Eric B. Johnson, Partner

Eric Johnson is the Phoenix Office Labor & Employment Chair whose practice has an emphasis on employment law counseling and litigation in Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico state and federal courts.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Eric has been a trusted advisor for clients navigating the impacts of COVID-19 on their business operations and employees. He has provided guidance on remote workforce policies, procedures and training; employee safety; reductions in force, furloughs, layoffs; family and medical leave due to coronavirus or childcare interruptions; ADA accommodations; return to work issues, including temperature testing, salary reductions, social distancing in the workplace, and preventing discrimination and harassment related to COVID-19; among many other challenges.

His recent experience includes:

• Representing national and local employers in litigation in federal and state court, involving the enforcement of restrictive covenants and trade secret protections.
• Defense of various claims of employee discrimination and/or retaliation, including lawsuits based upon Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and other federal and state statutes.
• Defending employers in departmental, administrative, or judicial proceedings involving wage/overtime claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
• Planning for and defending reductions-in-force and business reorganization (including individual and statistical analysis).
• Advising clients on issues such as employee termination, discipline, harassment, investigations, and compliance with various federal and state labor and employment laws.