Laws governing relationships with employees are rapidly changing and expanding. Fowler White's Labor & Employment Group takes a strategic approach to handling every type of employment issue that confronts a business. Our highly experienced, seasoned attorneys assist management in finding practical and effective solutions to employment issues that directly impact the workforce, workplace and bottom line.
We advise clients at every step along the labor continuum — from guidance on human resources policies, wage and hour compliance issues, and workforce restructurings, to litigation on all matters of employee issues. This includes covenants not to compete, discrimination, whistleblower, Family Medical Leave Act, and wage and hour collective actions.
Counseling & Compliance
We advise clients on all aspects of employment law, including personnel policies, matters of discipline and discharge, internal investigations, workplace security and reductions in workforce. Our counsel is designed to satisfy the increasingly technical requirements of employment laws and to minimize a client’s exposure to potential lawsuits.
The Labor & Employment Group develops employee handbooks and performs human resources audits to evaluate policies already in place to ensure compliance with applicable laws and recommend best practices. We also prepare employment, non-competition and separation agreements, as well as contracts involving the protection of trade secrets or other proprietary information.
We routinely provide clients with practical advice needed to comply with the ever-changing regulatory and statutory framework of federal and state employment laws, including FMLA, ADA, ADEA, COBRA, FLSA, ERISA, record-keeping and unemployment compensation.
Employment Litigation
Employers rely on Fowler White’s experienced defense counsel to address the increasing number of lawsuits filed by employees. Our attorneys partner with clients to resolve claims quickly and, when necessary, try cases effectively. We have litigated disputes in state and federal courts, alternate dispute resolution forums and before administrative agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Florida Commission on Human Relations.
The Labor & Employment Group handles all types of employment-related claims, whether they involve a single individual, multiple plaintiffs or class action. We have represented employers in claims regarding wrongful termination, sexual harassment, discrimination, retaliation, wage and hour, whistleblower violations and breach of contract.
Labor Law
The Labor & Employment Group assists employers with a variety of union-related matters, with particular emphasis on resolving labor grievances through the arbitration process.