Areas of Practice
- General Civil Practice
- Employment Law Practice - For Employers
- Employment Law Practice - For Employees
- Civil Trial and Appellate Practice
- Business Practice
General Civil Practice
My law practice is best described as a general civil practice, with a particular emphasis in certain matters, such as employment law (discussed below). I regularly represent both businesses and individuals, both in the context of planning, counseling, preparing documents, and the like, and also in the context of litigation and dispute resolution. While I do represent individuals, this is usually in the context of business matters, property matters, or contractual matters, rather than in purely personal matters such as divorces and the like. I do not practice in the area of criminal law.
Within my general civil practice, I have particular experience in trial work and litigation. This includes litigation in matters of employment law, business and commercial litigation, and estate-related litigation. I also have an active insurance defense litigation practice in matters related to automobile liability, which affords me a significant amount of litigation experience.
Below are my primary "sub-areas" of emphasis, within my general civil practice.
Employment Law Practice - For Employers
My employment law practice is primarily focused upon representing employers of all sizes, from large companies to mid-sized employers, and to small employers, in all matters related to:
- Compliance counsel and advice (details below)
- Drafting of policies, procedures, agreements and documents (details below)
- Handling litigation and disputes, whether through court proceedings, arbitrations, mediations, or in proceedings before governmental agencies (details below)
- Matters of training, prevention and investigations (details below)
Compliance Counsel and Advice:
- Equal Employment Opportunity and Discrimination Compliance Law
- Wage and Hour Law (Overtime, Minimum Wage, Wage Payment Issues)
- Employer Record-Keeping Compliance
- Leave and Vacation Policies
- Termination and Disciplinary Action Advice
- FMLA, Workers' Compensation, ADA and Disability Issues
- Unemployment Compensation Matters
- ERISA, COBRA, Employee Benefit Plan Advice
- Independent Contractor Issues
- OSHA Issues
- Affirmative Action Plans
- Drug Testing Issues
- Protection of Trade Secrets and Confidential Information
- Employee Duties and Employee Privacy Issues
Documents and Drafting:
- Handbooks, Personnel Policies, Procedures, Protocols, Job Descriptions
- Employment Agreements, Non-Compete Agreements, Non-Solicitation Agreements, Non-Disclosure Agreements
- Independent Contractor Agreements
- Severance and Separation Agreements and Releases
Litigation and Disputes:
- Lawsuits, Arbitration, Mediation
- Representation before Courts and Governmental Agencies (e.g., Department of Labor Administrative Law Judges)
- Responding to EEOC and THRC Discrimination Charges
- Discrimination Claims (Age, Sex, Rce, Disability, Etc.)
- Sexual Harassment Claims
- Retaliatory Discharge and Whistleblower Claims
- Wage and Hour Claims (Overtime, Minimum Wage, Etc.)
- Employment Contracts, Non-Compete Agreements, Trade Secrets and Confidentiality Claims
- Unemployment Compensation Claims and Appeals
- FMLA and Workers' Compensation Claims
- Penalty Assessments (e.g., Department of Labor, OSHA)
Training, Prevention and Investigations:
- Sexual Harassment Prevention Training for Managers, Supervisors and Employees
- Assistance and Advice in Handling Employee Investigations (e.g., Sexual Harassment, Suspected Theft, Etc.)
- OSHA, Workers' Compensation, Safety and Violence Prevention
- Training Related to Specific Employment Law Topics, as Requested or Needed in Employer-Specific Circumstances
Employment Law Practice - For Employees
While my employment law practice is primarily devoted to representing employers, I do, from time to time, represent individual employees in asserting their employment-related legal rights in certain instances, so long as that representation does not cause a conflict of interest by either: (1) involving claims against a present or former client or related company; or (2) involving claims which would require me to take positions inconsistent with, or detrimental to, the present interests of a client or related company.
Representative Types of Claims Handled for Employees:
- Sexual Harassment
- Unlawful Discrimination (Sex, Age, Race, Religion, Disability, National Origin, Etc.)
- Workers' Compensation Claims
- Overtime / Wage and Hour Claims
- Unemployment Compensation
- Non-Compete Agreement Enforcement Claims
- Retaliation and Retaliatory Discharge Claims
- Contract Disputes
- Contract Negotiations and Review
- Severance Agreement Review and Negotiations
Civil Trial and Appellate Practice
Apart from my trial and appellate practice in employment law (discussed separately), I also maintain an active civil trial and appellate practice, with eperience in the following areas:
- Commercial and business-related litigation
- Contracts and leases
- "Business torts" (e.g., fraud, misrepresentation, unfair competition, trade secrets and trade name infringement, interference with contracts or business relations)
- Construction disputes
- Consumer Protection Act claims
- Zoning and land use matters
- Easements and property disputes
- Civil rights matters
- Estate administration disputes and litigation, will contests, and conservatorship proceedings
- Partnership and entity dissolution
- Family law and domestic matters
- Personal injury claims
Business Practice
In addition to my employment law practice and my civil trial and appellate practice, I offer general business counsel, advice and services related to such matters as:
- Entity formation and governance
- Contracts, leases, etc.
- Partnerships, Corporations, Limited Liability Companies
- Purchase and sale of assets
- Compliance advice