Our labor and employment attorneys work closely with our clients to prevent liability and litigation by providing practical, preventative counseling on labor and employment issues. When litigation does arise, we provide our clients with a vigorous, thorough defense aimed at achieving a positive, cost-effective result.
Advising and Counseling
We advise employers in day-to-day personnel practices and employee relations, including discrimination and harassment issues; union matters; layoffs and facility closures; disability and religious accommodation issues; interpreting and applying employment policies and legal requirements for specific personnel decisions; conducting and supervising internal investigations; counseling on appropriate actions to minimize the risk of liability; coordinating workers’ compensation issues with state and federal disability laws; negotiating and preparing employee handbooks and employment contracts; and separation, non-disclosure, trade secret, non-solicitation and non-compete employment agreements.
Employment Litigation
We defend employers in wrongful-discharge, harassment, discrimination, contract, tort and other employment-related claims, in federal and state trial and appellate courts. We also represent clients in actions regarding the enforcement and enforceability of non-disclosure, trade-secret, non-solicitation and non-compete agreements.
Labor-Management Relations
We represent employers in unfair-labor-practice proceedings and representation hearings. We also work with employers on union issues, the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements, contract administration and arbitrations.
Employment Discrimination
We assist our clients in developing policies and practices to prevent employment discrimination and harassment and in strengthening our clients’ defenses against employment-discrimination and harassment claims.
Workers’ Compensation
We represent employers who are insured through private carriers, the Ohio State Fund, as well as those who are self-insured under the workers’ compensation laws. Our attorneys work in connection with claims, hearings and appeals and jury trials resulting from work-related injuries and occupational diseases.
Wage-and-Hour Matters
We provide day-to-day advice, policy reviews and other services related to wage-and-hour issues. We also defend claims arising under the Fair Labor Standards Act and other federal and state wage-and-hour laws and regulations.
Unemployment Benefits
Our experienced attorneys also represent employers in planning personnel actions to minimize unemployment taxes and assessments and in defending claims for benefits in administrative proceedings and court appeals.
OSHA
We counsel employers about preventative practices and contesting safety citations and penalties. We also represent businesses in administrative and judicial proceedings.
Practicing Attorneys
Elinor E. Baxter
Patrick S. Bennett
Elizabeth Shively Boatwright
John N. Childs
Donald W. Davis, Jr.
Donna M. Flammang
Michael R. Freed
Adam D. Fuller
Matthew T. Jackson
Joshua R. La Bouef
Mordy Osina
Martin J. Pangrace
Jeana M. Singleton
Darrin R. Toney
Jack D. Webb
Cody L. Westmoreland