Who We Are
We are one of the largest labor and employment law teams in the Mid-Atlantic and take a client-centric approach to working with HR directors, professionals, and in-house counsel. We work closely with public and private employers across Virginia, North Carolina, and beyond. We make it our job to help businesses anticipate, prevent and resolve workplace claims, navigate the complex world of employment regulation and defend employers in court and before all applicable government agencies.
For almost 40 years, we have produced our annual Employment Law Update – which provides timely and practical advice to employers and was the first of its kind in Virginia. Our team members, several of whom are former Chairs of the Virginia Bar Association Section on Labor Relations and Employment Law, have an array of experience, and are able to marshal expert consultants, including the former Area Director of the EEOC. Teaming with our Employee Benefits Group, we provide the full spectrum of legal needs for employers.
How We Help
We are proactive in our approach and consistently seek solutions, seizing opportunities for effective management to help our clients achieve their goals. We provide practical legal tools to manage risk, find solid answers, and strive to avoid litigation. 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 keep our clients up-to-date with any legal and regulatory changes that may be coming.
Our clients look to us to develop policies, agreements, procedures, and game plans for everything from the day-to-day to the unusual. We navigate the complex world of employment regulation by providing the proper steps to anticipate, prevent, and resolve workplace claims. We use our experience in court and with regulating agencies to counsel and effectively represent employers. We also provide diversity and discrimination training and conduct seminars on diversity in the workplace. Our experienced team handles topics and issues including audits, litigation, training, counseling, contracts, and handbook development.
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.
Another service we provide to our clients is a VOSH/OSHA audit, designed to avoid the potential risks associated with a Virginia Division of Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH) or OHSA inspection. We also present webinars, breakfast briefings, and publish a quarterly newsletter noting recent decisions, legislation and developing trends.
Representative Matters
Employment litigation in federal and state courts, as well as appellate representation at all levels of the court system
Representation before federal administrative agencies, including the United States DOL and the EEOC and state agencies regulating wages, unemployment and workplace safety
Employment practice and procedure audits, to identify issues before they become problems
Wage-hour compliance
Development and implementation of effective legal and practical personnel policies, employee handbooks and the like, arbitration, mediation and other alternative dispute resolution procedures
Union avoidance and issues associated with labor management relations
Negotiation, drafting, and enforcement of employee and executive contracts
Federal and state discrimination advice and litigation, from the Civil Rights Act of 1866 to the newest forms of workplace harassment - and everything in between
Restrictions on the activities of former employees, including prosecution and defense of claims involving covenants not to compete, business torts, trade secret litigation, and civil claims involving computer abuse
Practical training for managers, supervisors and employees at all levels
Areas of Concentration
Handbook Development
Employment Audits: wage-hour, VOSH and OSHA
Employment Counseling
Litigation Before Courts
Covenants Not to Compete
Arbitration
Development of Policies
Timely Newsletters & Seminars
Human Resources Training
Litigation Before Government Agencies
Class Actions
