Labor & Employment

Counsel that helps you get the most from your most valuable resource

Capabilities at a glance

  • Experienced, highly skilled attorneys who will aggressively support you in effectively managing and maximizing the strengths of your workforce.
  • We craft tailored, tax-advantaged solutions that satisfy your human resources objectives, as well as day-to-day advice on how to implement them.
  • A complete range of labor, employment and benefits legal services, from within a national full-service firm—so we can draw on experience from all areas of law.
  • Listed in “The Go-To Law Firms of the World’s Leading Companies” (a special Fortune magazine supplement) and ranked, both on office and individual attorney levels, in Chambers USA.

Labor and employment legal support in tune with your business objectives

In today's fast-paced, competitive business environment, human resources serves a crucial role in balancing business and employee needs, while staying compliant with a changing landscape of federal and state laws. The Labor, Employment & Benefits Practice Group at Quarles has been helping companies navigate these laws for over 100 years by addressing human resource issues efficiently and consistently based on each unique workplace culture. We listen to our clients and their needs and provide practical advice on everything from single, discrete questions and litigation matters to the most significant projects and complex litigation. We also take great care to help clients anticipate and resolve human resource issues, structuring policies and procedures to avoid costly problems before they arise.

Helping clients of all sizes across a wide range of industries

We work with clients of all sizes, at virtually any location, over a diverse range of industries—and we know from this broad range of experience how varied each organization’s human resources needs and priorities can be. Some of our clients are household names with thousands of employees, some are exciting startups with only a handful of employees (if any), but we work with the same dedication and enthusiasm for each of our clients across numerous industries, including:

  • Manufacturing
  • Health care, including hospitals and nursing homes
  • Financial institutions
  • Schools and higher education institutions
  • Mining companies
  • Construction companies
  • Breweries
  • Public utilities
  • Telecommunications
  • Transportation such as railroads and package delivery

Experience

  • Affirmative action requirements, including development of action plans and responses to Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) and state and local compliance audits.
  • Compliance with titles of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
  • Collective bargaining negotiations and grievance arbitrations.
  • Defense of class and collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the ADA, Title VII and other employment statutes.
  • Employment agreements, including noncompete, trade secret and confidentiality agreements and litigation.
  • Employment discrimination litigation and investigations into allegations of discrimination and harassment.
  • Employee benefits counseling, including ERISA, retirement and executive compensation.
  • Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and other leave law compliance.
  • Immigration law and matters related to the global workforce.
  • Labor and employment law audits, including analyses of hiring and termination practices, employment applications, handbooks, and policy and procedure manuals.
  • Military veterans, reservist and national guard matters.
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance.
  • Recordkeeping requirements and confidentiality issues.
  • Reorganization, restructuring and reductions in force counseling, including Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act compliance.
  • Training programs for managers and supervisors.
  • Union avoidance and representation before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).
  • Wage and salary administration, including representation and counsel regarding FLSA and state wage-hour compliance.
  • Worker compensation and unemployment compensation.
  • Wrongful discharge, breach of employment contract and other termination-related litigation.

News & Insights

Service Areas

  • Employee Benefits

    With Quarles, you should expect the best advice on complex employee benefits law matters, delivered with an eye toward efficiency and effectiveness. We will always deliver solutions with your business objectives in mind, and we understand how vital it is to balance business and employee needs in an ever-changing legislative landscape.

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  • Employment Advice, Counseling and Training

    Our experience advising global organizations from multiple industries on daily employment issues enables us to empower our clients with knowledge on best practices, trends, forecasts and lessons learned. Our clients leverage this knowledge to gain a competitive advantage and achieve strategic goals.

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  • Employment Litigation and Dispute Resolution

    At Quarles, we focus on delivering effective and assertive employment litigation counsel for our clients, but also on minimizing disputes and claims through intelligent planning and strategic legal support. We always seek to bring each potential issue to a favorable close as quickly and as cost effectively as possible.

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  • Immigration & Mobility

    Our Immigration & Mobility Practice Group includes attorneys with extensive experience assisting both public and private employers. Our immigration team works with diverse business sectors across the U.S. and around the world. We understand the complexities and nuances associated with the multitude of industries and positions, standing ready to partner with you around the clock and around the globe.

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  • Internal Investigations and Compliance

    When allegations of improper workplace activity are made, employers must act quickly, effectively and responsibly. A prompt and thorough workplace investigation is often the key to effectively remedying a situation that may lead to significant employer liability if not properly addressed.

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  • Labor Management Relations

    Our Labor Management Relations team has handled numerous union-organizing campaigns around the country. Whether we are working with a union-free employer who wishes to retain that status, or a unionized employer seeking to deal firmly and yet constructively with its unions, our broad range of labor relations experience is instrumental in helping clients achieve their goals.

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  • OSHA and Workplace Safety

    When federal and state workplace safety regulators conduct inspections, Quarles is there, ready to support your organization. If and when regulators issue citations, we gather the relevant facts and advocate in your best interests. In high-stakes cases where settlement is impossible, our team is well prepared to aggressively litigate OSHA citations on your behalf.

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  • STEM Center of Immigration Excellence

    Whether we are working with an employer or directly with an individual, our mission is to empower foreign talent to feel in control of their futures and build the life they want in the United States.

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  • Wage and Hour Compliance and Defense

    Integrating experience from various substantive areas and industries, the Quarles Wage and Hour Compliance and Defense team brings a wealth of experience to defending class action lawsuits. We are known for our successful defense of multi-plaintiff wage and hour lawsuits, and we are familiar with the special challenges presented by collective and class action cases.

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