Labor and Employment

Our employment lawyers have extensive employment law and litigation experience, and advise clients in all areas of agency, state and federal law, including:

• Title VII and Florida Civil Rights Act (discrimination and retaliation)
• Fair Labor Standards Act (wage and hour)
• Equal Pay Act
• Age Discrimination in Employment Act
• Family and Medical Leave Act
• Americans with Disabilities Act
• Worker Adjustment and Retraining and Notification Act
• Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act
• Occupational Safety and Health Act
• Public and private sector whistleblower litigation
• Preparing, enforcing, and defending restrictive covenants (non-compete, non-solicitation, non-disclosure)
• I-9 compliance
• Defense of employment at will and related contractual and tort claims
• Defense of constitutional claims

Additionally, we offer representation and a variety of services that help clients navigate employment-related laws and regulations.

• Representing employers in reemployment assistance benefits (unemployment) claims, including the appeal process before the Reemployment Assistance Appeals Commission (RAAC) and in state courts.
• Drafting and counseling clients regarding policies, handbooks, employment contracts, confidentiality and trade secret agreements, and non-competition and non-solicitation agreements.
• Conducting human resource audits and training.
• Advising on and conducting investigations of employee relations complaints.
• Advising government contractors on matters including the Service Contract Act, the Davis-Bacon Act, and Executive Order 11246 (affirmative action programs).
• Defending employers against equal employment opportunity charges and claims in the investigation and litigation stages and advising clients regarding administrative actions and claims arising pursuant to local ordinances.
• Representing employers in alternative dispute resolution matters, including arbitration and mediation.

Our team has considerable experience litigating complex labor laws, including the Florida Public Employees Relations Act, the National Labor Relations Act, and the Railway Labor Act. We represent Florida public sector employers, including cities, counties, constitutional officers, school districts, community colleges, state universities, authorities, and other special districts. Our labor practice includes:

• Union avoidance to maintain a union-free workforce
• Union elections conducted by the government (NLRB or PERC)
• Collective bargaining
• Arbitration
• Unfair labor practice litigation

GrayRobinson leverages its capabilities through membership in specially-selected law firm affiliations. One of these is the Employment Law Alliance (ELA), a select group of highly respected, broad-based law firms that are capable of servicing virtually every legal need for their corporate clients. ELA has a presence in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia and more than 300 cities around the globe. ELA is ranked as one of only three law firm networks in Chambers USA in the "Employment: The Elite in Global-Wide" category.