Professional Experience
Fred Gants is a partner in the Madison Office of Quarles & Brady LLP, is the head of the Madison Office’s Labor and Employment Group, and is a member of the Firm’s Class Action Subgroup. His practice includes an emphasis on discrimination litigation, employer counseling and collective bargaining, client representation in state and federal courts and before the Wisconsin Equal Rights Division, the Madison Equal Opportunities Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the U.S. Wage and Hour Division, and other state and federal agencies. Mr. Gants’ recent experience includes:
- Representation of a wholesale distributor before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, in which it was held that a terminated employee suing for breach of contract may not bring a lawsuit in tort for misrepresentation, and that a wrongful discharge lawsuit cannot be brought where an at-will employee is terminated for failing to sign a noncompete agreement.
- Successful defense of an age discrimination claim against a large nonprofit organization.
- Successful negotiation of collective bargaining agreements for employers which include significant production and profit incentives.
- Successful representation of package delivery service in collective class action involving overtime compensation claims.
- Investigation of death and dismissal of OSHA citation.
Education and Honors
- University of Chicago Law School (J.D., 1976)
- Yale University (B.A., magna cum laude, 1972)
Bar Admissions
Wisconsin,
1976
Court Admissions
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois, 2006
U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit, 1988
U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin, 1976
Professional Recognition
- Martindale-Hubbell AV® Peer Review Rated.
- Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® (2008-present: Employment Law - Management / Labor Law - Management / Litigation - Labor & Employment).
Professional and Civic Activities
- State Bar of Wisconsin (Member; Former Member of Board of Directors, Labor and Employment Law Section).
- American Bar Association (Member, Labor and Employment Law Section).
- Dane County Bar Association (Former President).