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Please see our Labor and Employment Counseling page as well.

Employers today must manage employees within a complex and ever-changing labyrinth of laws and regulations. We help guide our clients through this precarious legal landscape, and work closely with our clients on proactive approaches to employment and labor relations that resolve workplace issues before they become problems. We measure our success not only by the large battles we fight and win, but by the battles we have helped clients avoid with positive results.

The Labor and Employment Practices Group provides support to employers in the area of traditional union-management labor relations as well as human resource counseling and employment litigation services. Our representation is nationwide and cross-border, and is for a clientele drawn from most industry groups, including the transportation, health care and biotech, manufacturing, chemical, environmental services, automotive, consumer products, retail, computer technology, financial services, nonprofit and insurance industries. Our attorneys often serve as outside general labor and employment counsel to both domestic and foreign-based business organizations. Our clients include Fortune 50 companies, well known regional businesses, and emerging local companies.

Matters for which we routinely represent our clients arise in almost every subject area, including:

Employment Litigation, Arbitration and Administrative Proceedings

  • Judicial, arbitration, and administrative claims made under federal labor and employment laws, including the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (discrimination and harassment), the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Equal Pay Act (EPA), the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), individual and collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA), and federal prevailing rate laws, such as “Davis-Bacon”;
  • Class and collective actions, including hybrid federal/state actions, under minimum wage and overtime laws, antidiscrimination laws, common law and statutory privacy requirements and other employment laws and regulations;
  • Claims made under various state labor and employment laws, including state antidiscrimination laws, state whistleblower protection laws, and state wage payment and wage & hour laws – including prevailing wage laws and workers’ compensation retaliation claims;
  • Common law wrongful discharge claims, defamation and privacy-based actions, negligent hiring, retention and training, and other types of employment related-lawsuits, both on an individual and class-action basis;
  • Claims before various federal and state administrative agencies, such as OSHA, Department of Labor (DOL), and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC); and
  • Antitrust and RICO actions arising out of labor and other workplace-related disputes.

Employer-Employee Relations

  • Negotiating and drafting executive employment contracts, severance agreements and retirement incentive plans;
  • Drafting and implementing plans for reductions in force (RIFs), relocations and closings, including guidance under federal and state employee and community notification laws, such as the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN);
  • ERISA drafting, planning and counseling;
  • Harassment and other discipline/discharge training to minimize litigation exposure;
  • Strategies and training to remain non union;
  • OFCCP, federal and state affirmative action compliance and audits;
  • Supervisory/management training;
  • Counseling on human resources issues, including the development of strategies, planning and organization, employee attitude surveys, hiring and selection systems, workplace/human resources audits, and the development of employee handbook, drug testing, and other internal employment policy documents; and,
  • Immigration counseling and assistance relating to employment of foreign nationals.

Union-Management Labor Relations, Union Labor Practices

  • National Labor Relations Board and court representation related to unfair labor practice charges and election proceedings;
  • Picketing, lockouts, demonstrations, handbilling and strikes;
  • Merger, acquisition, plant relocation and layoff issues in a unionized environment;
  • Union organizational attempts and campaigns;
  • Collective bargaining, negotiation, contract administration, grievances and arbitration;
  • Government compliance and affirmative action; and
  • Multi-employer pension plans and litigation arising out of such plans, including defending trustees against fiduciary obligation litigation.

Employer Protection Strategies, Unfair Competition

  • Drafting and enforcing employment agreements, non-compete and trade secret agreements;
  • Litigating and securing injunctions caused by breach of non-compete, trade secret and employment agreements;
  • Developing and implementing strategies to protect employers against corporate raiding, protection of trade secrets, and unfair competition employment practices; and
  • Technology policies, electronic surveillance, and privacy issues.

Cross-Border/International Employment Law Services

  • Providing assistance and consultation to domestic and foreign-based multinational business organizations in recognizing and complying with employment, labor and data protection law requirements of nations in which they do or seek to do business;
  • Preparation of employment agreements for inbound executives and outbound expatriates;
  • Counseling on employment law aspects of mergers and acquisitions that cross borders;
  • Counseling on compliance with the European Union Data Protection Directive, including development of contracts, internal policies and procedures, training and other materials required to remain compliant; and
  • Coordination and development of global employment policies and project management on the implementation of those policies.

Our Attorneys

Karen Baillie

Karen Baillie

412-577-5118

Pittsburgh, PA

kbaillie@schnader.com

 412-577-5118 Pittsburgh, PA
Lisa M. Brauner

Lisa M. Brauner

212-973-8170

New York, NY

lbrauner@schnader.com

 212-973-8170 New York, NY
M. Christine Carty

M. Christine Carty

212-973-8012

New York, NY

ccarty@schnader.com

 212-973-8012 New York, NY
Stephen H. Dye

Stephen H. Dye

415-364-6713

San Francisco, CA

sdye@schnader.com

 415-364-6713 San Francisco, CA
Megan E. Harmon

Megan E. Harmon

412-577-5209

Pittsburgh, PA

mharmon@schnader.com

 412-577-5209 Pittsburgh, PA
Anne E. Kane

Anne E. Kane

215-751-2397

Philadelphia, PA

akane@schnader.com

 215-751-2397 Philadelphia, PA
Hon. Timothy K. Lewis

Hon. Timothy K. Lewis

412-577-5290

Pittsburgh, PA Philadelphia, PA

tlewis@schnader.com

 412-577-5290 Pittsburgh, PA Philadelphia, PA
Polly Phillippi

Polly Phillippi

856-482-5725

Cherry Hill, NJ

pphillippi@schnader.com

 856-482-5725 Cherry Hill, NJ
Deena Jo Schneider

Deena Jo Schneider

215-751-2166

Philadelphia, PA

dschneider@schnader.com

 215-751-2166 Philadelphia, PA
Scott J. Wenner

Scott J. Wenner

212-973-8115

New York, NY San Francisco, CA

swenner@schnader.com

 212-973-8115 New York, NY San Francisco, CA

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The Higher Calling Of The Law Requires...

Inclusion. When Pennsylvania Attorney General William Schnader left politics and sought to return to private practice in Philadelphia, he discovered that no major Philadelphia law firms would hire his protégé, Bernard Segal, a Jewish attorney. In response, in 1935, William Schnader, Bernard Segal and Francis Lewis formed a new law firm, Schnader & Lewis -- the first religiously integrated law firm in Philadelphia.

Innovation. Because Schnader was religiously integrated from its founding, many local clients in the Philadelphia area would not retain the firm in the 1930s and 1940s. Accordingly, the firm sought to represent larger, national companies.

Vision. Firm founder William Schnader was president of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws, which drafted and developed the Uniform Commercial Code. He successfully campaigned for the Code's adoption in 49 states.

The pursuit of freedom. At the request of President Truman, firm founder Earl Harrison, as Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, toured displaced persons camps at the end of World War II and recommended to the President that displaced persons in Europe be permitted to resettle in Palestine. His report was a major factor that led to American support for the establishment of Israel.

The pursuit of justice. Firm founder Earl Harrison testified on behalf of an African-American student denied entry to the University of Texas School of Law because of his race. The case challenged the "separate but equal" doctrine, as applied to state law schools and laid the foundation for Brown v. Board of Education. The Supreme Court eventually overturned the lower courts' decisions and ordered the University of Texas to admit qualified black applicants.

Courage. Firm founder Bernard Segal convinced the Philadelphia bar to defend nine accused Communists pro bono. The defendants were convicted but their cases were thrown out on appeal. As a result, the Justice Department abandoned Smith Act prosecutions across the country.

The pursuit of justice. When George Wallace threatened to block integration of the University of Alabama, Schnader’s Bernard Segal drafted a statement in opposition. He and Jerome Shestack called lawyers all over the country requesting their support. The statement was published in the Birmingham News with 53 prominent lawyer signatories and provided support for President Kennedy's Executive Order federalizing the Alabama National Guard.

The pursuit of justice. In the wake of George Wallace's efforts to impede the integration of the University of Alabama, and at the urging of Schnader’s Bernard Segal, President Kennedy convened 244 lawyers at the White House to ask them to move the battle for civil rights and racial equality to the courts. The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law was born and Jerome Shestack became its full-time executive director while continuing to practice at Schnader.

Inclusion. Firm founder Bernard Segal was chair of the ABA’s Committee on the Federal Judiciary. He advocated the appointment of federal judges of all genders and races.

Inclusion. Firm founder Bernard Segal was the first Jewish person to serve as Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association. He encouraged the bar into public service and expanded its racial horizons.

Inclusion. Schnader was one of the first major Philadelphia firms to hire a female attorney.

Diversity. Schnader was a founding member of the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group, which aims to increase the number of diverse attorneys in-house and in private practice.

Inclusion. The firm appointed Albert Dandridge as Chief Diversity Officer and charged him with increasing and developing our bench of diverse attorneys.

Service. The firm adopted Caton Village (now closed), a halfway house for women in Philadelphia, where we provided free legal clinics and social and educational activities for its residents.

Service. Schnader lawyers regularly represent undocumented children who were abused or abandoned by their parents. We help these children obtain guardians, stop removal proceedings, and begin the path to citizenship.

Service. As U.S. veterans waited an average of four years for a ruling on the denial of their disability benefits, Schnader attorneys led a campaign advocating for a solution to address the backlog.

The pursuit of justice. Schnader attorneys represented Guantanamo Bay detainees, advocating for fair treatment and due process against a byzantine legal landscape.

Service. With a nonprofit partner, Schnader attorneys and staff designed and taught a pilot life skills seminar for young adults aging out of the foster care system. The program included lessons on securing vital documents, opening a bank account, looking for jobs and going to an interview.

Service. Schnader attorneys help middle school students in Pittsburgh set up a youth court, prepare for mock trials and draft a bill of rights for their school. The students learn about Constitutional law, advocacy and restorative justice from participating in these programs.

Service. Bernard Segal, a founder of the firm, believed that Schnader's hallmark is its "dedication to the higher calling of the law," which he defined as "the lawyer's obligation to assume an active role in the pursuit of a just and ordered society, in helping to solve the emerging problems of social, economic and political importance, and to serve the public as his or her client, as she or he would serve a full-paying client."