Kirsten Eriksson represents management in all aspects of labor and employment law throughout the country. Her clients range from local businesses and non-profits to large national companies in various industries such as education, manufacturing and financial services. She has represented clients in State and Federal Courts, as well as in proceedings before the EEOC, various state and local agencies, and private mediators and arbitrators. She regularly drafts non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, and enforces and defends against such agreements in court. She has achieved positive results for her clients, obtaining dismissal of claims at an early stage or negotiating low-cost settlements. In addition to adversarial proceedings, Ms. Eriksson regularly advises clients how best to comply with employment laws relating to employee handbooks, harassment and discrimination, training, evaluations and terminations, wage and hour issues and implementation of leave policies. She has also become the firm's authority on handling whistleblower claims under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Her assistance to clients includes drafting policies, performing training and conducting internal investigations. She has conducted audits of her clients' compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act, advised about the classification of employees as exempt or non-exempt, and limited exposure for unpaid overtime. Ms. Eriksson has also drafted affirmative action plans for government contractors and assisted companies with government audits of those plans. She has also litigated and published extensively on the distinction between employees and independent contractors. In addition to her work in the labor and employment field, Ms. Eriksson regularly represents a large national telecommunications company in federal and state litigation matters stemming from the deregulation of the telecommunications industry and in state and local regulatory matters relating to zoning, fees and permits. She has appeared before local political bodies both formally and informally, and, with a team of Miles & Stockbridge lawyers, recently persuaded a nearby county that it lacked the authority to impose a tax on utilities to pay for damage to county roads. Prior to joining Miles & Stockbridge, Ms. Eriksson was affiliated with the New York firm of Anderson, Kill & Olick, P.C., where she was a member of the Employment and Commercial Litigation groups. Credentials American Bar Association Anne Arundel Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) District of Columbia Bar Association Maryland State Bar Association Maryland Super Lawyers® - Rising Stars Edition: Selected for inclusion in the area of Employment & Labor Law (2009-2010) New York State Bar Association Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Publications "A Carrot - and a Stick - for Employers Who Misclassify Independent Contractors," Miles & Stockbridge News Brief (Co-Author) (October 10, 2011). "What Employers Should Know About Maryland's New Cell Phone Law," Miles & Stockbridge News Brief (Co-Author) (October 14, 2010). "Employers Exhale as Maryland Court Limits Wage Claims for Stock Options," Miles & Stockbridge News Brief (Co-Author) (June 2010). "COBRA Update," Miles & Stockbridge News Brief (Co-Author) (April 2010). "President Obama Signs Law to Extend Cobra Subsidy," Miles & Stockbridge News Brief (December 2009). "Plaintiffs Face Heightened Burden In Age Discrimination Cases," Miles & Stockbridge News Brief (Co-Author) (August 2009). "Congress Expands FMLA Rights for Military Families," Miles & Stockbridge News Brief (February 2008). "Common Vacation Policies Called Into Question in Maryland," Miles & Stockbridge News Brief (November 08, 2007). "The Sarbanes-Oxley Act: Client Alert" Miles & Stockbridge Newsbrief (March 2006). "Ask Not For Whom The Whistle Blows: Avoiding Whistle Blower Retaliation Claims Under The Sarbanes-Oxley Act," Executive Legal Adviser (Winter 2006). "Ask the Counsel," Mid-Atlantic Executive Legal Advisor (Summer 2006). Pros and Pitfalls of Having an Employee Handbook," Executive Legal Adviser (Summer 2006). "Intermittent Leave Under the Family and Medical Leave Act," Mid-Atlantic Executive Legal Advisor (Fall 2006). "The Sarbanes-Oxley Act: Will You Be Ready When The Whistle Blows?" Miles & Stockbridge Newsbrief (April 2005). "Manager Training Can Reduce Liability," Miles & Stockbridge Newsbrief (2002). "Avoiding the Independent Contractor Trap," Employee Benefit News (June 1999). "Are Your Independent Contractors Truly Independent?" Massachusetts Bar Association Lawyers Journal (May 1999). "Temporary Workers May Cause Liability Problems," Michigan Lawyers Weekly (May 1999). "Are Your Independent Contractors Truly Independent?" Human Resource Professional (May 1999). "Pinpoints and Needles," California Daily Journal (April 1999). "Preserving the Independence of Independent Contractors," New York Law Journal (February 1999). Speaking Engagements "The Social Media Revolution - Coming to a Workplace Near You," Hot Topics in Employment Law, Baltimore, Maryland (May 2010). "The Legal Risks and Potential Rewards Implicated by Company, Employee, and Third Party Use of Social Media," Panel Discussion, Association of Corporate Counsel (Baltimore Chapter) (May 2010). "The Rising Cost of Employment Cases," Hot Topics in Employment Law, Baltimore, Maryland (May 2009). "Best Practices in Workplace Investigations," National Business Officers Association, Baltimore, Maryland (January 2008). "Tricky Issues In Wage and Hour Law," National Business Officers Association, Baltimore, Maryland (January 2008). "Hot Topics in Employment Law," Hunt Valley Business Forum, Hunt Valley, Maryland (September 2006). "Advanced FMLA/ADA Issues," Hot Topics in Employment Law, Baltimore, Maryland (May 2006). "Conducting a Bulletproof Investigation," Hot Topics in Employment Law, Baltimore, Maryland (May 2005). "Fair Labor Standards Act and Employee vs. Independent Contractor," Micpel Non-Profit Institute, Baltimore, Maryland (September 2004). "Is It Really 'None of Your Business' Managing Workplace Privacy Issues," Hot Topics in Employment Law, Baltimore, Maryland (May 2004). Employment Law and Independent Contractor Lecture, International School of Management, New York City, New York (August 1999). |