Employment and Labor Law

The Employment and Labor Law Practice, led by Brian Leinhauser, provides a full range of services including human resource counseling, employment litigation defense, and representation in labor relations matters. We provide advice and training for public and private sector employers and supervisors on harassment, discipline, discharge of employees, and other workplace issues in order to reduce liability exposure. We have presented at employment seminars both locally for our public sector clients, and statewide and nationally for, among others, Execusummit Employment Practices Liability Insurance National Seminar, the Defense Research Institute, and the County Commissioners of Pennsylvania.

We represent municipal, public, and private employers before state and federal courts, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, Pennsylvania Civil Service Commission, New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey unemployment compensation boards in lawsuits and complaints pertaining to every type of employment matter, including:

• Claims made under Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FLSA, FMLA, and state employment laws
• Wrongful discharge claims, defamation, constitutional claims, civil rights claims and other employment related lawsuits
• Litigation involving wage and hour issues, unpaid commissions, vacation pay, severance pay
• Contract and labor disputes
• Employment discrimination and sexual harassment
• Appeals of unemployment claims

The Employment and Labor Law Practice also provides human resources support for private and public sector employers, including:

• Reviewing employer policies and handbooks to assist in minimizing exposure to litigation
• Developing union relations strategies and training employees regarding the do’s and don’ts of union campaigns and elections
• Training of supervisors and management to increase efficiency and minimize liability exposure
• Human Resources audits
• Development of job descriptions
• Structuring and documenting creative compensation packages for executives
• drafting and enforcement of employment agreements, restrictive covenants, non-competition, and employee severance agreements

We represent public and private employers in collective bargaining negotiations, union grievance disputes and arbitrations, and before the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board and the National Labor Relations Board in certification, decertification and unfair labor practice proceedings.