Practice Areas

Employment

Overview

LGWM’s Employment Group provides a wide range of services to LGWM’s clients in all areas of employment law. The Employment Group consists of experienced litigation lawyers who have litigated cases before government agencies and state and federal courts throughout the Southeastern United States. The Employment Group regularly defends employers against claims of employment discrimination under state and federal law, including defense against claims of race, national origin, gender, religious, disability, and age discrimination; claims of discrimination based on service in the military; claims of harassment; claims of retaliation; claims for breach of contract; claims regarding employee benefits; and claims of defamation and other employment torts. The Employment Group has represented employers of all types and sizes, public and private, from various industries, including restaurants, hotels, food distributors, franchise owners, manufacturing facilities, security companies, temporary agencies, professional employer organizations, educational institutions, financial institutions, school systems, school boards, and non-profit employers.

The defense of employment discrimination claims is the focal point of the Employment Group’s practice. The Employment Group frequently defends employers before administrative and governmental agencies and state and federal courts with regard to claims of race discrimination and national origin discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) and § 1981, claims of gender discrimination under Title VII and the Equal Pay Act, claims of disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act, (ADA) claims of age discrimination under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), claims of discrimination based on military service under the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) and other state age discrimination statutes, claims of religious discrimination under Title VII, claims for violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), and claims for violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The Employment Group also regularly defends clients against claims of retaliation asserted under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, § 1981, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and other various state and federal statutes.

While a large part of the Employment Group’s practice is devoted to defense of administrative charges and litigation, the Employment Group also focuses on helping LGWM’s clients avoid lawsuits. The Employment Group understands education is crucial to lawsuit prevention in the employment setting and works closely with employers to avoid litigation by providing preventive counseling, supervisory and managerial instruction, employee training, and policy preparation and implementation. The Employment Group also assists employers in preparing employment contracts and restrictive covenants.