Find Lawyers in Rhode Island, United States for Litigation - Labor and Employment
Practice Area Overview
Often, these employment disputes culminate in a lawsuit, which can be costly, time-consuming, and damaging to employee relations. The number of employment-related litigation filings has been steadily increasing over the last decade, ranging from large-scale class actions to individual complaints. Employers are facing greater challenges and financial exposure from both current and former employees than ever before.
Employment litigation covers many types of claims, including discrimination; harassment; wage-hour pay, classification, and overtime violations; wrongful discharge; entitlement to employee benefits; misappropriation of trade secrets and confidential information; unfair competition; enforcement or avoidance of restrictive covenants; labor union disputes; workplace safety violations; defamation and other employment-related torts. These claims often involve the many laws governing employee relations, which are often referred to as “employment law alphabet soup.” These include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), whistleblower claims under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) or Dodd-Frank Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) and the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).
Resolving employment litigation requires knowledge of these laws and regulations, the applicable case law, and a careful case analysis and strategy. More so than in other less personal litigation, a perceptive understanding of the people involved is essential for success. Often, suits will be settled among parties or ended before trial through summary judgment based on the facts of the case. When early resolution is not achieved, however, the case will go to trial in court or before an agency tribunal. Verdicts in employment-related cases can be enormous, especially in wage-hour and other class actions, creating a high-stakes situation for employers.
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Robert P. Brooks is the firm’s Managing Partner and Chairman of the firm’s Labor and Employment Law Group. He represents management in all facets of labor relations and employment law in the public and private sectors. Bob’s labor and employment experience includes counseling employers on day-to-day personnel administration as well as on such complex administrative law issues as OSHA compliance and wage and hour issues under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Bob also regularly a...
Stacie Collier serves as practice group co-leader of Nixon Peabody’s Labor & Employment group. She exclusively represents management in the resolution of employment related disputes before state and federal courts and administrative agencies. What do you focus on? While I have experience performing all aspects of L&E work, today my practice has three primary focuses. Preventative My initial goal is to help keep clients out of litigation. To that end, I have performed strategic a...
Brian J. Lamoureux is a Partner with Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC and a member of the firm’s Litigation, Employment, Cyber Law and Corporate & Business teams. He is also Assistant Professor of Practice (Business Law) at Providence College, his alma mater. His extensive practice areas include complex commercial litigation, employment law, construction law, social media law, and creditors’ rights. In addition to being an accomplished business litigator, he is a...
Neal McNamara is a member of the Labor and Employment group. He represents companies and organizations of all sizes, counseling them regarding employment issues and defending them when they are sued on employment-related issues. What do you focus on? I focus on two main areas—both connected to the workforce. I counsel clients on issues with their employees and defend them if disputes arise. I advise my clients on the full range of employee issues, from handling the very tricky interplay...
William E. O'Gara is Managing Principal of Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O'Gara LLC, whose practice focuses on employment and labor law and mediating disputes. With over 25 years of experience, Attorney O'Gara has handled a wide range of cases including employment discrimination, wage and hour claims and sexual harassment claims. Attorney O'Gara also assists clients with traditional labor law matters, ranging from contract negotiations to arbitration. As a trusted advisor, Attorney O'Gara wor...
Mark A. Pogue focuses his practice on employment law and related litigation, representing employers and employees in a full range of employment matters in state and federal courts and administrative agencies. Mark appears frequently in courts across Rhode Island and Massachusetts, and before the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights and the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. Mark has also litigated many matters involving ERISA claims. In addition to litigating contested issue...
Matthew C. Reeber is a Partner with Pannone Lopes Devereaux & O’Gara LLC and a member of the firm’s Litigation and Employment Law Teams. He is a highly skilled and experienced trial attorney and litigator, focusing his practice on defending clients in both state and federal courts. Attorney Reeber serves as counsel for a wide range of clients and has successfully handled matters ranging from major property losses to wrongful termination claims. He prides himself on bringing ma...
A recognized leading litigator and chair of the Litigation Group, Pat has successfully tried and defended cases ranging from commercial litigation, product liability and toxic tort, employment discrimination and redistricting litigation, bribery, wire fraud, honest services and conspiracy. Pat's healthcare practice includes representing healthcare providers before state and federal regulatory agencies as well as in civil and criminal investigations. Dedicated to the law and service to society...
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