COUNSELING
We routinely counsel businesses on employment issues, strategic planning, and human resources matters of all kinds. Our clients look to us for guidance in navigating the increasingly complex and evolving requirements of federal, state and local employment laws.
We take a practical approach, with the goal of partnering with our clients to achieve business objectives in a manner consistent with their legal obligations. Each business is unique, and so we take the time to understand our clients’ culture and needs to provide the best solution. Our clients draw upon our decades of experience in resolving their employment law issues. To avoid litigation and guard against potential risk, we provide our clients with guidance on “best practices” and industry standards on employee relations issues.
We also advise our clients on personnel-related documents necessary for their workforce. We draft and review employee handbooks and policies, and evaluate and update existing employment policies. We draft agreements for every facet of the employment relationship including offer letters, employment contracts, consulting agreements, proprietary rights agreements, nondisclosure agreements, transition agreements, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, and separation agreements.
We are experienced in conducting on-site anti-discrimination and anti-harassment training, as required in various jurisdictions such as New York State and City. Our training sessions satisfy all state and local requirements and are tailored to fit the needs of our clients’ workplace and industry. Our skilled attorneys are able to respond to any questions raised at the training with examples drawn from actual case law.
We offer counseling in a broad range of areas, such as:
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Hiring, including background checks, credit checks, and drug testing
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Discrimination and harassment
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Employee benefits
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Disciplinary actions, including progressive discipline and performance improvement plans
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Leaves of absences, including leaves under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), New York Paid Family Leave (PFL), short-term and long-term disability policies, and the United Services Employment and Reemployment Act (USERRA)
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Employee terminations and exit interviews
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Employee exits in connections with mergers, restructurings, and reductions-in-force
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Whistleblowing and retaliation
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Accommodation requests, including those related to disability, pregnancy, and religion
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Wage and hour matters, including overtime compliance
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Data security breach notifications