Barnes & Thornburg’s Labor and Employment Law Department is one of the fastest-growing labor groups in the nation. Two qualities set us apart: Our passion for what we do, and the pride we take in helping clients achieve their business goals. To succeed in the competitive global marketplace, our clients must not only meet but exceed their customers’ expectations. We share this objective, offering superior service, innovative ideas and an understanding of the challenges our clients face.
Our Services
The Labor and Employment Law group offers comprehensive advice on the full spectrum of labor and employment issues, including:
- Labor relations
- Union agreements
- State and federal employment laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN), Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
- Litigation
- Unemployment and workers’ compensation claims
- Corporate governance
- Employment contracts
- Workforce reorganizations
- Trade secret and non-compete claims
- International labor law
- Affirmative action plans
- Class action defense
- Diversity and workplace violence training
We take a preventative approach to potential labor and employment claims. The firm frequently works with a non-legal consulting affiliate that provides human resources consulting services, including compensation, strategic planning, employee surveys, workplace conduct training, management and leadership training, coaching, recruiting, and human resource program development.
Our attorneys speak more than a dozen languages and are experienced in the cultural nuances of multi-jurisdictional matters. We work across all time zones, from the major commercial and financial centers of London and Hong Kong to the emerging markets of Thailand and Russia. Our association with TerraLex, an international legal organization the firm founded and currently leads, gives us the resources to address labor and employment issues in more than 140 countries, states and provinces.
Our Team
The department is made up of professionals from the firm’s offices in Atlanta, Indiana, Illinois, Los Angeles, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, and Washington, D.C., and includes:
- Present and former bar association presidents
- Former Supreme Court, federal appellate, district and state court clerks
- Lawyers with special appointments from government officials
- Former general counsel for Fortune 100 companies
- Executive officers of the Japan-American Society
- Designated labor counsel for the nation of Mexico
- Lead speakers for local and national Chamber of Commerce and Society for Human Resource Management conferences
- The current co-chairman of the TerraLex Labor and Employment Law Practice Group
Our Clients
The firm’s labor and employment clients range in size from Fortune 100 companies to small, family-owned businesses. Our resources and reputation have enabled us to represent some of the world’s most recognizable employers on a regional, national and international level. We also work with small companies in need of legal counsel on a specific issue.
Big or small, each of our clients faces a wide range of workforce-related challenges that can impact their growth and profitability — from productivity issues to rising health care costs and increasingly complex labor laws.
Our Achievements
The firm’s hard work has been recognized by a wide range of publications and independent rating organizations. Recent accolades include:
- Ranked as one of only 11 full-service firms gaining Tier 1 status in the nation for labor law by U.S. News-Best Lawyers (2011)
- One of 22 firms nationally on Workforce Management Magazine's 2009 "Hot List" of Top U.S. Labor and Employment Firms
- Top 20 busiest firm for ADA (#8), Civil Rights (#10), Employment Practices (#18) (2009 Litigation Almanac, Law360)
- Listed as one of Corporate Counsel Magazine's 2009 "Go-To Law Firms of the World's Leading Companies"
- Recognized as one of the nation’s top labor and top employment firms by U.S. News-Best Lawyers (2010).