Labor & Employment RelationsOverviewGood employer-employee relations are essential to the success of any business. Our nationally recognized Labor & Employment Relations group helps clients throughout the country make employment-related decisions and plan for the future. Michael Best offers a comprehensive range of services in labor, employment, and employee benefits law. Chambers USA notes that our “market-leading” group has “a deep bench of experienced practitioners,” who clients say are “at the top of the game.” We take pride in understanding your organization and its needs—whether it is publicly held or nonprofit, private or public sector; and whether your workforces are large or small, white- or blue-collar, unionized or union-free.
Our Approach
We counsel clients at the earliest stages of employment-related decision-making, and we help clients develop and maintain workable employment policies, practices, and procedures that comply with evolving legal requirements. Our customized training programs can help you foster compliance, management skills, and positive employee relations.
Clients turn to us for timely solutions, proactive advice, and goal-oriented advocacy with respect to all of their employee relations needs, whether in the courtroom, during strategic planning, or at the bargaining table. We are dedicated to helping employers anticipate and plan for change, manage risk, resolve conflict, and protect their interests.
For clients with international operations, our affiliation with the Employment Law Alliance can help provide seamless, cost-effective services in more than 120 countries including the U.S. and Canada. And for those interested in policymaking, our participation in employment law–focused committees established by the U.S Chamber of Commerce can give you a stronger voice with the federal government.
Service Areas
Providing government contractors with a unique combination of legal and consulting services to guide them through the complex and seemingly ever-changing world of federal, state, and local affirmative action regulations and agency practices. MORE
Counsel on all types of health and welfare benefit plans, qualified retirement plans, employee stock ownership plans, and executive compensation arrangements; and defense of related litigation and government agency audits and investigations. MORE
Representing employers in single-plaintiff and class action litigation, administrative agency proceedings, and alternative dispute resolution involving employment-related issues such as discrimination or harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, workplace safety, family leave, disability accommodation, unfair competition and trade secrets, employee benefits, and executive compensation. MORE
Ongoing advice on employee handbooks, procedures and documentation for hiring and employee management, and other employment policies and practices; compliance audits and training; and the unique needs of government contractors, including affirmative action plans. MORE
Assistance with employee mobility, hiring, and immigration matters such as visa processing, permanent residence applications, Form I-9 and E-Verify, visas and employment authorizations for U.S.-based employees working abroad, international and U.S. tax advice, and harmonizing employment practices across international borders. MORE
Serving as counsel to employers in union campaigns, elections, collective bargaining, strikes, NLRB and state agency proceedings, and grievances and arbitrations, as well as advising on employee relations and maintaining a union-free workplace. MORE
Helping clients protect trade secrets and intellectual property, develop and enforce restrictive covenants, guard against solicitation of employees, and implement proactive policies and procedures that can prevent the loss of assets; and representing clients in unfair competition and trade secret litigation. MORE
Advice on compliance with state and federal wage and hour laws, including audits of exempt/non-exempt positions, independent contractor classifications, and pay policies and practices; and defense of wage and hour litigation and DOL investigations. MORE
Counsel on establishing occupational safety and health policies and procedures, reporting and recordkeeping obligations, maintaining compliance, and handling employee violations of safety/health policies; and representing clients in inspections by OSHA and MSHA, citation and post-citation proceedings, and related court challenges. MORE
Experience
- Assisted five technical colleges in establishing a consortium for purposes of offering health benefits to their employees, with joint administration and joint self-funding of the cost of claims administration and re-insurance premiums. Because the colleges are state governmental entities and it was unclear whether state law allowed them to jointly self-fund employee health coverage, we helped draft changes that were enacted into state law. We created governing documents and protocols for the member colleges and oversaw creation of the consortium and its “going live.”
- Represented a chain of dental clinics in collective bargaining, and negotiated innovative agreements with two unions to facilitate comprehensive restructuring of our client’s clinic workforces.
- For a large international manufacturer that had grown through acquisition over the prior decade, we completed the process of consolidating multiple qualified retirement plans into a single plan. In addition to advising on the design of the combined plan, we obtained an IRS ruling, assisted with recordkeeping conversion, and provided guidance on operational changes resulting from the company-wide consolidation. This project impacted over 5,000 plan participants and allowed our client to decrease its overall cost of plan administration.
- Defended a national taxicab company in a wage and hour case in which cab drivers challenged the industry business model. The plaintiffs asserted that cab drivers were employees under state law and, therefore, the defendant cab companies had violated the law by failing to pay minimum wage and overtime and by deducting fees from the drivers’ wages. The Seventh Circuit rejected these claims and found that the cited law did not apply to the drivers, because the cab companies did not promise or contract to pay wages to the drivers.
Related People Preview Attorney's BiographyLuis represents employers in a range of labor and employment matters and has developed a significant practice focusing on employee defection and recruitment, including litigating injunction and damage actions relating to: covenants not to compete, non-solicitation and non-disclosure agreements, unfair competition, trade secrets, duty of loyalty, the Computer Fraud & Abuse Act, and state trade secrets and unfair competition statutes.  Preview Attorney's BiographyCarolyn advises public and private businesses on a range of employment, benefits, and compliance matters. She has particular experience in the context of mergers and acquisitions, assisting clients with employment diligence in both public and private transactions. Her work also includes helping clients navigate complex employment regulations and agreements while mitigating potential legal risks, and when the need arises, counseling on workplace internal investigations and employment litigation m ... Preview Attorney's BiographyAndrew’s practice focuses on employee benefits and executive compensation. He assists both public and private companies with a wide range of employee benefits matters, including plan design and administration, legal compliance, fiduciary duties, and employee benefits litigation.Prior to joining the firm, Andrew worked as an Associate at a large global law firm. In this role, he demonstrated expertise in advising clients on executive compensation and employee benefits matters, particularly ... Lila J. Brueggeman* *Names that appear with an asterisk indicate a Michael Best professional not admitted to practice law.  Preview Attorney's BiographyNathan focuses in the area of labor and employment relations, assisting companies of all sizes as they navigate the complex employer-employee relationship.He first joined Michael Best as a Summer Associate. Developing his knowledge and skill in both employment law and litigation, he conducted legal research, drafted employment policies, prepared client advisories, and drafted court filings.Through an earlier Summer Associate role, Nathan gained experience in corporate law, drafting certificates, ...  Preview Attorney's BiographyTeresa brings an extensive background in employee benefits and affirmative action to her work as a labor and employment paralegal. Teresa M. Como* *Names that appear with an asterisk indicate a Michael Best professional not admitted to practice law.
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