Members of our Labor & Employment Practice have expertise in all aspects of labor-management and employee relations, including collective bargaining negotiations, arbitrations, disputes regarding multi-employer pension funds, proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board, the defense of employment discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful discharge claims, defense of wage and hour claims, restrictive covenants and providing general advice and counseling concerning day-to-day employment-related issues on behalf of management. We also counsel employers with respect to employment compensation agreements, consultation agreements, executive employment contracts, employment practices audits, handbooks, and employee/supervisor training.
We have long been recognized as having one of the nation's quality labor practices representing management. Attorneys active in this area represent corporations, professional associations and businesses of every size. Our attorneys are proficient in dealing with union organizing efforts, employee benefit and pension matters, executive compensation programs and law compliance matters. We prepare well planned strategies, skillfully drafted briefs and thoroughly researched legal opinions without forgetting our clients' desires for efficient and economical performance.
We have a personal style that is responsive. In the courtroom and across the bargaining table, we aggressively represent our clients' interests; but we also see our role in the broader perspective as counselors to our clients regarding their business concerns. We believe that our special attention to the urgency of labor matters is a key ingredient to our success. Our aim is to build a long term relationship of trust and confidence with each client and to work side-by-side with clients in achieving their business goals.
Employment Law Litigation. We have developed a substantial practice in defending individual and class action claims arising under Title VII, Section 1981, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act and state laws alleging race, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, color, and reverse discrimination; and statistical class claims arising under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Equal Pay Act. We have represented clients in sexual harassment litigations before juries and have helped clients implement policies to reduce the risk of future harassment claims.
Labor Relations and Labor Litigation. Our experience includes extensive responsibility for rendering daily advice to employers engaged in union avoidance, corporate mergers, the preparation of personnel policies, and supervisory training programs. We have expertise in proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in complaint cases involving the validity of certification proceedings, plant relocations, subcontracting, furnishing of information, union security matters, picket line misconduct, application of seniority, assistance to unions, secondary boycotts, trespass, successor liability, bargaining obligations, solicitation and distribution of literature, plant closings, severance obligations, expanding units, arbitrability, work stoppages, and striker replacement. We are also involved in many representation cases and are experienced in the handling of certification proceedings, issues pertaining to unit classifications, contract bar, jurisdictional disputes, multi-employer and multi-location units, objections to conduct affecting elections, alter ego status, accretion and recognitional picketing.
Counseling and Training. We pride ourselves on our ability to counsel and train our management clients effectively to assist them to avoid lawsuits, or in the alternative, to put them in the most advantageous position to defend against such lawsuits ahead of time. We routinely conduct seminars for our clients to train and refresh our clients in areas of equal employment opportunity, harassment and discrimination, grievance and arbitration, wage and hour and effective employee discipline and union avoidance.
