Employment Litigation and Counseling

Michigan employers often turn to Barris, Sott, Denn & Driker for top-quality, practical, cost-effective help with employment problems.

Our employment litigation attorneys have gone to court and won wrongful discharge, employment discrimination, whistleblower, wage and hour, and other employment claims.  We have also defended employers before various federal and state agencies such as the Department of Labor, Michigan Department of Civil Rights, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

The firm's labor relations practice includes representation of management before the National Labor Relations Board and state labor boards. We also represent management in union contract negotiations, grievances, and arbitrations.

We also draft employment manuals, employment contracts, and specialized employment policies. We provide on-the-spot advice with regard to matters that employers deal with every day, such as employee discipline and termination, incident investigation, employee benefits, and compliance with state and federal statutes affecting employment.  We also advise on employment benefits such as COBRA, FMLA, paid-out unused vacation or sick leave, pensions, and company stock purchase privileges

Our advice and counseling on best employment practices has minimized clients' exposure to potential lawsuits. We practice litigation prevention through comprehensive counseling and also by offering clients customized in-house training on issues such as employee discipline and investigation and prevention of sexual harassment.

Finally, we represent both management and executives in designing and negotiating executive compensation and severance arrangements.  Recruiting, compensating, and retaining high-quality employees and executives requires a well-crafted plan encompassing insurance, retirement plans, salary, bonuses, and separation provisions.