state and federal agencies. Understanding that litigation is costly and time consuming, and may damage an organization’s reputation, we proactively address issues and assist our clients with establishing effective risk-avoidance strategies to avoid the courtroom. But, when action is necessary, our clients benefit from our creative and efficient approach to single and multiple plaintiff lawsuits.

Representative Case Matters 

Prepared employment documentation and HR policies, advised on disciplinary issues and terminations, and acted on wrongful dismissal actions and human rights applications on behalf of a multinational Tier 1 automotive supplier. 

Counseled international employers doing business in the United States for employment law and employment relations issues. 

Advised clients regarding corporate director disputes and a variety of internal corporate matters. 

Counseled high-level executives on employment contracts and separation agreements. 

Counseled clients on plant closings, significant workforce reductions and the sale of plants including analysis of labor, WARN Act, employment and discrimination issues. 

Advised clients during union representation campaigns and elections as well as non-board recognition processes. 

Assisted a variety of clients in the development and drafting of employment policies and handbooks as well as employment contracts and non-competition agreements. 

Advised clients regarding application and interpretation of collective bargaining agreements and negotiated collective bargaining agreements.

 
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