John F. Kuenstler is a partner in the Chicago office of Barnes & Thornburg LLP and a member of the Labor and Employment Department.
Mr. Kuenstler dedicates his practice exclusively to the representation of employers in labor and employment and business matters. He counsels and represents a diverse client base on a national and regional basis in virtually all aspects of labor and employment law, including defense of wrongful discharge, discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, Title VII, ADA, ADEA, Section 1981, FMLA, FLSA, ERISA, USERRA, WARN and OSHA claims in federal and state courts and administrative agencies, as well as collective and class actions.
Mr. Kuenstler routinely represents management's interests in workplace tort, breach of contract, non-compete, non-solicitation and other restrictive covenant cases. He is experienced in various forms of alternative dispute resolution, helping clients avoid the costs of prolonged legal disputes.
In addition to his litigation practice, Mr. Kuenstler also represents clients at all levels of administrative proceedings, including matters before the EEOC, NLRB, OSHA, and DOL. For clients with organized workforces or those striving to remain union free, Mr. Kuenstler acts as the lead company negotiator for collective bargaining, defends employers in union grievance hearings and arbitrations, helps craft union avoidance campaigns, and counsels on a range of issues that can arise in the organized workplace.
Mr. Kuenstler has guided employers through workforce reorganizations, reductions in force, mass layoffs, plant closings, wage and hour investigations, and whistleblower claims, avoiding litigation through proactive responses and creative business strategies. He provides counseling on matters such as employment practice audits, effective human resources strategies and reviewing and drafting employment policies, handbooks, employment contracts, independent contractor agreements, employee leasing agreements and severance agreements. To assist in effective implementation of best practices policies, Mr. Kuenstler provides training and seminars to managers on all matters that impact the employment relationship.
Mr. Kuenstler was selected as a 2012 BTI Client All-Star by the BTI Consulting Group, Inc., being one of merely 272 lawyers nationwide to receive this recognition.
Mr. Kuenstler is admitted to practice in the states of Illinois and Missouri, before the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern, Central, and Southern Districts of Illinois, and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the 7th and 8th Circuits. He is a member of the American, Illinois, and Chicago Bar Associations, the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, and the Society for Human Resource Management.
Publications
· Conducting the Employment Practice Audit
Events
· Barnes & Thornburg's Day at the Park - CLE Lunch and Social Event