Employment Litigation

• Successfully defended one of the largest foodservice distributors in the United States in a seminal FMLA retaliation and interference case – addressing in the Fifth Circuit – whether certain conduct constitutes “needed to care for” a family member with a serious health condition for purposes of engaging in FMLA protected activity (obtained summary judgment and subsequent Fifth Circuit affirmance for employer).
• Served as primary labor arbitration counsel for individual grievances for multiple companies, including leaders in technology, communication services, and transportation.
• Secured multiple summary judgment verdicts dismissing in whole or part employment claims for discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, including successfully recovering attorneys’ fees for employer.

Preventative Advice and Counseling

• Developed multi-jurisdictional leave and accommodation process from form creation to implementation of collaborative decision-making process involving leaders from operations, benefits, human resources, and clinical compliance.
• Drafted and updated employee handbooks, personnel policies, and codes of conduct for multi-jurisdictional employers, including in highly regulated specialized industries like healthcare and finance.
• Led special projects involving dynamic and complex employment law issues, including spearheading COVID-19 pandemic legal response for national provider of therapy services to skilled nursing facilities.

Workplace Audits and Investigations

• Directed response to U.S. Department of Labor compliance audits, successfully limiting employer liability against complaints of wage and hour timekeeping, classification, and I-9 compliance matters for multiple employers.
• Conducted and advised on workplace investigations, including equal employment opportunity, wage and hour, workplace safety, I-9, whistleblower, and ethical compliance matters, with many involving senior leadership for multiple companies.

Training and Leadership Development

• Led and directly managed team of human resource business professionals responsible for over 9,000 employees in supporting operations in employee relations and engagement, performance management, investigations, and other HR matters.
• Developed multi-module training program emphasizing leadership and management skills – including human resources law fundamentals, communication, problem solving, conflict resolution and management, performance management, and team building – designed for frontline supervisors to senior executive leadership across multiple operational and support services teams.
• Primetime presenter for over a decade of “Tips from the Trenches,” providing accredited training for inhouse legal counsel and human resource professionals at annual update on hot topics in labor and employment law.