Labor, Employment & Benefits

Home Capabilities Labor, Employment & Benefits

Nothing is more critical to the success of your business than an engaged, productive workforce. That is why we help businesses navigate the evolving landscape of laws and regulations that govern the workplace, while helping retain and attract the most talented skilled employees. At Reed Smith, we provide seamless, tailored advice on a global, national and regional basis.

We take the time to learn the intricacies of your business, industry and employees, and transform that understanding into pragmatic advice for any employment issues that arise in your environment. We provide you with holistic counsel on prevention and training to minimize risk, results-driven litigation defense and a programmatic methodology to ensure continued compliance and employee retention.

When you encounter an issue in employee benefits, executive compensation or employment litigation, you need quick, seamless solutions. At Reed Smith, we have the knowledge and experience to address these separate, but related areas.

Our business is taking care of your business -- that includes your executive team and employees. We are available to advise on all legal, design, drafting, negotiation and compliance aspects of executive compensation matters, and can provide counsel on innovative and traditional employee retirement, health and welfare benefits programs.

Rather than problem-solve as issues arise, we proactively identify risks and develop strategies to avoid benefits-related litigation. Should an employer-employee dispute arise that cannot be quickly resolved, our experienced lawyers are fully prepared to represent you and your interests before administrative agencies, arbitrators or in court.

Areas Of Focus

Affirmative Action / OFCCP / Pay Equity

Every business has a key role in the growth of both their local community and the global economy. Thus, your company is expected to responsibly represent the global community it serves. At Reed Smith, we assist employers with all aspects of compliance under Executive Order 11246, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974. Our lawyers prepare hundreds of affirmative action plans each year, and have successfully assisted clients through countless evaluations by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. We are also regularly retained by clients, like you, to prepare pay equity studies.

If you have offices in the UK and Europe, you need to consider a range of equality and equal pay issues that are particular to your location. Whether you are navigating gender pay gap reporting or non-discrimination legislation, we can help you with proactive plans for these needs or help you respond to issues as and when they arise.

Meet the Affirmative Action / OFCCP / Pay Equity Team

Discrimination and Harassment Counseling and Litigation

The way in which a company handles discrimination and harassment claims is increasingly important to employees, prospects, consumers, partners and the global community. Businesses and individuals worldwide are taking a greater interest in the way companies hire and dismiss employees as well as how they are treated throughout their employment.

Our lawyers have extensive experience handling discrimination and harassment claims throughout the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe. Let us help you navigate these serious claims with the sensitivity and processes necessary to protect your employees, business and reputation, and your future.

Meet the Discrimination and Harassment Counseling and Litigation Team

Employment Law Aspects of Corporate Transactions

You need a team of lawyers on your side, protecting your interests as your business expands and attracts new partnerships or investors. Our Labor & Employment lawyers work closely with our mergers & acquisitions authorities to address integration planning from pre- through post-acquisition – conducting due diligence, integrating employment policies and practices, navigating potential claims, and mitigating vulnerabilities.

We have considerable experience in both the acquiring and acquired side of corporate transactions and the customer and supplier side of outsourcing transactions. We are here to help you manage employee expectations and ensure a smooth transition.

Meet the Employment Law Aspects of Corporate Transactions Team

Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits

Our Executive Compensation lawyers integrate relevant legal disciplines – benefits, corporate, tax, and securities law – with business considerations to address complex issues regarding executive compensation. We help companies and executives structure incentive and compensation packages that keep key employees engaged and motivated. We recognize that the value of our work is in helping companies maintain their competitive edge in demanding markets, by retaining those key employees.

Learn More About Our Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits Capability

Meet the Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits Team

Additional solutions we offer within Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits include:

Tax-Exempt / Nonprofit Organizations

Global HR Counsel

One of the largest challenges facing global and multi-national organizations is the coordinating of employees across multiple jurisdictions while maintaining compliance with labor and employment laws in each location. At Reed Smith, our team is as global as yours.

Our lawyers have extensive experience partnering with clients to manage large, multi-jurisdictional work forces and the associated issues. Whether you are conducting an audit of employees, completing a large-scale restructure or reducing employee numbers, we will collaborate, as an extension of your in-house counsel, to ensure a successful project and productive future.

Meet the Global HR Counsel Team

Global HR Investigations and Training

Employment claims pose a risk to your reputation, company culture and overall performance. You need appropriate processes in place for internal investigations. These claims can range from whistleblower retaliation, discrimination, sexual harassment or a hostile work environment to Fair Labor Standards Act violations, Family and Medical Leave Act violations. At Reed Smith, our lawyers understand the importance of handling these allegations in an efficient, sensitive way that protects all parties and your reputation.

After these claims, it is important how you manage the post-investigation fall out. We can help you implement new policies and procedures where required and provide training to key personnel to help prevent future issues on the subject.

We are also available to train managers and employees on the full scope of Labor & Employment issues.

Meet the Global HR Investigations and Training Team

Labor Law (Union Avoidance, Negotiation, NLRB, and European Works Council)

For employers with unionized workforces, negotiations, compliance issues and new regulations are regular operation. At Reed Smith, we regularly negotiate collective bargaining agreements, arbitrate grievances, defend against unfair labor practice charges and assist in decertification efforts. Our labor lawyers are well-versed in strike and lockout preparation, strike response and negotiating resolutions to work stoppages.

Whether you need assistance developing and sustaining robust union avoidance programs or support on an anti-union campaign, we are available to advise and manage the efforts. Our lawyers can litigate representation issues and, in particular in Europe, our lawyers have experience working and intervening with the works councils and any other employees’ representative bodies. Wherever your labor issues and concerns take you, we have the local and global strength and skill-set to help.

Meet the Labor Law (Union Avoidance, Negotiation, NLRB, and European Works Council) Team

Pensions

If you are a trustee, employer, industry body, regulator or other professional, we can assist you in finding your way through this complex and ever-changing area of law, on a national or international basis. Our UK Pensions practice has always played an active part in the wider UK pension industry and has helped shape organisations that contribute significantly to that industry today, such as the Pensions Advisory Service, Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association, Association of Pension Lawyers and Association of Corporate Trustees.

We can advise you on all pension issues and our role ranges from being retained advisers to schemes with over 300,000 members, to pro bono member complaints. We can provide you with advice on and solutions to the full range of pension problems arising from the running, restructuring and winding up of pension arrangements.

We operate two professional independent pension scheme trustees, Beaufort Trust Corporation Limited and Independent Pension Trustee Limited. This gives us invaluable insights into the practicalities facing trustees.

We are an experienced, pragmatic and approachable team. We place the emphasis firmly on ensuring that we communicate our knowledge simply and effectively to you, and we pride ourselves on the number of long-standing, loyal clients with whom we enjoy a valued day-to-day relationship.

Meet the Pensions Team

U.S. Wage and Hour Class Actions

American labor and wage regulations constantly shift from state-to-state. Not keeping up with the changes can impair your ability to keep up with business. We at Reed Smith are recognized as having one of the preeminent nationwide wage and hour practice, with a strong concentration in California.

Our lawyers represent dozens of the country’s largest multi-state employers in litigation across the country, and have been counsel of record on some of the major precedent-setting victories in recent years. We have the real-time experience and insights to keep your business organized, compliant and moving forward.

Meet the U.S. Wage and Hour Class Actions Team

Unfair Competition and Employee Mobility

In a world of increasing technology and data sharing, protecting your information assets is essential to your success. Unfortunately, it is also a growing challenge. At Reed Smith, we provide proactive counseling and routinely litigate trade secret and restrictive covenant matters in jurisdictions across the globe.

Our experience protecting innovation and information includes:

Providing pre-dispute advice on hiring and separation of employees with covenant and data concerns
Preparing and reviewing corporate policies and restrictive covenant agreements
Conducting audits regarding trade secret and confidential information
Representing clients in emergency injunctions and trials

Let us help you keep your information and future secure.

Meet the Unfair Competition and Employee Mobility Team

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Areas Of Focus