Shipman & Goodwin was serving the legal needs of employers even before the National Labor Relations Act was passed in the middle of the last century. From an initial focus on labor relations and collective bargaining, our range of services has expanded as employment law has evolved over the past half century or so.
Members of our practice group have broad and deep experience in employment discrimination, wrongful discharge, wage and hour, workers' compensation, unemployment compensation, OSHA, FMLA, immigration, and virtually every other employment-related field. Because Shipman & Goodwin is a general practice firm, our labor and employment lawyers are also able to draw upon the experience of members of our tax, employee benefits, and intellectual property practice groups, among others.
We emphasize preventive counseling, and offer training on subjects ranging from sexual harassment to union avoidance. Our goal is to help clients manage the legal risks associated with hiring, supervising and terminating employees, while following best management practices and complying with governmental requirements applicable to all aspects of the employment relationship.
In the private sector, we represent employers in almost every field of business and industry, including manufacturers, schools and colleges, hospitals and other health care providers, insurance carriers, wholesalers and retailers, transportation and construction firms, financial institutions, and a wide variety of service businesses. We also represent high level executives in the negotiation of the terms of their engagement with or separation from corporate employers. In the public sector, we represent dozens of municipalities and boards of education, as well as entities such as housing authorities and health districts. We also work with various elements of state government, and several quasi-public entities.
The areas in which we regularly assist our clients include:
• Hiring, evaluation, discipline and discharge of employees
• Personnel policies and employee handbooks
• Employment contracts and separation agreements
• Wage and hour issues, and other employment regulation
• Workers' compensation and heart and hypertension cases
• Non-competition and other restrictive covenants
• Immigration compliance and employment verification requirements