Employment and Civil Rights Litigation: Represents employers, businesses and other organizations in the defense of claims of violations of civil rights and employment issues alleged by current and former employees, students, patrons and customers, including:
- Advice, counsel and litigation of claims by current or former employees alleging discrimination, harassment or retaliation on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual harassment, age, disability, pregnancy, national origin and other types of unlawful workplace discrimination;
- Proceedings before federal, state and local equal employment agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Florida Commission for Human Relation (FCHR), as well as in the federal and state courts;
- Representation of educational institutions in defense of race, color, religion, sex, sexual harassment, gender equity, age, disability, pregnancy, national origin and other types of discrimination claims by students, members of the faculty and other employees;
Representation of educational institutions in Title IX gender equity, sex discrimination and sexual harassment claims; and
- Representation of businesses, hotels, restaurants and other organizations that are open to the general public in civil rights claims made by members of the public, including claims alleging discrimination and harassment, as well as claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Rehabilitation Act alleging that the businesses are not accessible to persons with disabilities; and
- Provides advice and counsel to clients regarding Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Florida Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA).
- Representing agencies, law enforcement or individuals in Section 1983 Civil Rights Litigation cases including First Amendment, Eighth Amendment Excessive Force, and Procedural Due Process rights.
Workplace Training: Facilitates the training of employees and managers throughout the United States on workplace-related matters involving discrimination, harassment and other workplace issues
Educational Institutions: Represents higher education institutions and K-12 schools, including public, private and charter, and has in-depth knowledge of the unique issues that face these organizations, including:
- Governance matters, labor issues, faculty issues, shared governance, tenure issues, questions of academic freedom, employment issues, student claims and a host of other claims and issues facing educational institutions;
- Student and faculty grievance issues;
- Advice, counsel and litigation of claims arising out of disabilities and accommodations, both by students as well as by faculty, staff and employees;
- Financial aid compliance under Title IV;
- Litigation of disputes with vendors to educational institutions, particularly those vendors that provide educational products or services;
- Title IX issues and claims for sex discrimination or sexual harassment;
- Response to charges filed with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR);
- Student privacy issues, including questions related to obligations under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA);
- Student and faculty discipline issues; and
- Represents educational institutions in the defense of personal injury and premises liability claims by students and visitors.
ADA, FMLA and Medical Leaves: Advice, counsel and litigation of issues and claims arising out of disabilities, medical leaves, reasonable accommodations, and workplace injuries, including claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the relationship of these statutory requirements with other state and federal laws.
Wage and Hour Litigation: Advice, counsel and litigation of issues under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FSLA), including collective actions, minimum wage, overtime, exemptions and claims for wages under state law.
Employment Contracts and NIL Matters: Litigation over the enforcement of contractual provisions such as wage claims, bonus payments, and allegations of wrongful termination. Drafting and review of employment contracts or Name Image and Likeness (NIL) contracts. Drafting of NIL policies and procedures for higher education institutions.
Non-Compete, Non-Solicitation and Restrictive Covenants: Problem solving with clients concerning issues related to restrictive covenants. Litigation over the enforcement of restrictive covenants in employment contracts.
I-9 Compliance: Represents employers in Department of Homeland Security I-9 audits; experienced in conducting in-house audits of employer practices and documentation compliance with federal immigration laws.
Administrative Proceedings, Workplace Investigations and Audits: Represents employers, businesses, agencies and other organizations in administrative proceedings, DOAH proceedings, litigation, or investigations by:
- Conducting workplace investigations including the investigation of claims of harassment and discrimination as well as claims of employee theft
- Assisting clients in issues relating to OSHA compliance, on-site investigations and litigation;
- Representing clients in investigations and audits by Federal and State Agencies including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Labor (DOL), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Florida Commission on Human Relations (FCHR) and the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission.
Bar Admission and Bar Grievance Process: Assists law students and law school graduates in the application process for admission to the Florida Bar and members of the legal profession in grievance matters and issues of omissions and nondisclosures, financial responsibility issues and prior criminal charges.
