Curtin & Heefner LLP’s Employment & Labor Law Group represents and counsels clients in all aspects of employment, employee benefits, and labor law. Our goal is to help our clients minimize the risk of legal liability while accomplishing their important organizational objectives.
Preventive Counseling
Our Employment & Labor Law Group includes preventive counseling for both for-profit and not-for-profit, as well as public sector clients. We regularly advise on a variety of matters, including drafting and revising employee handbooks and personnel policies and procedures, conducting internal investigations responding to complaints of harassment or discrimination, as well as disciplinary and termination issues. We assist our clients with compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (reasonable accommodations issues) and the Family Medical Leave Act (leave of absence and return to work issues), and compliance with wage and hour law issues, including exempt and non-exempt status and overtime eligibility, record-keeping, and documentation. We draft and review employment agreements, non-compete agreements, confidentiality, and non-solicitation agreements. We also draft releases and separation agreements in connection with employee departures, and counsel clients regarding reduction in force and downsizing issues. Our employment and labor attorneys counsel clients concerning employee benefits, including qualified retirement plans, deferred compensation, executive compensation and welfare plans.
Training
We also conduct training on a number of topics, including workplace harassment training for managers, human resources, and executives; workplace harassment training for employees; developments in employment law for managers, human resources, and executives; wage and hour issues; and labor relations matters.
Representation
Labor Law
In the area of traditional labor law, we represent clients before the National Labor Relations Board, the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, and the courts relating to union organizing efforts, union elections, or unfair labor practice charges. We provide a full range of services to unionized clients, including contract negotiations, advising on issues that may arise during negotiations, and assisting with grievance processing, including handling arbitrations. We also represent clients in court actions arising under traditional labor laws, including actions challenging or seeking to enforce collective bargaining agreements.
Employment Law
We represent both employer and employee clients in all aspects of employment litigation, including administrative agency proceedings, trial work before federal and state courts, and appeals. Our work in this area includes matters arising under various civil rights statutes (for example, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, and related state and local laws and ordinances) whether the claims involve unlawful discrimination, harassment, hostile work environment, or retaliation. We litigate matters under the Family and Medical Leave Act and similar state laws regulating leaves of absence and returns to work, as well as under the Fair Labor Standards Act (minimum wage and overtime payments).
We also handle wrongful discharge litigation under various state and federal theories, litigation over covenants not to compete as well as “confidentiality” and “trade secret” agreements, and other litigation arising from employment agreements or severance-of-employment agreements.
Curtin & Heefner LLP’s employment and labor law attorneys represent parties in unemployment compensation matters, state contract and tort claims (e.g., breach of contract, defamation, intentional interference, negligent hiring / retention / supervision, emotional distress), and disputes under other federal, state and local laws and regulations governing the workplace.
We also represent executives and high-level employees involved in negotiating compensation packages and in disputes over employment contracts, severance packages, and non-compete agreements.