Equal Employment Opportunity
Employers are regularly challenged by newly enacted federal and state laws that broaden the scope of prohibited discrimination by establishing new protected classes of employees. We provide practical legal counseling to help employers navigate through the complexities of Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and many other relevant federal and state statutes. Our attorneys assist our clients with respect to performing harassment and/or discrimination investigations and preparing formal responses to agency charges and requests for information. Because prevention is an integral part of the equal employment opportunity responsibilities of Human Resources professionals and other supervisory personnel, our attorneys also provide assistance with policy formulation and conduct supervisor/manager training.
Title VII, Americans with Disabilities Act, and Age Discrimination in Employment Act
Our attorneys routinely advise employers on compliance with Title VII, the ADA and ADEA. The scope of our services includes:
- Defending claims before local, state, and federal administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission
- Avoiding discrimination claims through investigations of internal complaints
- Advising clients on employment decisions that may avoid discrimination claims
- Auditing and reviewing current pay, promotion, and other employment practices and recommending changes that may avoid future claims
- Conducting statistical analysis of employment practices and implementing corrective action where necessary
- Training supervisors to avoid actions which could result in discrimination claims
- Consulting with employers on handling current employees with pending claims
- Advising clients on termination issues, including avoidance of claims of unlawful discrimination
- Advising clients on reasonable accommodation issues, such as the extent to which an employer should modify the terms and conditions of employment of disabled workers in light of the “reasonable accommodation” requirement of the ADA
- Advising clients on physical or mental conditions that may be considered disabilities
- Advising clients on determining the essential functions of jobs
- Counseling employers on the interaction of the ADA with other state and federal laws, including the Family and Medical Leave Act and states’ workers' compensation laws
- Counseling employers on hiring issues, including pre-employment questioning and compliance with regard to application forms
- Advising clients on how to handle misbehaving employees with drug and alcohol or mental health problems
Practice Contact
Andrew C. Smith
614.464.5434
acsmith@vorys.com
Attorneys & Professionals
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Events
- 10/28/2009 - Ohio Council of Behavioral Health & Family Services Providers' Annual Conference
- 10/27/2009 - Ohio Provider Resource Association 2009 Fall Conference
Publications
- 12/18/2009 - "Recent Legislative and Regulatory Developments: Employer Compliance Strategies"
- 11/25/2009 - Client Alert: Are You Ready for GINA in Your Workplace?
- 10/26/2009 - Client Alert: How Can Employers Minimize the Effect of the Influenza /H1N1 on the Workplace?