We understand the Complexities of Labor and Employment Law
Mateer & Harbert has advised business owners for decades on employee and employer rights created by contracts and the many statutes governing labor and employment issues. We advise clients concerning compliance audits and help employers determine whether employees are exempt from minimum wage and overtime requirements. We counsel employers on the recordkeeping requirements under the various wage and hour laws and defend wage and hour lawsuits in court, including class and collective actions. These lawsuits involve such issues as overtime, missed meal and break periods, prevailing wages, and recordkeeping and payroll deductions.
Employee Relations
Increasingly, aspects of employee relations involve employee defection, employee recruitment, and trade secrets protection. As a result, this can lead us into litigating and advising clients on covenants not to compete; non-solicitation, non-recruitment, non-use and non-disclosure agreements; trade secrets and confidential business information; unfair competition and employee raiding; fiduciary duty and duty of loyalty claims; and statutory issues under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, and various state trade secrets, computer protection, and unfair competition statutes.
The United States Department of Labor and the State of Florida administers and enforces more than 180 federal laws and regulations in the workplace. If an employer or an employee violates state or federal labor laws, Mateer & Harbert can win a favorable judgment. We have proven success through our knowledge of the law and appropriate strategies.
Some common labor disputes that require legal intervention are:
- Breaching an employment agreement such as denying employee benefits, wrongful termination, schedule disputes, or HIPAA violations.
- Labor law prohibits discrimination due to age, gender, race, religion, disability, and other factors. Discrimination claims are typically complicated fact patterns with significant emotional issues.
- Retaliation against an employee in the form of disciplinary action, termination, harassment, or demotion, such as company retribution to an employee who reported the company for hazardous conditions.
- Workers’ Compensation cases that are denied, and the employer is not taking responsibility for the alleged workplace accident, injury, or illness.
- Family Medical Leave Act violations, if an employee is refused leave and the company takes adverse action or is unlawfully dismissed during a leave.
Discuss Your Legal Options with our Labor and Employment Attorneys
The attorneys at Mateer & Harbert combine the legal knowledge with our experience as litigators and our perceptions of human behavior.
We analyze situations where an individual’s rights may clash with the organization’s plans or beliefs. To prevent or minimize future risks, we can craft policies and contracts that comply with labor laws. These can include employment contracts, severance agreements, confidentiality, non-compete, independent contractor agreements, and others.
We look forward to helping you understand your rights and protecting your business or job. For more information regarding our Labor & Employment practice, contact Mateer & Harbert at our Orlando, Florida office at 407-425-9044.