In view of the explosion of employment claims in recent years, employers of all sizes can count on employment disputes being an active and troublesome part of doing business. New and proposed legislation has greatly expanded employers' exposure to many diverse claims by employees, including discrimination claims based upon age, religion, color, disability, sex, race, national origin, and veteran's status. Harassment claims are on the increase. Our employment law lawyers are helping our clients successfully meet these challenges so they can operate their businesses efficiently without the disruption of costly and divisive employment claims.
Krieg DeVault's employment lawyers have successfully represented employers in state and federal trial and appellate courts, before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Indiana Civil Rights Commission, the Indiana and United States Departments of Labor and various other state agencies. The subject matter of these proceedings has included such diverse issues as discrimination, wrongful discharge, disputes over employment agreements (including covenants-not-to-compete and trade secrets), wage and hour violations, and Workers Compensation.
Recognizing the increasingly high cost of litigation, our attorneys have worked on preventive strategies with clients, helping them design and adopt management practices to avoid claims by employees and students. These efforts include the preparation of employee handbooks, instruction on wage and hour laws, application of the Family and Medical Leave Act, proper hiring, evaluation and discharge techniques, and downsizing strategies. We frequently provide in-house seminars for our clients to assist them in implementing practices and procedures which will help insulate their businesses and schools from liability claims. We also have assisted our clients in the preparation of pre-hire reference checks and drug-testing procedures that meet applicable legal requirements and provide for a productive and safe workplace without infringing on legitimate privacy rights of employees.
