The McGrath North employment law services group consists of ten lawyers with over 175 years of combined experience.  Three of its attorneys are listed in Best Lawyers in America.  If it deals with employment, we've seen it . . . and solved it.  Although we have extensive experience in successfully defending employers in court, our primary focus is preventative in nature and seeks to avoid litigation by proactively assisting our clients in complying with the various federal and state employment laws.

Equal Employment Compliance  We advise employers with respect to their obligations under such federal laws as: Title VII; the Age Discrimination in Employment Act; the Americans with Disabilities Act; the Pregnancy Discrimination Amendments; Executive Order 11246, and state laws prohibiting employment discrimination. McGrath North represents clients during both administrative proceedings and in defending discrimination lawsuits in state and federal courts. We also counsel employers regarding employee discipline, terminations and reductions-in-force in order to avoid litigation or minimize the employer's legal exposure for such actions.  We also represent government contractors in proceedings under E.O. 11246 and other laws regulating employers who do business with the government.

FLSA Compliance   McGrath North advises clients as to whether their employees are properly classified as exempt under the wage and hour laws. We assist in developing compensation plans to satisfy the employer's record keeping and overtime pay obligations under the FLSA. The firm conducts audits for its clients to determine whether their compensation practices comply with applicable laws as well as representing our clients before the Department of Labor and in federal court in wage/hour matters.

FMLA   The employment law attorneys advise clients on the Family and Medical Leave Act and assist in the drafting of policies to comply with the FMLA and procedures and protocols for management to follow when administering those policies, as well as the necessary training of management.

OSHA   McGrath North has expertise advising clients on how to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to make their workplaces safer. We represent employers who have been cited by OSHA in administrative and court proceedings, as necessary.

Human Resource Policies and Management  McGrath North assists clients in developing affirmative action compliance plans, human resource policies, programs and manuals, as well as training supervisors and managers in the administration of employee discipline, the evaluation of employees and the investigation of employee complaints.

Representative Services  Some examples of the assistance we have given clients with employment law issues:

• Represented a client in federal courts in Colorado, Texas, Minnesota, and Indiana in claims for overtime compensation by thousands of current and former employees.
• Successfully defended a company accused of hiring executives of a competitor in order to obtain confidential information and trade secrets.
• Obtained favorable jury verdict for a client accused of terminating employment of a truck driver with a disability.
• Assisted a client in restructuring its workforce involving a reduction of some 7,000 employees, resulting in virtually no employment-based litigation.
• We advise employers on compliance with OSHA, and represent those employers when issued a Citation and Notification of Proposed Penalty following an OSHA inspection.  In one case, we represented an employer and obtained a significant reduction of a proposed penalty of $1.2 million and helped negotiate an ergonomic agreement which set a standard for an industry, while minimizing reporting and recordkeeping burdens on the client.
• We helped guide a client through the tragedy of workplace violence after an employee brought a weapon onto the facility and shot and killed several co-workers.  We helped that employer deal with the police, OSHA, the media, the employee's union, and the employees themselves.
• We help employers understand how to prevent harassment in the workplace; and how to effectively address complaints of harassment when they do occur.
• We have developed training programs to assist management in compliance with the FMLA, the ADA, the ADEA, Title VII, and how to discipline employees in a lawful and non-discriminatory manner.
• We also help employers develop and implement effective employment policies, employee handbooks, and discipline systems, with a goal of minimizing employment litigation, as well as defending any claims of discrimination or wrongful termination.