Established and emerging employers are represented by Schwabe.
Overview
From quick legal questions on daily human resources operations to holistic counsel on transformational business events like major transactions and executive hires or departures, our employment lawyers help clients manage and adapt to the changing world of work with added confidence.
Smart in your working world
Drawing on industry expertise while developing a deep understanding of your culture and business, Schwabe can assist in the process of creating workforces that are engaged, stable, and diverse. Employers of all sizes in a broad range of industries, from healthcare to manufacturing to ports and maritime count on Schwabe lawyers and teams. We leverage years of experience to help employers develop proactive strategies, strong policies, and business-minded legal solutions that are compliant with a changing landscape of federal, state, and local laws.
As workplace laws and regulations continue to grow in number and complexity, we help clients in maintaining and building a productive, cooperative workplace.
Our lawyers:
- Advise clients in all aspects of the employment process from hiring to termination of employment.
- Evaluate and develop personnel policies and procedures that incentivize and increase productivity.
- Advise clients to create executive compensation, non-compete, non-solicitation, nondisclosure, and arbitration programs, as well as commission plans, retention-bonus agreements, and other employment-related agreements and plans, as appropriate.
- Provide comprehensive manager training and respectful workplace and anti-harassment employee training.
- Conduct internal audits to ensure compliance with employment laws and regulations.
- Guide buyers and sellers toward successful transitions for employees.
- Negotiate collective bargaining agreements and handle grievances and National Labor Relations Board proceedings.
- Help employers navigate the immigration system when recruiting or employing foreign talent.
- Represent a variety of employers during all phases of pre-litigation complaints, administrative proceedings, and employment-related litigation, including class action litigation.
Forward-looking, preventive training
To help employment law compliance become part of the corporate culture and in an effort to help prevent problems before they occur, we provide in-depth trainings for HR professionals, business owners, and management. Our attorneys work with companies to build training courses specific to their needs, covering topics such as anti-harassment and discrimination, conflict resolution, leadership and communication, documentation best practices, and more. We also regularly speak on employment-law topics to business and professional groups in the Pacific Northwest.
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Experience
- Draft ERISA-compliant Summary Plan Descriptions, retirement and health & welfare Plan Documents, and other mandatory benefit communication materials.
- Served as lead legal team for ICTSI Oregon, Inc., in a contentious and highly publicized labor dispute at the Port of Portland with the International Longshore and Warehouse Union.
- Won a defense verdict on behalf of a national assisted-living facility on a novel pregnancy and gender discrimination theory.
- Obtained preliminary injunctive relief for broker-dealer in a breach of non-solicitation matter.
- Represented one of the largest Pacific Northwest lumber and building materials supplier in a complex multi-employee trade secret dispute.
- Won an arbitration award on behalf of a financial institution on a breach of non-solicitation agreement claim.
- Won a defense verdict on behalf of a national play structure manufacturer involving gender-discrimination and retaliation claims.
- Obtained a temporary restraining order against former employees of a financial services firm who opened a branch of a competing firm in the same city on the day of their departure.
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