Labor and Employment Law

Labor and Employment Law

Labor & Employment Law as a practice area is a broad area of law, encompassing almost all aspects of the employer-employee relationship. The problems that arise in the workplace can include allegations of discrimination, harassment, the failure to properly pay wages, wrongful termination; entitlement to employee benefits, misappropriation of trade secrets and confidential information by former employees, labor union disputes, workplace safety violations, defamation, privacy rights, immigration and work visa issues, and much more. When disputes in the workplace arise, they often involve specific employment laws, both Federal and CNMI law. Attorneys who practice Labor and Employment Law must be well versed in these specialized laws and as this is an area of law that changes often either by court decision or new legislation, it is a practice area that requires constant study.

Helping employers resolve workplace disputes requires knowledge of these laws and regulations, as well as the needs of the business, and often the psychology of the employees involved that has led to the problem. Every effort is made to avoid the workplace dispute reaching the need to go to court. Labor unions and unfair labor practice charges can greatly increase the costs for doing business and hamper how businesses work. Verdicts in wrongful termination and wage-hour cases can be enormous, creating a high-stakes situation for employers.

The attorneys at Dotts Law have extensive employment law experience and focus their practice on representing employers. We have litigated major wage and hour claims and brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act by the US Department of Labor, and discrimination claims brought under Title VII that involved investigations by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). We have also litigated wrongful termination lawsuits brought under the common law. We have been involved in union elections administered by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and we have litigated unfair labor practice charges before the NLRB, Region 20, that has jurisdiction over the CNMI. We have handled major matters involving the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA). And on occasion we have assisted with matters involving Workers Compensation Insurance.