At McDonald Hopkins, we exclusively represent employers in all aspects of the employment relationship. From recruiting and hiring to counseling and investigations, to disciplinary action, discharge, and litigation, we help you navigate this complex legal arena.

Our blog, the - Employer Legal Advocate - provides executives, managers, human resources professionals and labor relations personnel with easy-to-understand, accurate and informative articles. With more than 100 years combined experience in labor and employment law, our authors will not only share the latest legal developments, but also help you apply them in your workplace.

Employer Legal Advocate Blog

Employer Legal Advocate features up-to-date information and insight regarding the labor and employment law topics that matter most to you. Our lawyers use their experience counseling and representing management at both the state and federal level to provide practical tips for managing your workforce and effectively resolving any disputes that arise.

Topics covered include:

• Recruiting and Hiring
• Discipline and Discharge
• Wage-Hour
• FMLA and ADA
• Workers’ Compensation
• Discrimination
• Retaliation
• Trade Secrets and Covenants Not to Compete
• Labor-Management Relations
• Union Avoidance
• Supreme Court Developments

Who publishes the Employer Legal Advocate?

The Employer Legal Advocate is published by members of the McDonald Hopkins Labor and Employment Law Practice Group.

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Authors

George J. Asimou
216.430.2015
gasimou@mcdonaldhopkins.com

As an associate in the Firm’s Employment and Labor Practice Group, George Asimou assists employers in consultation and litigation of a variety of matters arising under Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Ohio Civil Rights Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and federal and state whistleblower/qui tam laws. He also advises clients on traditional labor law matters arising under the National Labor Relations Act and has represented both private and public employers in collective bargaining.

James J. Boutrous II
248.220.1355
jboutrous@mcdonaldhopkins.com

Jim Boutrous is Chair of the firm’s Labor and Employment Practice Group. He has extensive non-compete and trade secret experience, which includes counseling, auditing and drafting agreements. Jim’s national practice involves both prosecuting and defending employers in non-competition and trade secret litigation, with significant injunction hearing experience. He regularly advises healthcare clients regarding restrictive covenant, trade secret and employment issues related to physicians, sales representatives, customer account representatives, key administrators, and technical and clinical personnel. He is a member of the Non-Compete/Trade Secrets Subcommittee of the American Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section. Jim is also a skilled employment litigator, with trial experience in employment discrimination matters, defending employers in labor arbitrations, as well as labor and employment counseling.

Lori A. Clary
614.458.0031
lclary@mcdonaldhopkins.com

Lori Clary helps employers resolve disputes with employees through negotiation, litigation, and alternative dispute resolution. Throughout her practice, she has defended clients against employee allegations of wage-hour violations, employment discrimination, sexual and other harassment, wrongful discharge, breach of contract, defamation, and invasion of privacy, and improper compensation, among others. Her experience includes complex class and collective litigation, as well as single-employee cases, and encompasses the retail, education, manufacturing, health care, technology, and service industries. Lori works to advance client interests before administrative agencies, state and federal trial courts, and appellate courts.

Victor T. Geraci
216.430.2026
vgeraci@mcdonaldhopkins.com

Victor Geraci’s background is extensive in the areas of Title VII defense, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, discrimination claims, promissory estoppel, breach of contract, intentional tort, whistleblower claims, and covenants not to compete. He has trial experience as first chair in federal court ADA claims, as well as retaliation under Title VII and ADEA.  Victor’s traditional labor experience includes negotiation of bargaining agreements, serving as labor counsel, labor arbitrations, and class action grievances in private and public sectors. He has also served as outside counsel to union organization campaigns and defended employers in numerous EEOC, OCRC and OSHA matters.

James J. Giszczak
248.220.1354
jgiszczak@mcdonaldhopkins.com

Jim Giszczak’s extensive non-compete, non-disclosure and trade secret expertise includes advising, auditing and litigation. He has extensive nationwide experience prosecuting and defending employers and employees in non-compete, non-disclosure and trade secret litigation, with considerable injunction hearing experience. He regularly advises healthcare clients regarding restrictive covenant, trade secret and employment issues related to physicians, sales representatives, customer account representatives, key administrators, and technical and clinical personnel. His practice also focuses on business and commercial litigation with trial, litigation and consultation expertise in sales representative and business disputes. He regularly advises clients regarding data security measures and responding to security breaches involving sensitive personal information. Jim has successfully tried cases in state and federal courts, and has successfully arbitrated cases before the American Arbitration Association. In addition, he has represented clients in both state and federal appellate courts.

Nicole J. Gray
216.348.5418
ngray@mcdonaldhopkins.com

Nicole Gray assists clients in consultation and litigation of a variety of employment matters arising under the Ohio Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the Family Medical Leave Act. She focuses her employment litigation practice in the areas of harassment, discrimination, wrongful discharge, retaliation, and wage and hour. Nicole has experience with the representation of employers regarding workplace injuries and Ohio Workers' Compensation law, including representing employers in administrative proceedings, VSSR proceedings, and litigation of intentional tort claims and workers compensation appeals. Nicole provides employment counseling to employers in the areas of handbook and policies/procedures compliance, employment contracts, employee discharge and discipline, employment-related training and other compliance practices. She also advises clients on traditional labor law matters and the National Labor Relations Act.

Heather M. Kern
216.430.2032
hkern@mcdonaldhopkins.com

Heather Kern draws upon her employment litigation experience to efficiently achieve desired results for businesses and supervisory personnel involved in employment disputes. She regularly represents employers in a variety of employment-related lawsuits and administrative charges arising under state and federal law, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful termination in violation of public policy. Heather also handles litigation involving agreements not to compete, and employer intentional torts. In addition, Heather regularly represents employers and third party administrators in ERISA litigation.

Jenny McGovern
312.642.6151
jmcgovern@mcdonaldhopkins.com 

Jenny McGovern focuses her practice on employment and general commercial litigation. Her employment litigation experience includes representing employers in class and individual employment litigation, including wage and hour, discrimination, harassment, wrongful discharge, and retaliation in federal and state court. Jenny also assists employers in consultation and litigation on a variety of matters arising under Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act. She also defends employers before various administrative agencies in Illinois, including the Illinois Department of Human Rights, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and Illinois Department of Employment Security. In addition, Jenny prosecutes and defends injunctions to enforce confidentiality agreements and covenants not to compete.

Dominic A. Paluzzi
248.220.1356
dpaluzzi@mcdonaldhopkins.com

Dominic Paluzzi concentrates his practice in the area of trade secret and non-compete law, including national counseling, litigation, and drafting of agreements. He regularly advises clients regarding data privacy and network security measures, drafting of written information security plans and responding to data security breaches involving sensitive personal information. His practice also includes commercial litigation and new construction litigation. He has also collaborated with the Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA) to develop a Terms and Conditions Comparative Analysis for automotive suppliers.

 

Antoinette M. Pilzner
248.220.1341
apilzner@mcdonaldhopkins.com

Antoinette focuses her practice in the areas of ERISA, employee benefits and executive compensation. She has 15 years of experience in establishing, revising and terminating benefit plans and executive compensation programs to address business needs and changes in the federal law. Antoinette, who is also a certified public accountant, frequently counsels clients on administering plans and programs to comply with ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code.

 

Miriam L. Rosen
248.220.1342
mrosen@mcdonaldhopkins.com

Miriam Rosen represents and counsels employers on a wide-range of labor and employment law issues. She focuses her practice on counseling employers on day-to-day human resource matters to ensure compliance with complex issues arising from state and federal employment laws, such as the FMLA, ADA, and civil rights statutes. She has extensive experience in the area of wage/hour matters, assisting employers in auditing practices and defending and resolving disputes stemming from the Fair Labor Standards Act and state law requirements. Miriam regularly works with employers to develop effective strategies for implementing difficult employment business decisions related to RIFS, WARN issues, and other employee separations. She also represents employers in collective bargaining negotiations, labor arbitrations, contract administration, union avoidance strategies and training, as well as union recognition, decertification and deauthorization campaigns. Miriam regularly conducts seminars and training for managers and staff on workplace compliance issues.

Douglas B. Schnee
216.348.5720
dschnee@mcdonaldhopkins.com

Doug Schnee focuses his practice on employment and general commercial litigation. Doug also advises and counsels clients on employment and human resources issues. His employment litigation experience includes representing employers before state and federal courts and administrative agencies in Ohio and throughout the region in wrongful termination, retaliation and discrimination matters arising under the Ohio Civil Rights Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act, Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act.   Doug is also experienced in litigating matters involving employment agreements containing covenants not to compete. Doug is licensed to practice in all state and federal courts in Ohio.

Adrienne Stemen
216.348.5760
astemen@mcdonaldhopkins.com

Adrienne Stemen is an attorney in the Labor and Employment Practice. She assists employers with all aspects of workers’ compensation including, insurance coverage, claim management, claim investigation, personnel training, violations of specific safety requirements, occupational disease claims, and occupational injury claims. She defends employers from workers’ compensation claims before all levels of the Industrial Commission and in court. Adrienne counsels employers on Medicare reporting under the Medicare, Medicaid and SCHIP Extension Act of 2007, the COBRA healthcare subsidy as initially provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and employment issues that overlap workers' compensation issues such as the the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Family Medical Leave Act. Her experience also includes assisting employers with various employment issues including OSHA, unemployment, claims of sexual harassment and discrimination, and employee terminations.

Dale R. Vlasek
dvlasek@mcdonaldhopkins.com
216.348.5452

Dale is chair of the Employee Benefits Practice Group. He focuses his practice on all employee benefit matters including pension, profit sharing and 401(k) planning design, operation and compliance matters, ESOPs, welfare benefit plans (e.g., group health, life, dependent care programs) design, operation and compliance matters, ERISA litigation, and multi-employer pension plans. He serves as benefits counsel to a number of middle-market and larger companies.

 

John M. Wirtshafter
216.348.5833
jwirtshafter@mcdonaldhopkins.com

John has extensive experience assisting mid-sized and Fortune 500 companies with employee benefits and executive compensation issues and opportunities, including benefits issues arising in mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and bankruptcies, and the design and implementation of qualified and non-qualified retirement and benefits programs including ESOPs, defined benefit and defined contribution plans, cash balance programs, non-qualified deferred compensation plans, stock option and other equity participation programs, VEBAs and SERPs.

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Helping clients achieve their missions.

We take a proactive and cost-effective approach to every challenge to develop legal solutions that work. That is why we have an 80-year track record of counseling clients through their most difficult times.

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