Reduce the cost of doing business.
- Employee contract negotiation and drafting
- Employee policy development, including handbook drafting and review
- Employee screening and hiring practices
- Separation agreements
- Employee discipline and termination
- Employee classification
- Employer risk management
- Employee leave issues
- Employment litigation and arbitration, including wrongful discharge defense
- Employment discrimination defense, including retaliation, sexual harassment, disability, race and age
- Reasonable accommodation issues
- Workers’ compensation defense
- Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- Wage and hour compliance
- Alternative dispute resolution
- Management and Employer Labor relations, including collective bargaining agreement negotiation, drafting, and arbitration
- Montana Human Rights Act
- NLRB elections and unfair labor practices
Proactive Legal Guidance
Prevention is the best medicine. To help companies avoid employment related legal battles, we advise human resource and business professionals on everyday employment law issues, conduct workplace training sessions, workplace investigations for employers and host free employment law seminars.
Employment litigation defense
We have extensive experience defending employers who have been accused of wrongfully terminating or discriminating against an employee. Employment claims often stem from allegations of failure to have good cause for terminations, discrimination, or harassment. These claims can also include constructive discharge, which involves an employee being forced to quit due to unbearable working conditions. We can help in all of these areas, as well as with alternative dispute resolution methods such as arbitration or mediation.
We often serve as mediators in employment disputes hosting mediations and settlement conferences. Video conferencing is also available for those who are not able to come to our offices.
Case Studies
Plaintiff’s employment with our client ended sometime after being required and refusing to utilize a GPS device in personal vehicle to account for work reimbursable mileage. Plaintiff sued our client for wrongful discharge.
VERDICT: Defense prevails in wrongful discharge claim. Jury found that plaintiff was not discharged by our client without good cause. Plaintiff requested $241,000, Jury awards Plaintiff $0.
FINDING: No cause finding and dismissal of disability discrimination and retaliation claims. The former employee alleged he was disabled and that our client improperly failed to adjust his schedule pursuant to his health care provider’s recommendation. The Human Rights Bureau found no reasonable cause to believe our client discriminated against its former employee and that our client had reasonably accommodated the employee and had appropriately engaged in the interactive process. The EEOC adopted these findings and the charge of discrimination against our client was dismissed.
FINDING: No cause finding and dismissal of sexual harassment and retaliation claims. The former employee alleged she had been sexually harassed and subject to a hostile work environment throughout her employment with our client. The Human Rights Bureau found that our client did not sexually harass or retaliate against the former employee and dismissed the charge of discrimination. The EEOC adopted these findings and the federal claim was dismissed, as well.
JUDGEMENT: Federal court dismissed employee’s wrongful discharge suit against our client on summary judgment. The former employee alleged our client had terminated him without good cause, violated it’s own personnel policies, and tortiously interfered with his new business opportunities. We moved for dismissal that our client had good cause to terminate a managerial employee it could no longer trust, complied with all of its discretionary personnel policies, and did not interfere with the former employee’s new business opportunities, as the former employee had instructed a subordinate to forge documents. The federal court granted our motion and dismissed all of the former employee’s claims.
FINDING: No reasonable cause to believe discrimination occurred and dismissal of claims. Former employee alleged she was constructively discharged because our client had discriminated against her on the basis of age, color, national origin, and race in holding her accountable for performance issues. The Human Rights Bureau found in favor of our client, that it had a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for holding her accountable and dismissed her charge of discrimination. The EEOC adopted those findings.
GLR Attorneys Practicing Labor & Employment Law
Scalable legal counsel
Use only what you need, when you need it. As your needs change, you’ve got a team of attorneys—in almost every area of law—ready to jump in as needed.