Wage and Hour Compliance & DefenseOverviewCompanies face many types of lawsuits from employees and ex-employees on a daily basis. One of the most frequent and potentially devastating actions involves claims for unpaid minimum and overtime wages under federal and state wage laws. When confronted with high-stakes wage claims, clients need experienced compliance counsel and aggressive representation. Michael Best’s Wage and Hour team has defended companies in U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) audits, single-plaintiff claims, class actions under state laws, collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and prevailing wage complaints. Our clients run the gamut of industries, including manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, technology, restaurant, agriculture, and retail. We have the experience, tenacity, and resources to successfully handle local, regional, and national cases in state and federal court, before administrative agencies, and in mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution. We are also experienced in proactively counseling clients on wage and hour compliance, thereby reducing their exposure to class and collective action lawsuits, and we routinely conduct confidential internal audits of compensation practices. Experience
We help clients identify potential wage and hour concerns to minimize or reduce risk exposure and to take the necessary steps to ensure compliance with federal and state laws. This includes review of exempt/non-exempt and independent contractor classifications, off-the-clock work policies, and other pay-related calculation practices and subsequently guiding clients through the necessary steps to efficiently and cost-effectively address these issues.
If litigation is necessary, members of our wage claim defense team know how to take cases to judgment or verdict and win. At the same time, we are seasoned in all aspects of pre-trial procedure and discovery, which is essential given that many cases are resolved prior to trial. We strive to minimize the substantial burden of electronic discovery. We appropriately staff cases based upon our clients’ business needs and the substantive issues in each case, allowing us to provide high-quality, efficient representation. We recognize that class certification is a critical phase of litigation and vigorously seek to defeat class certification or obtain decertification of the class whenever possible.
We are experienced in working with federal and state labor officials and representing clients in DOL and state labor department investigations, and we can provide strategic guidance on the best approach to achieving a favorable outcome in agency investigations.
Related People Preview Attorney's BiographyFor more than 30 years, Paul has specialized in product liability defense, class action defense, multi-district litigation (MDL) defense, and other complex commercial litigation. He is particularly well known for his work in the class action and food and beverage sectors, where he is a nationally and locally recognized speaker and thought leader on product liability issues and regulatory trends.  Preview Attorney's BiographyDevin is a Senior Associate in the firm’s Labor & Employment Relations practice, focusing on risk avoidance and employer defense. He frequently represents employers in administrative proceedings and state and federal court litigation involving wage and class actions, discrimination allegations, FMLA actions, OSHA disputes, and non-compete actions. Devin has experience representing clients before agencies including the Wisconsin Equal Rights Division, Illinois Human Rights Commission, Equal ...  Preview Attorney's BiographyBen is an experienced labor & employment attorney who brings a winning combination of big-picture strategies, attention to detail, and a responsive, collegial approach to his work representing employers of all sizes. Ben has particular expertise working with food, beverage, and agribusiness clients, and leads the firm’s Beer, Wine & Spirits group. In addition, he works extensively with many of the firm’s higher education clients.p>  Preview Attorney's BiographyAngela represents corporations across numerous industries and non-profit organizations regarding compliance with ever-changing employment laws for an increasingly multi-state workforce. She has extensive experience serving as employment counsel, where she advises clients on hiring, termination, wage and hour compliance, employee handbooks, investigations into discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, and various other issues. She is also a subject matter expert on California employment laws, ...  Preview Attorney's BiographyBeth defends businesses in employment litigation matters involving discrimination, harassment, wrongful termination, and retaliation under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act (WFEA), National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), Wisconsin Worker’s Compensation Act, and other state and federal laws.  Preview Attorney's BiographyJoe is a trial attorney practicing primarily in the areas of products liability, class action defense, wage and hour litigation, employee benefits litigation, regulatory compliance, and complex commercial litigation. In this capacity, he routinely helps clients deal with class actions suits across all subject matters and handles all aspects of complex employment litigation including wage and hour suits arising under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and applicable state laws, plus benefits litigation.  Preview Attorney's BiographyEmi represents management in a wide variety of employment litigation matters and assists management in a number employment law compliance matters. Emi frequently represents employers in administrative proceedings and state and federal courts, defending claims of discrimination, retaliation, harassment, wage and hour violations, and other alleged workplace violations. She also regularly assists employers develop and maintain compliant employment policies, including conducting employee handbook reviews for multi-state employers. Additional advising experience includes ADA accommodations, severance agreements, and WARN Act compliance and other reduction in force guidance.  Preview Attorney's BiographyBrian brings strategic business vision to his work representing companies engaged in employment-related disputes, both in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies. The focus of Brian’s practice is to deliver positive outcomes in litigation matters, including class action discrimination, wage and hour collective actions, harassment and discrimination claims, wrongful termination, disability accommodations, theft of trade secrets, and enforcement of restrictive covenants.
|