With more than 40 lawyers and professionals dedicated to labor and employment law, we can ensure immediate availability of experienced counsel; a deep bench and backup for all matters; and resources, experience, judgment and accessibility that cannot be provided by other firms. We specialize in providing quality advice, counsel and representation and unmatched personalized service, while offering proactive and cost-effective solutions.

Our attorneys work collaboratively with clients on short- and long-term employment issues. We have a large, diversified corporate client base, which includes Fortune 500 companies, midsize corporations, small and emerging businesses, banks and other financial institutions, insurance companies, securities brokers and dealers, mutual funds, investment advisors, manufacturers, universities, school districts, municipalities, health care institutions, trade and professional associations, not-for profit organizations and executives.

Employment Counseling

Our attorneys partner with our clients to provide strategic and practical advice and options in dealing with difficult employment issues. We provide counsel on everyday, sensitive and high-risk employment decisions, with a view toward enhancing employee relations and minimizing risk. Our team advises on issues across the labor and employment spectrum, including, for example, those concerning applicant screening and hiring; employee benefits; employee discipline and termination; conducting investigations and audits; leave and accommodation management; wage and hour law compliance; policy and training development; discrimination, harassment and retaliation matters; reduction in force planning and compliance; drafting and negotiating employment and severance agreements; and training. We fully subscribe to the axiom that prevention is the best cure, and work closely with our clients to anticipate problems and develop strategies to avoid them.

Business Immigration

Vedder Price counsels international companies with regard to all aspects of business related immigration matters—from complying with various immigration laws to establishing processes and policies that can help manage exposure to civil and criminal enforcement. Our experienced attorneys assist with obtaining temporary or permanent immigration status for executive, managerial and professional employees, as well as with other immigration-related matters, such as I-9 audits. We also conduct due diligence and provide advice related to immigration law in matters involving corporate changes, such as acquisitions, mergers, divestitures and reorganizations.

Employment Class and Collective Action Defense

Vedder Price has an unparalleled track record for defending clients against class and collective action employment claims, and we offer our clients responsive, efficient service and creative legal defense strategies. We have successfully defended class and collective action cases in trial and appellate courts involving issues such as wage and hour claims, equal-pay claims, discrimination claims accommodation issues, and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and breach-of-fiduciary duty claims.

Equal Employment Opportunity/Discrimination Law

Our attorneys counsel clients, large and small, in race, sex, age, disability, sexual harassment and other employment discrimination matters, including offering day-today counseling concerning discharge, discipline and other personnel actions with EEO implications. We further defend our clients against single-plaintiff and class action litigation alleging a panoply of EEO law violations.

Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits

Vedder Price has one of the most experienced and sophisticated executive compensation and employee benefits practices in the nation. We advise public and private companies, boards of directors, compensation and search committees, CEOs and other senior executives and individuals in analyzing, designing and negotiating executive compensation and employment arrangements. We assist with the implementation of compensation agreements focused on the motivation and retention of key executives necessary for the profitable growth of a business. We advise public companies in meeting disclosure obligations and achieving successful “say-on-pay” votes. Our attorneys also work with clients to help them structure and administer their welfare plans, retirement plans and legacy benefits plans with consideration regarding the financial and HR implications, as well as the legal requirements.

Occupational Safety and Health Law

We represent employers throughout the U.S. on federal and state plan matters under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) and its state law equivalents, as well as other wide-ranging workplace health and safety matters, including citation actions, variance requests, criminal and contempt proceedings, and related discrimination matters. We also counsel clients in connection with establishing workforce medical screening and employee training programs and implementing occupational health and safety policies that interface with other labor and employment laws, such as policies related to workplace reproductive hazards, drug and alcohol testing, communicable diseases, exclusionary rules and genetic testing of applicants and employees.

OFCCP Compliance and Affirmative Action

We represent clients during Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program (OFCCP) audits and administrative proceedings, offering pre-audit planning as well as, training for management personnel to effectively manage risk, resolve issues discovered during an audit and negotiate resolutions with the OFCCP. We have regular interaction with OFCCP officials to help clients remain ahead of enforcement and regulatory trends. 

M&A Transactions

Given that Vedder Price is a full-service firm with a robust corporate practice, our team has extensive experience handling all aspects of labor, employment and employee benefits issues in the context of corporate transactions. Our top-flight executive compensation and benefits team is regularly engaged to advise on 409A and 280G issues in the context of the purchase and sale of businesses. We also have particular experience in transactions involving unionized workforces and multiemployer and legacy benefit plan liabilities, from the strategy phase through execution. We further routinely advise clients on the potential employment risks and exposure associated with business acquisitions. 

Restrictive Covenants and Trade Secrets

Our attorneys are deeply experienced in counseling and litigation involving restrictive covenants and trade secrets in both the employment and sale-of-business contexts. We draft agreements for prospective, existing and departing employees and independent contractors and in the purchase or sale of business context that are designed to protect our clients’ investments in their businesses; implement and update policies and procedures to safeguard valuable business and customer information; train employees on ways to best protect business assets; and negotiate prelitigation settlements of restrictive covenant and trade secret disputes. We act quickly in matters involving litigation or potential litigation, and help clients take strategic and proactive steps to protect intellectual capital and trade secrets.

Traditional Labor

The traditional labor practice at Vedder Price is highly regarded and is one of the firm’s founding practice areas. For many years, our dedicated team of highly skilled and deeply experienced traditional labor attorneys has counseled and represented clients of all sizes and across all industries in complex labor relations matters. We regularly assist our clients in negotiating initial and successor collective bargaining agreements, serving in either chief spokesperson or backroom support roles, and have successfully negotiated agreements with many of the largest and most powerful labor unions in the country. While our goal is always to reach agreements that fulfill our clients’ bargaining objectives with minimum disruption and expense, if and when it becomes necessary, we have extensive experience counseling our clients through work stoppages and providing effective strike support. We provide timely and knowledgeable contract administration assistance, including interpreting complex and/or ambiguous contract provisions, training managers and supervisors to operate effectively under the agreement, processing grievances and representing our clients’ interests in arbitration. We regularly appear before the National Labor Relations Board and state labor relations agencies to represent our clients in connection with unfair labor practice charges and union representation proceedings.

Wage and Hour and Pay Transparency Compliance and Defense

Our team works to ensure that our clients’ wage and hour policies and practices are fully compliant, including by conducting audits of those policies and practices and our clients’ record-keeping compliance efforts. Our wage and hour attorneys can assist you with the appropriate classification of employees as exempt or nonexempt, classification of independent contractors, overtime and minimum-wage compliance, wage and hour litigation defense, auditing of wage and hour policies and practices, and record-keeping compliance. We have significant experience successfully defending our clients against a variety of wage and hour claims, including those concerning minimum wage and overtime violations, misclassification allegations and violations specific to California law. We are also well versed in the ever-changing landscape of pay transparency and equity laws and assist our clients in ensuring that their pay practices are fair and defensible, and that their reporting of those practices (where required) is fulsome and accurate.

Workplace Audits

Our attorneys conduct privileged internal workplace audits in order to identify and resolve potential problem areas, ensure legal compliance and reduce litigation risk. The nature and scope of our audits are tailored to specific client needs and may include review of a variety of employment policies and practices such as recruiting and on-boarding, job descriptions, employee handbooks and personnel policies and procedures, and leaves of absence policies and procedures.

Workplace Investigations

Our clients rely on us to conduct and advise on investigations designed to help determine the facts behind allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, financial wrongdoing and whistleblowing. Our investigations are tailored to address our clients’ needs and their obligations under the law. Where appropriate, we make specific recommendations regarding how best to minimize potential exposure and improve workplace practices.

Workplace Training for Staff, Supervisors and Leadership

Our attorneys provide training to our clients’ staff and management teams that is curated to each client’s specific business and needs, including the following:

• Hiring and on-boarding
• Harassment, discrimination and retaliation
• Effective and defensible employee evaluation, discipline and discharge practices
• Labor relations, collective bargaining and union avoidance
• Reductions in force (RIF) and WARN Act compliance
• Workplace safety and health programs
• Affirmative action compliance
• Disability accommodations, leaves of absence and state and federal leave laws
• Wage and hour compliance
• Conducting investigations