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Labor and Employment

Overview

Meeting and rethinking the modern workplace

The world of work and the workplace are changing at lightning speed. Growing customer demands, new technologies and evolving employee expectations are having a tremendous impact on all organizations. Employees are demanding more flexibility, a reconfigured work-life balance and fair and transparent compensation and benefits.

A legal team built on collaboration

Crowell’s Labor and Employment team helps clients build and manage the workforce of the future. Leading global companies have turned to us to help them respond to the dynamic challenges of navigating employment laws throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Working with industry leaders in technology, aerospace, retail, and professional services, we advise on complex matters, including pay equity analyses and related reporting, recruiting practices involving artificial intelligence, and managing a remote workforce.

We conduct highly sensitive investigations and litigate complex class action matters. We also counsel several leading universities, helping to assess and resolve complex employment issues that arise in the higher-education setting. We also have deeply-rooted client relationships in the non-profit sector, working with organizations on the full range of employment law compliance matters as well as individual plaintiff and class action litigation.

Clients benefit from the collective experience of our 40 plus lawyer team, including prior service at key government agencies, proven complex litigation and investigation successes, our leading-edge pay equity practice, and collaboration with the firm’s wealth of highly-skilled legal professionals in related disciplines. As a result, clients get creative and effective business solutions that can help win the battle for talent, ensure compliance with applicable laws, support and navigate global expansion, and protect a company's brand.

Our services

We help clients with:

  • High-stakes employment discrimination claims
  • Wage-and-hour class and collective actions
  • Racial equity audits, civil rights audits and ESG issues
  • High stakes, sensitive personnel investigations and whistleblower retaliation matters
  • Responses to the radical changes in the workforce borne of the pandemic, including designing effective return to office and continuing remote work strategies on a global scale
  • Trade secret and non-compete litigation
  • Pay equity and OFCCP compliance
  • New union organizing in sectors not traditionally unionized and resultant workforce strategies
  • Fiduciary duty, benefit claims, and other ERISA litigation
  • Global employee mobility

Contacts

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Insights

Client Alert | 5 min read | 02.20.25

Declaration of No Independence: President Trump Asserts Control Over Independent Agencies Through Executive Order

On February 18, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies” that directs independent agencies (as well as Cabinet Departments and their sub-agencies) to route all “proposed and final significant regulatory” and budgetary actions through the White House and the Office of Management and Budget. If implemented to its full extent, this action will significantly strengthen the authority of the White House by weakening the political autonomy of these independent agencies. As an assertion of the President’s inherent powers under Article II of the U.S. Constitution, it also stands to weaken congressional influence over these independent agencies, both through the appropriations and confirmation processes....

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Representative Matters

  • Led an investigation of a whistleblower complaint against a national museum in which anonymous former employees alleged that the museum’s leadership improperly received and displayed art loans in violation of federal and state tax laws, museum policies, and national museum accreditation standards.
  • Investigated age and gender discrimination claims brought by Chief Legal Officer of global aerospace company/British multinational defense company Joint Venture in which he claimed that he was being forced to step down as a result of his poor performance in connection with advising the company on a critical multi-million-dollar defense deal.
  • Won reversal at trial court level of jury’s $1.5 million verdict in favor of plaintiff, who alleged that his employment was terminated in violation of retaliation provisions of the False Claims Act, Defense Contractor Whistleblower Protection Act, and California law.
  • Helped several leading technology, healthcare, and professional services companies design compensation and performance management policies, practices, and auditing programs to yield industry-leading pay equity programs.
  • Represented a leading health insurance company with a putative class action alleging pattern and practice discrimination against African-American employees brought by three current employees.
  • Represented a major university in a pay equity discrimination case brought by a current professor, alleging that she is compensated less than her similarly-situated male comparators.

Contacts

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Insights

Client Alert | 5 min read | 02.20.25

Declaration of No Independence: President Trump Asserts Control Over Independent Agencies Through Executive Order

On February 18, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies” that directs independent agencies (as well as Cabinet Departments and their sub-agencies) to route all “proposed and final significant regulatory” and budgetary actions through the White House and the Office of Management and Budget. If implemented to its full extent, this action will significantly strengthen the authority of the White House by weakening the political autonomy of these independent agencies. As an assertion of the President’s inherent powers under Article II of the U.S. Constitution, it also stands to weaken congressional influence over these independent agencies, both through the appropriations and confirmation processes....

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Insights

Client Alert | 5 min read | 02.20.25

Declaration of No Independence: President Trump Asserts Control Over Independent Agencies Through Executive Order

Client Alert | 3 min read | 02.20.25

State Attorneys General Issue Multistate Guidance on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

Client Alert | 3 min read | 01.29.25

Transfer of Undertakings in Belgium: New Obligations Under CBA 32bis

Client Alert | 3 min read | 01.24.25

Executive Order Underpinning SCA Contractors’ Right of First Refusal Rescinded By Trump Administration
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Professionals

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Insights

Client Alert | 5 min read | 02.20.25

Declaration of No Independence: President Trump Asserts Control Over Independent Agencies Through Executive Order

On February 18, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies” that directs independent agencies (as well as Cabinet Departments and their sub-agencies) to route all “proposed and final significant regulatory” and budgetary actions through the White House and the Office of Management and Budget. If implemented to its full extent, this action will significantly strengthen the authority of the White House by weakening the political autonomy of these independent agencies. As an assertion of the President’s inherent powers under Article II of the U.S. Constitution, it also stands to weaken congressional influence over these independent agencies, both through the appropriations and confirmation processes....

View All Insights

Practices

Contacts

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Insights

Client Alert | 5 min read | 02.20.25

Declaration of No Independence: President Trump Asserts Control Over Independent Agencies Through Executive Order

On February 18, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Ensuring Accountability for All Agencies” that directs independent agencies (as well as Cabinet Departments and their sub-agencies) to route all “proposed and final significant regulatory” and budgetary actions through the White House and the Office of Management and Budget. If implemented to its full extent, this action will significantly strengthen the authority of the White House by weakening the political autonomy of these independent agencies. As an assertion of the President’s inherent powers under Article II of the U.S. Constitution, it also stands to weaken congressional influence over these independent agencies, both through the appropriations and confirmation processes....

View All Insights