Our Practice Group has earned a strong reputation for innovative leadership and client satisfaction. We have served our clients as a specialized Practice Group of the firm for more than a quarter-century, and together with our Employee Benefits Group we provide the full spectrum of legal needs for employers in Virginia and beyond.

Practicing from our seven offices within the Commonwealth, we are one of the largest labor and employment law teams in Virginia. We count among our members three former Chairs of the Virginia Bar Association Section on Labor Relations and Employment Law, as well as many attorneys recognized by their peers and clients for inclusion in attorney rating publications including “Virginia Legal Elite,” “Best Lawyers for Business in the USA,” “Richmond Super Lawyers,” “Chambers” and “The Best Lawyers in America.” Our firm and lawyers within the group have earned the coveted AV® rating granted only to preeminent lawyers by the widely recognized Martindale-Hubbell rating service. As individuals, each lawyer offers experience in critical subspecialties. As a team, we possess the strength and depth to address any employer-employee issue. We also offer our clients the advantage of two expert consultants, a former Area Director of the EEOC and a former District Director of the Department of Labor.

We represent management in a full array of labor and employment issues. We counsel and represent our clients in court and before administrative agencies.

Modern business has created a kaleidoscope of federal and state employment laws. No matter which way employers turn, multifaceted legal complexities are in view. Most of these laws provide an avenue for workers - current employees, former employees, and even applicants - to challenge employment decisions in court or before agencies. Employers increasingly are being subjected to lawsuits based on allegations of discrimination, negligence, defamation or wrongful discharge theories. Lawsuits and other formal proceedings are expensive, intrusive, time-consuming and uncertain.

We view our primary job as providing practical advice to minimize risk, implement effective policies, and keep our clients out of court. When court or agency action is necessary, our strategy is to win at the earliest practicable stage. We are counselors who know how to craft litigation-avoidance advice. We are litigators who know the ins and outs of the legal system and can devise strategies for cost-effective and advantageous resolutions.

One of our most well known and continuing client resources is our annual Employment Law Update. The first of its kind in Virginia, this full-day seminar offered in various locations has provided timely and practical advice and written materials for more than 25 years. We also present webinars, breakfast briefings and publish a quarterly newsletter noting recent decisions, legislation and developing trends.

We seek proactive solutions and encourage our clients to see and seize opportunities for effective management. Our approach is preventive. Our team is recognized for seeking and finding opportunities to help management avert a problem, craft a solution, or arm our clients with the most effective legal defense to minimize liability and avoid litigation. We are also happy to note that when legal action is necessary, our clients usually prevail in court.