policy and CONTRACT DRAFTING

Having good written employment agreements and policies is critical. They not only help communicate expectations and benefits to your employees, but can help protect your company from liability. Whether you need a basic employee handbook on a flat-fee, a few updates to your existing policies, or a completely new set of employment agreements drafted from scratch, we can help. Services include:

• Employment or independent contractor agreements
• Separation or severance agreements
• Non-competition, non-solicitation, and confidentiality agreements
• Employee handbook and company policies

Compliance Advice

Having those good written policies is an important first step, but it's not enough. Your company needs to practice day-to-day what its policies preach. Get practical and straight-forward answers, in plain English, to ensure your company's practices and procedures comply with ever-changing and complex employment laws.  Services include:

• Answer basic and not-so-basic compliance questions
• Advise on hiring, discipline, and termination
• Family medical leave and disability accommodations
• Handling employee complaints
• Wage and hour policies and practices
• Audits of company policies and practices
• Workplace training

Workplace Investigations 

If an employee makes a complaint, or if you think harassment or other inappropriate conduct may be going on, you need to deal with it right away. The first step is finding out what happened. Engaging an outside, impartial fact-finder can help ensure the investigation remains free from real or perceived conflicts of interest or organizational politics. Engaging an experienced employment attorney also means that this sensitive process is handled efficiently and confidentially. 

ADMINISTRATIVE CHARGES And investigations

When employment disputes boil over, they can often end up as administrative charges filed with government agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI), or Department of Labor (DOL). Responding to these charges effectively is important, and a hasty or poorly-prepared response can become a problem down the road. Don't go it alone.  Invest in legal representation early on to respond to these types of agency charges to ensure they are addressed quickly and efficiently. 

Responding to these types of agency complaints can frequently be done cost-effectively on a fixed-fee basis.  

Civil Lawsuits in Federal or State Court

If you're headed to court, you want quality legal representation from an experienced litigator who thinks practically and strategically. Someone who can go all the way to trial and tell a compelling story to a jury, or who can help facilitate an early resolution, and with the judgment to know which approach is better. Whether you've been sued for employment claims in state or federal court, or if your company may need to pursue claims for breach of contract or unfair competition, get the legal help you need. Representation includes claims for:

• All forms of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or wrongful discharge.
• Breach of contract, trade secret, and business torts.
• Enforcement of non-competition or non-solicitation agreements.
• Wage and hour, including class or collective action claims. 

Big Firm Quality, Small Firm Package

No one wants to have to hire a lawyer, and lawyers are expensive. But when you do, you don't need to pay big-firm rates to get big-firm quality. Our small-firm overhead helps keep your costs down. Using the latest legal practice software and best practices helps us stay efficient so we don't bill more than necessary. Matter budgets and regular updates help give you a clear idea how much things will cost.  

Bill Hourly or on a Fixed Fee

If you want to pay by the hour, you can. That's the way most of us are used to paying for legal services. But many projects can be performed more cost-effectively for a fixed, or flat, fee. The fixed fee is determined in advance before work is done, so you know up front what it will cost and there are no surprises. Ask about fixed-fee pricing on your next employment advice or litigation matter.