Michael J. Shoenfelt
Practice Areas
Education
- The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law, J.D., 2013, magna cum laude
- Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution, articles editor, 2012-2013
- The Ohio State University, B.A., 2010, magna cum laude, with honors
Bar & Court Admissions
Michael is an associate in the Vorys Columbus office and a member of the labor and employment group. He has experience litigating and counseling clients on employment discrimination, retaliation, wrongful discharge, wage and hour, and accommodation issues. Michael also has substantial experience defending wage and hour collective and class actions in state and federal court. Michael’s practice also involves all aspects of traditional labor law, including union avoidance, appearing before the National Labor Relations Board, collective bargaining negotiations, and labor arbitrations. He also has experience drafting and reviewing employment-related documents, and performing due diligence regarding employment litigation relevant to corporate mergers and acquisitions.
His notable experience includes:
- Defeating class certification for employer in putative wage and hour class action in California.
- Defending clients in various nationwide Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) collective actions.
- Obtaining summary judgment for employers in various state and federal discrimination cases.
- Defending employers in labor arbitrations.
Michael received his J.D. magna cum laude from The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law, where he was an articles editor for the Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution and a member of Order of the Coif. He received his BA magna cum laude with honors from The Ohio State University. While in law school, Michael served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Amul R. Thapar in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky and the Honorable Algenon L. Marbley in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.
Honors & Awards
- Best Lawyers in America, Ones to Watch, Labor and Employment Law - Management, 2021-2022
News
- 8/19/2021One hundred and sixteen lawyers from Vorys were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America® 2022 edition. In addition, 34 Vorys attorneys were named to the 2022 Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” list.
- 8/20/2020One hundred and twelve lawyers from Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in the Best Lawyers in America® 2021 edition. In addition, 26 Vorys attorneys were named to the inaugural Best Lawyers in America “Ones to Watch” list.
- 10/25/2013Vorys Welcomes New Associates to Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Akron and Washington, D.C. OfficesVorys is pleased to welcome nine new associates to the firm. Angelyne Lisinski, Michael Shoenfelt, Kara Singleton and Thomas Vetter have joined the Columbus office; Katherine Barrett and Megan Westenberg have joined the Cincinnati office; Hyun (Eric) Yoon has joined the Cleveland office; Andrew Guran has joined the Akron office and William M.R. Barrett has joined the Washington, D.C. office.
Events
- 10/12/2020Vorys was proud to host a weeklong virtual program providing insights and updates for HR professionals from October 12-15, 2020.
- 4/18/2019On April 18, 2019, Vorys hosted its annual Cincinnati Labor and Employment Law Update.
Insights
- 3/29/2021Beginning March 29, 2021, California employers with 25 or more employees must provide supplemental sick leave to employees affected by COVID-19. This is a new bank of leave, which means that employers with 500 or more employees that already provided paid supplemental sick leave in 2020 also have to provide this new leave. The law is retroactive to January 1, 2021. And while the law expires on September 30, 2021, an employee taking leave at that time can still take the full amount of leave.
- 1/15/2021In what will be welcome news for employers who have been on the receiving end of Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) collective action complaints, the Fifth Circuit (covering Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) recently issued an opinion adopting a more employer-friendly process for certifying a collective action.
- 5/27/2020The Department of Education recently announced its implementation of new Title IX regulations governing sexual harassment in education programs and activities that receive federal funding. The new regulations will take effect on August 14, 2020.
- 4/27/2020
- 4/20/2020COVID-19 relief efforts, employment and unemployment factors, and the much-anticipated rebound remain fluid.
- 4/13/2020
- 1/23/2015President Obama delivered his sixth State of the Union address on Tuesday, and labor and employment matters took center stage. While the president’s address does not have the force of law, it highlights for employers what issues the White House plans on pursuing in the coming year.
- 11/17/2014The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) recently issued a decision reaffirming its much-maligned 2012 D.R. Horton opinion. In D.R. Horton, the NLRB held that an employer could not require employees to resolve employment-related claims through individual arbitrations, thereby waiving their right to proceed in a collective or class action.
- 7/31/2014President Obama has signed yet another executive order changing the rules of the road for government contractors. Following on the heels of executive orders regarding minimum wage, compensation discrimination, and discussion of wages, the most recent executive action prohibits government contractors from discriminating against individuals on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. The president signed this executive order on July 21, 2014. It amends Executive Order 11246, the law setting forth affirmative action requirements for covered federal contractors and subcontractors.