Duane Morris LLP - Employment Law and Management Labor Relations

Duane Morris Institute

Training workshops for HR professionals, in-house counsel,
benefits administrators and senior managers

Ranked a Litigation Powerhouse in Complex Employment Litigation in BTI’s Litigation Outlook 2025

Reopening the Workplace
During the COVID-19
Pandemic:
What Employers Need
To Know
(Printable)

Sexual Harassment Claims
and Boards of Directors
at a Glance
(Printable)

Sexual Harassment Claims
and Senior Leadership
at a Glance
(Printable)

Pay Equity Compliance
at a Glance
(Printable)

Duane Morris employment lawyers regularly counsel and advise employers on compliance with federal, state and local employment laws with the goal of increasing workplace efficiency and preventing potentially disruptive litigation. We also represent management interests in responding to union organizing campaigns, negotiating collective bargaining agreements, handling administrative agency investigations and defending employment-related litigation.

Duane Morris offers practical counseling designed to prevent potentially disruptive labor and employment disputes. We handle a wide variety of employment-related litigation and are experienced in management labor relations matters.

Employment services are individually developed to reflect each client's business goals and objectives. We assist clients in preparing employee manuals, crafting personnel policies to address the client's business needs, implementing customized supervisory and nonsupervisory training programs, and designing compliance strategies.

As a result of our extensive experience in the labor and employment field, we strive to place our clients' issues directly before the appropriate decision makers. In representing clients in employment and labor matters, issues may arise that require the skills of lawyers practicing in a variety of disciplines. Because of the broad scope of services offered at Duane Morris, our employment attorneys, when necessary, consult with lawyers on matters involving employee benefits, bankruptcy, business law, real estate, complex trial work and healthcare.

Employment Services

Employee Relations Counseling

Duane Morris attorneys advise clients on compliance with employment-related statutes and regulations on the federal, state and local levels. We take a preventative approach in counseling clients, reflecting our client's goal to minimize conflicts in the workplace that may lead to costly litigation. Our advice is practical and defensible, not merely theoretical. Our attorneys regularly assist clients in the following areas:

preparation of employee handbooks and personnel policies
drafting of employment offer letters and agreements
development of drug and alcohol testing policies
compliance with wage and hour regulations
implementation of discipline and discharge protocols
investigating employee misconduct
compliance with special statutory protections for the disabled
protection of employee privacy interests at the workplace
development of affirmative action plans
compliance with plant closing and mass layoff regulations
drafting of severance policies and separation agreements
preparation of confidentiality agreements and trade secret programs
compliance with health and safety regulations
implementation of military reservist and veterans' protection statutes

Employment Litigation

When disputes cannot be avoided, our experienced labor and employment litigators represent clients at trial and appeal in state and federal courts, as well as before the U.S. Supreme Court. We also handle arbitrations and administrative hearings before state and federal anti-discrimination agencies, labor relations boards and unemployment compensation tribunals. Our attorneys staff cases in an efficient manner and approach cases aggressively, with the goal of achieving positive results and favorable settlements early in the litigation process. The types of actions we litigate include:

employment discrimination
enforcement of restrictive covenants
defamation
employment contracts
wrongful discharge
harassment at the workplace
unemployment compensation
disability discrimination
"whistleblower" protections
enforcement of trade secrets
employee benefits
FLSA wage and hour compliance

Management Labor Relations

Duane Morris attorneys represent management interests with the aim of minimizing potential labor problems. Our attorneys have extensive experience in all facets of management labor relations, including:

maintaining a union-free workplace
representing management in union elections
negotiating collective bargaining agreements
handling grievance and arbitration proceedings
obtaining mass picketing injunctions
advising management in work stoppage situations
handling unfair labor practice charges at the NLRB

Employment Training and Workshops

Our attorneys develop and conduct training programs for both supervisory and nonsupervisory employees. The training programs and workshops are designed to meet a client's specific needs in a wide variety of workplace issues, such as:

attorney-client privilege
diversity and inclusion
equal employment opportunity compliance
FMLA compliance
harassment: prevention and remediation
impaired professionals/employees
implicit bias
interviewing and hiring
investigating employee misconduct
legal ethics
pay equity
performance evaluations
performance management
reasonable accommodations (ADA and religion)
social media
substance abuse in the workplace
union awareness
wage and hour compliance
what employees expect of managers
workplace violence

Employment Investigations

Duane Morris attorneys conduct and counsel employers on workplace investigations, including allegations of employee misconduct. We are frequently called upon to assist with investigations into:

sexual, racial, disability, ethnic and religious harassment
possession, use and/or sale of controlled substances
compliance with corporate ethics policies
workplace violence
employment discrimination allegations
employee theft

Corporate Transactions

Our lawyers are sensitive to the employment and labor issues that may impact transactional matters. When appropriate, we work with our corporate, real estate, bankruptcy, tax and finance attorneys to provide a complete range of services with respect to client needs. Examples of our transactional work include: