Dean Mead

Dean Mead’s Litigation Department represents employers in a variety of matters, including employment discrimination disputes, employment contracts and policies, employee benefits, employee safety, reductions in workforce and whistleblower situations.

We advise employers concerning their obligations under the Fair Labor Standards Act, including assisting them in responding to wage and hour audits. We defend our clients against complaints and in litigation brought to recover unpaid minimum wages and/or overtime under the Equal Pay Act.

• Employment Discrimination Disputes. We represent employers in race, sex, sexual harassment, age, disability, pregnancy, national origin and HIV employment discrimination proceedings before federal, state and local equal employment agencies as well as in the federal and state courts. We also advise our government contractor clients in meeting their affirmative action obligations under the applicable laws.

• Employment Contracts and Policies. We draft employment contracts and noncompetition/restrictive covenant agreements and litigate their enforcement in the courts. In addition, we prepare personnel policy manuals as well as review our clients’ existing handbooks and affirmative action plans for compliance with applicable EEO, OFCCP and other federal and state governmental regulations. Our lawyers are experienced in advising clients concerning polygraph, information disclosure, employee screening (including application forms and tests), drug testing, and AIDS policies and problems. We also advise clients about the hiring, compensation, promotion/demotion, termination, unemployment compensation, and retirement of employees.

• Employee Benefit Programs. We are experienced in all areas of employee benefits planning, including qualified pension and profit sharing plans, stock bonus plans and ESOPs, multi-employer benefit plans, nonqualified deferred compensation and retirement arrangements. We also have organized health, disability and life insurance plans, cafeteria plans, stock option plans and other fringe benefit programs. Our benefit lawyers have significant experience in the defense of benefit claims and other benefit-related litigation. They work closely with other practice areas including corporate/securities, tax, financial institution lending, and acquisitions and mergers.

• Employee Safety and Health Matters. Our employment lawyers assist clients in complying with the applicable Occupational Safety or Mine Safety and Health Act regulations. We represent those clients in contesting citations issued by the regulatory agencies and in defending citation enforcement litigation and employee retaliation claims.

• Reductions in Force. We advise employers on the legal requirements and proper execution of reductions in force, prepare all supporting documentation and address issues unique to individual employee situations.

• Whistleblowers. Our attorneys have been advising clients about employee claims of “retaliation” and defending employers in whistleblower situations long before the enactment of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX). Although SOX has created an entirely new federal source of whistleblower claims, our attorneys not only defend our clients in these new SOX claims but also continue to represent employers opposing whistleblower claims filed under nearly a dozen other federal statutes and many state laws.