2015 Labor, Employment & Immigration Practice Group Year in Review

Godfrey & Kahn’s Labor, Employment & Immigration Practice Group is organized around a core group of attorneys who provide legal services to clients regarding the complex web of statutory, judicial and regulatory authority concerning workplace matters.

During 2015, our practice group worked on a wide spectrum of labor and employment matters—only a few of which are recounted below. In these situations, and many others, we helped clients achieve positive outcomes, thereby reducing risk and increasing profitability. We look forward to an exciting 2016 and will continue to work hard to provide our current clients and new clients with outstanding results. If you or your company could benefit from our services, please contact Christine Liu McLaughlin, Labor, Employment & Immigration Practice Group chair.

• Assisted grocery cooperative in deploying a multi-faceted strategy to defeat a union attempt at micro-organizing the workforce.
• Successfully represented a global leader in the power generation industry through a multi-jurisdictional discrimination lawsuit.
• In partnership with the Litigation team, represented a multi-national insurance company in a 42 U.S.C. § 1981class action citizenship discrimination lawsuit.
• Assisted one of the largest mortgage lenders in the country in comprehensive implementation of employment practices, creating innovative employment policies, and comprehensive management training.
• Assisted in the acquisition of a national service provider by reviewing and analyzing compensation plans, personnel policies, and restrictive covenants.
• Favorably negotiated indemnity terms to account for potential liability associated with legacy employment policies.
• Obtained favorable employment terms for workforce during the sale of a regional trucking company by auditing and advising on their multi-state employment practices. 
• Reviewed complex restrictive covenant matters related to the assumption of existing employment agreements in a multiple jurisdiction acquisition of a business management software company.
• Performed Form I-9 due diligence for corporate M&A.
• Structured acquisition documents to effectively account for the assumption of employees from a third-party professional employer organization (PEO) to the buyer’s payroll, and advised on post-acquisition matters related to employee on-boarding.
• Provided ongoing advice on all aspects of state and federal labor and employment regulations for a national educational products provider.
• Advised a Wisconsin-based global manufacturer on innovative, culture-centric policies and practices and cross-border issues, including data privacy and retention, and providing practical solutions to integrated culturally-sensitive employee training.
• Represented a Wisconsin public employer in collective bargaining and interest arbitration process.
• Successfully negotiated a successor labor contract for a Wisconsin hospital which is part of a multistate system.
• Provided advice and counsel to various Wisconsin employers regarding the application and implementation of the newly enacted “Right to Work” legislation.
• In partnership with the Litigation Team, represented a unique sector company in a wage and hour collective action in Wisconsin federal court. Defeated motion for conditional certification of collective action.
• Prevailed in a grievance arbitration in which the Union challenged the client’s use of subcontract labor as violating the labor agreement.
• Successfully pursued a non-compete case for a healthcare client.
• Prevailed in a federal court whistleblower protection litigation case.
• Successfully represented a client before the Illinois Department of Human Rights.
• Successfully defended a client before the Madison Equal Employment Opportunities Commission.
• Curtailed post-employment competitive conduct on behalf of clients seeking enforcement of a restrictive covenant agreement.
• Successfully obtained no probable cause determination in alleged disability and race discrimination claims.
• Successfully defended an employer against an employee’s arrest and conviction record claims.
• Successfully defended an employer in alleged sexual harassment and gender discrimination case.
• Successfully mediated a federal race discrimination claim in the Northern District of Illinois.
• Negotiated successful transition of employees following multiple mergers and acquisitions.
• Proactively advised clients on revisions to employee handbooks, leave forms and documentation, WARN Act compliance, and other policies and procedures.
• Assisted client with navigating complicated exemption issues for nonimmigrant workers in H-1B status.

To view the Year in Review as a PDF, click here.