A client in the construction industry had a Workers’ Compensation Judgment in the amount of $78,000.00 and a penalty of $353,000.00, for a total of $431,000.00 due to the Workers’ Compensation Board for violations of the Workers Compensation Law Section 52, but through the efforts of the Franklin, Gringer, & Cohen PC law firm, the $78,000.00 judgment against the client was reduced to $1,000.00 and the $323,000.00 penalty was completely rescinded.
Thus, the firm was successfully able to reduce the $431,000.00 amount due and owing to the Workers’ Compensation Board to only $1,000.00, saving the client $430,000.00.
How Our Firm Can Aid Your Company
Why does my company need labor and employment law counsel?
Virtually any employee who is terminated can claim discrimination based on age, sex, race, national origin, disability, religion or veteran status. Since the enactment of the 1991 Civil Rights Act, which provided for jury trials and compensatory and punitive damages, employment discrimination litigation has skyrocketed. Also, employees are more aware of their legal options as they read in the newspapers about jury verdicts that are frequently in seven figures. We counsel our clients on avoiding such cases through proper handling of disciplinary issues and reductions in force, and the development and communication of sound corporate policies.
What makes our law firm different from other law firms?
We have over sixty years of combined experience representing employers in labor relations and employment law matters. We believe that there are numerous advantages for a company to look to a firm that has practiced labor and employment law for many years in both preventing and defending employment discrimination litigation. Our foremost concern is to avoid litigation whenever possible through preventive planning. Our clients consult with us on a regular basis before taking action to avoid labor disputes and costly lawsuits. The best result for a client is the lawsuit that does not happen in the first place.
We have been giving seminars and writing articles for many years on how to avoid litigation through the use of progressive discipline, documentation, consistent treatment, adoption of anti-harassment policies, employee handbooks, and proper training of supervisory staff. We give this advice because we have seen that it has worked for our clients. Our long-term clients who regularly consult with us before taking adverse disciplinary action rarely face litigation over those decisions. Unfortunately, many clients do not come to us until after they have been sued. However, our expertise and experience also benefit these clients. They do not have to pay for an inexperienced attorney’s “learning curve”. Instead, they can take advantage of our combined experience of over sixty years in handling thousands of termination cases so that the merits of each case and possible exposure can be properly assessed.
What are some of the specific areas covered by our firm’s labor and employment law practice?
- Litigation of Employment Discrimination Cases in Federal and State Courts and in Administrative Agencies
- Employee Handbooks
- Development of Anti-Discrimination and Harassment Procedures and Policies
- Training Seminars for Supervisors
- Investigation of Sexual Harassment Cases
- National Labor Relations Board Proceedings
- Collective Bargaining Negotiations
- Union Grievances and Arbitrations
- Union Organizing Campaigns
- Wage and Hour Investigations and Litigation
- Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA)
- Development of Affirmative Action Plans
- Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986
- Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1986 [Plant Closing Law]
- ERISA and Employee Benefits
- COBRA
- Negligent Hiring Cases
- Employee Defamation Suits
- Restrictive Covenants and Trade Secrets Employment Contracts
- Employee Surveillance and Privacy Issues