Employment Law
Our Practice Areas
Labor & Employment Law
Additional Practice Areas
Employment Law
The modern employer-employee relationship can be a confusing cacophony of state, federal, and local laws and regulations to follow, policies and procedures to maintain, and best practices to sustain. Zashin & Rich's Employment Group is uniquely equipped to assess critical issues and provide meaningful solutions for employers. When litigation becomes unavoidable, Zashin & Rich skillfully and efficiently represents its clients before administrative agencies and boards and state and federal courts.
Zashin & Rich's Employment Group has extensive experience representing large and small businesses, non-profit organizations, and public-sector entities. The Employment Group attorneys couple their legal expertise with a comprehensive knowledge of their clients' industries and businesses to provide personalized guidance and counsel.
Zashin & Rich's Employment Group attorneys also understand that accessibility and responsiveness is paramount to building solid relationships with our clients. Meeting and exceeding our clients' needs is simply how we do business.
Zashin & Rich's Employment Group's expertise extends into many areas including:
- Discrimination and Retaliation: Numerous state, federal, and local laws protect employees from discrimination and retaliation. Zashin & Rich has extensive experience defending employers against such claims, including those brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, state discrimination laws, and other statutory and common-law claims.
- General Employment Counseling: The Employment Group counsels employers on important legal developments and the implementation of practices and policies aimed at avoiding litigation, including disability and leave management.
- Wage and Hour Issues: Employers are often confronted with allegations of employee misclassification, overtime, and minimum wage violations, sometimes in the form of collective/class action lawsuits under the Fair Labor Standards Act or state law counterparts. Zashin & Rich's attorneys regularly apprise clients of legal developments related to wage and hour laws and defend against misclassification, overtime, and minimum wage claims. The Employment Group attorneys have an extensive understanding of overtime exemptions and effectively advise employers on properly classifying employees.
- Restrictive Covenants: Guarding against improper use of confidential information and unfair competition is key to the success of any business. Zashin & Rich's attorneys regularly draft and enforce non-competition agreements, confidentiality agreements, and intellectual property assignments, and follow state-by-state developments with regard to these covenants.
- Reductions in Force: A well-planned and properly executed reduction in force can spare employers from unanticipated expenses and litigation under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act ("WARN") and state-level "mini-WARN" laws. The firm's attorneys effectively counsel clients through reductions in force and also advise on severance packages and draft separation agreements.
- Employee Handbooks: A comprehensive and up-to-date employee handbook can be an effective tool in setting forth an employer's expectations, providing notice to employees, and aiding employers in litigation. An out-of-date employee handbook can lead to employee claims and government investigations. Zashin & Rich's attorneys draft employee handbooks for clients and revise and update existing handbooks to make sure they are compliant and can be used to help, not hurt, employers.
- Unemployment Compensation: Zashin & Rich assists employers in contesting unemployment claims, supporting employer arguments regarding just cause for termination, and appealing unfavorable decisions by hearing officers.
For more information about Zashin & Rich's Employment Group, please contact Stephen Zashin (ssz@zrlaw.com) at 216.696.4441.