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Employment Law

Practical Solutions to Difficult Problems

We provide a broad range of experience in all facets of employment law representing our clients before federal and state courts at both the trial and appellate level, as well as before state and federal administrative agencies in Connecticut. We have applied our employment expertise in both the private (profit and non-profit) and public sectors.

Equal Employment Opportunity Litigation and Advice

We regularly represent clients before federal and state agencies that enforce employment discrimination laws, and are experienced in trial practice in both federal and state courts. These cases typically involve a detailed factual investigation of the circumstances surrounding the claim, preparation of a position statement for submission to the investigating agency, appearance of witnesses before a fact-finding conference at the agency, representation in mediation at the agency, and administrative trials. As noted, the Firm represents clients in the more traditional court-based litigation, state and federal, that may follow the filing of an administrative charge of discrimination.

We also counsel clients on matters of compliance with both federal and state employment discrimination statutes, wage and hour law, unemployment compensation laws and general employment practices.

Employment Policies and Procedures Compliance

An integral part of our practice is anticipating clients’ legal needs and limiting their legal exposure. As part of our representation, we conduct human resource audits and policies & procedure reviews to ensure that our clients’ employment policies and procedures are in compliance with state and federal law. We provide seminars to our clients that include information on effective sexual harassment policies, recent interpretations of disability dis- crimination statutes, absence and leave policies, hiring and termination policies, and effective discipline practices.

These seminars, which have been both on and off site, provide our clients and their managers with the tools needed to direct a diverse workforce in today’s climate.

Sexual Harassment Advice and Litigation

We advise and represent clients in many situations involving allegations of sexual harassment by supervisors, co-workers and other parties. Our advice and counsel has guided human resource professionals and management in the drafting and publication of sexual harassment prevention policies and procedures, design and implementation of an internal investigation to determine the validity of the allegations of sexual harassment, coordinating on evaluation of the information learned in the internal investigation and working together to determine whether disciplinary action is appropriate or required.

Our experience in defending against sexual harassment lawsuits includes the use of psychiatric experts, advising clients about possible joint representation of the accused and the employer, assertion of defenses and meeting theories of continuing violations. We have also represented employers who have been sued, under anti-discrimination statutes and employment contract theories, by former employees who had been terminated because they engaged in sexual harassment. We routinely conduct sexual harassment training and seminars for our clients, as required by the Connecticut General Statutes.

Wage and Hour Issues

We advise clients in all aspects of state and federal wage and hour laws and represent employers in both administrative and court proceedings responding to claims brought by employees alleging violations of these statutes, including overtime complaints and claims for unpaid wages. We also advise clients on issues related to these laws including the classification of exempt and non-exempt employees.