Labor and Employment

Providing Critical Legal Advice for all Levels of Workforce Management

The complexity of today’s labor and employment laws create a tangled web that must be deftly navigated to avoid legal issues concerning, but not limited to, harassment, discrimination, wage and hour compliance, proper classification of employees, leave issues, restrictive covenants, protection of confidential information and trade secrets, and taxation/benefit issues. At Dean Mead, our experience, in-depth knowledge, and broad resources enable us to keep up to date with the ever-changing labor and employment law landscape. We take a proactive, client-first approach toward anticipating and/or efficiently responding to any issue facing your workforce, no matter the size of your company or the matter at hand.

Our attorneys work in close partnership with clients providing day-to-day legal advice, counsel, and strategy development consistent with business/employment objectives concerning all workforce management levels. These include executive-level employees, former employees, and independent contractors and their working relationships at all stages. For example, we actively engage clients at the outset of the relationship, preparing and/or reviewing employment and contractor agreements and policies, non-disclosure agreements, and restrictive covenants to ensure they are successfully set up. We collaborate with clients to address the daily issues such as wage and hour issues, leave, discipline, and the like. When a client faces the end of a relationship, we are here to help with separation-related issues, including severance/separation agreements, protection of property and information, benefits and tax-related questions, and enforcement of agreements.  

In the eventuality of a dispute, we are also prepared for litigation. Dean Mead’s Labor and Employment Practice defends employers in all matters arising in state and federal courts and before local, state, and federal agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC); the U.S Department of Labor (DOL); the Florida Commission for Human Relations; Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA); and other employment-related agencies.

“As an employer, there are a variety of things you must consider in engaging and retaining your workforce and a number of laws with which you must ensure compliance,” said Nichole Mooney, Shareholder and Chair of the firm’s Labor and Employment Practice. “Labor and employment law is complex and dynamic requiring expertise in its intricacies and a good measure of practical and business sense to best partner with your business for success.”