Ruder Ware’s Employment, Labor & Benefits practice group works in tandem with private and public employers providing counsel on all aspects of human resource management. The breadth of services offered, unique for a law firm headquartered in Wausau, Wisconsin, includes counsel on highly sensitive issues such as workplace harassment, employee privacy, drug and alcohol testing, and disciplinary issues. In addition, attorneys design and assist with the development, implementation, and enforcement of policies and procedures relating to benefits, hiring practices, employee handbooks, state and federal discrimination laws, FMLA, FLSA, ADA, OSHA, and workers’ compensation.
Attorneys in the group regularly represent public and private sector employers in collective bargaining, negotiations, union elections, unfair labor practices, and grievance arbitration matters in addition to guiding nonunion clients on maintaining their union-free status.
Actively involved in organizations with human resource professionals as the primary member base, our attorneys are in tune with the various sensitivities and complexities of the profession. Our attorneys often present seminars and in-house training on employment law topics both across the state and nationwide.
With decades of experience working with human resource professionals, Ruder Ware has created an audit program to proactively identify potential problems in an employer’s human resource operations. The audit reviews and analyzes current employee-related policies and procedures. For additional detail, follow this link for a complete program description.
Ruder Ware offers on-site training personalized to the employer on any topic in need of explanation or exploration. To schedule on-site training, contact Attorney Sara Ackermann at 715.845.4336. As an added service, our firm offers no cost electronic legal and legislative updates to all interested human resource professionals.
Recent significant achievements by our Employment, Labor & Benefits practice group include:
- Successfully defended numerous clients in cases alleging discrimination, wrongful discharge, violation or enforcement of noncompete agreements, OSHA violations, and FMLA violations
- Advised several clients with respect to the fiduciary duty rules applicable to those who administer and manage ERISA-covered retirement plans
- Advised and assisted several unionized clients to negotiate the termination and withdrawal from multiemployer deferred benefit pension plans
- Assisted several clients with designing, drafting, and implementing supplemental retirement plan agreements for senior executives along with counseling regarding compliance with the new IRS rules on deferred compensation
- Represented numerous clients in union contract negotiations and grievance arbitrations
- Assisted several clients with updating their employee handbooks and employment policies
- Represented several employers who successfully accomplished employee union decertification
- Successfully negotiated new labor agreements for a major healthcare provider as a precondition to the purchase of a healthcare facility in another state
Areas of practice by the Employment, Labor & Benefits practice group:
Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation
Employment Law
Labor Law
As part of a full-service law firm, our attorneys provide clients with a one-stop approach to their legal needs. Ruder Ware, the largest Wisconsin law firm headquartered north of Madison, also provides legal counsel in Business Transactions, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, and Trusts & Estates. |
