Employment Law & Litigation
Experienced Employment Law and Litigation Attorneys
The attorneys at Gross, Shuman, Brizdle & Gilfillan, P.C. provide comprehensive services in Employment Law and related areas. Keeping abreast of recent legal developments and current trends on employment and compensation issues, we provide clients with advice that assists employers in avoiding employment-related issues, and keeping its business on course. U. S. News and World Report ranks the firm’s employment law practice within the first-tier of its Best Law Firms rankings. Some areas in which we regularly assist our clients in effectively managing their employment-related concerns include:
Discrimination
The firm’s employment law practice includes defending employers against claims of unlawful discrimination or harassment in the work place on the basis of race, sex, religion, national origin, age, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation. We have extensive experience in handling such matters in federal and state courts, as well as before the EEOC and New York State Division of Human Rights.
Policies and Procedures
Drafting Human Resource policies, procedures and handbooks, such as those relating to discrimination and harassment, FMLA and other leaves of absence, applications, work place conduct, drug and alcohol testing, computer and internet usage, discipline, document retention and other similar policies which protect an employer’s interests while, at the same time, providing clear communication to employees.
Restrictive Covenants
We assist our clients in connection with protecting their proprietary information and relationships and goodwill that they have developed with their clients over the years by the drafting and enforcement of restrictive covenants, including confidentiality, non competition, and non solicitation agreements. The firm has successfully litigated many cases involving claims for unfair competition in which it has protected former employees from pirating away proprietary information, trade secrets, and customer relationships. We have also represented clients desiring to hire individuals with existing restrictive covenants and have in many cases won the release of such covenants through litigation or negotiation.
Wage and Hour
The firm advises employers on various wage and hour issues, such as overtime, exempt and non exempt status, recordkeeping, and other matters regulated by state and federal wage and hour laws. The firm has represented employers in connection with claims brought by former employees or the Department of Labor arising out of wage and hours issues.
Employee Benefits
The firm has substantial experience in the review, drafting and counseling on employee benefit plans, such as pensions, 401-k plans, deferred compensation, phantom stock agreements, and assists clients in connection with applicable federal and state filing requirements. The firm also counsels employers and employees regarding distributions from pension plans and individual retirement accounts to minimize taxes and maximize the amounts passed to heirs. The firm’s attorneys are also experienced in representing employers before the Internal Revenue Service in connection with the administrative review of plans.
Contact Us
Overall, Gross, Shuman, Brizdle & Gilfillan, P. C., seeks to assist its clients in connection with all phases of the employment lifecycle, including recruiting, hiring, promotion, discipline, termination, and benefit entitlements, so that employers may maximize their relationship with and performance of employees, while minimizing the numerous risks that exist today.
For more information or to schedule an appointment with an experienced lawyer regarding an employment law concern, please contact us at our office in Buffalo, New York.
