Counsel, Policy Making, and Contracts

Initiation of the employment relationship is critical. Dean Mead acts as a member of your team in assessing working relationships from a legal perspective – inception through termination – by evaluating and developing appropriate policies to ensure compliance and establishing parameters for your work force.

This is done through preparation and/or review of:

• Personnel policy manuals and handbooks
• Pre-employment drug testing and random drug-testing laws
• Employment and independent contractor agreements
• Same-sex marriage laws and benefits
• Severance agreements
• Other employment contracts (non-compete and non-solicitation clauses, employee confidentiality agreements, and additional restrictive covenant provisions)

Dean Mead assures compliance with federal and state regulations, including an employer’s responsibilities under the Affordable Care Act, the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Fair Labor Standards Act, and others. We are also effective in helping employers stay abreast of the ever-changing regulations related to social media policies, paid family leave, protection of health care and other private information, employment decisions involving disability, gender, religious, and sexual orientation issues, and more. Labor and employment law is a vast field, and clients rely on our team to ensure compliance with the most recent changes in the law.

As the working relationship progresses, we help businesses apply their policies consistently, counsel them regarding discipline and termination, and provide ideas and advice on best practices for a productive work force. If a work force reduction is necessary, Dean Mead assists with notifications to employees, preparation of separation and severance agreements, and transaction services that may relate to the closure of a location.