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Employment Law

Dougherty, Molenda, Solfest, Hills & Bauer assists employers as they plan for and execute discharges, reductions in force, layoffs, mergers, acquisitions, and other significant employment restructuring. By advising clients as to appropriate legal strategies, we are able to assist companies by reducing the risks of litigation and discrimination claims arising out of these employment decisions.

In the fast-paced employment arena, employment decisions can often have dramatic, yet unintended, effects on business. Given our resources, our employment law attorneys are able to identify and limit potential exposure in any type of significant corporate change, such as mergers and acquisitions.

At Dougherty, Molenda, Solfest, Hills & Bauer, lawyers from different departments work together to prepare retention incentive and severance pay plans, review executive employment agreements to identify possible stock acceleration and severance payment requirements, advise employers as to successorship status, review the requirements of collective bargaining agreements and determine their impact upon the sale, and analyze the fiscal impact upon the sale, and analyze the fiscal impact that these decisions may have upon an employer’s business.

Employment Litigation Services

We represent employers of all sizes and in a wide range of employment litigation. We have the resources and personnel to meet all of your litigation needs, whether it be in the defense of a small straightforward termination case, or a major class action lawsuit. In every instance, we are able to provide you with efficient, high quality legal representation that not only provides a cost-effective and solution-oriented approach to employer’s problems, but also emphasizes the personal touch often not found with other law firms.

We have experience in the following areas:

  • wrongful discharge
  • wage and hour violations
  • employee privacy
  • trade secret protection
  • violation of covenants not to compete
  • wrongful hiring, firing, and retention issues
  • workplace violence
  • defamation
  • unemployment compensation
  • collective bargaining
  • Minnesota Government Data Practices Act
  • whistleblower claims
  • embezzlement and misappropriation of confidential information
  • contract disputes
  • unlawful discrimination claims, including:
    • Title VII claims
    • 42 U.S.C 1981 claims
    • Americans with Disabilities Act claims
    • Age Discrimination in Employment Act claims
    • Minnesota Human Rights Act claims
    • Sexual harassment claims
    • Public Accommodation claims
    • Equal Pay Act claims

Individual attorneys are licensed to practice in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa state courts; the Federal District Courts in Minnesota and Wisconsin; the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals; and the United States Supreme Court. The firm represents clients in claims filed with Administrative Agencies, such as the EEOC, Minnesota Department of Human Rights, the Minneapolis Commission on Human Rights, the St. Paul Department of Human Rights, the Department of Labor, NLRB and OSHA.

Utilizing the many alternatives to litigation, we are also experienced in all forms of mediation, arbitration, and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.

Client Counseling and Preventative Employment Law Services

In today’s world, employers are constantly faced with new challenges and burdens in their employment practices. Federal and State Courts and Legislatures are continuing to develop the employment law field on a daily basis. To help employers deal with the numerous developments in employment law, Dougherty, Molenda, Solfest, Hills & Bauer regularly provides assistance to human resource directors and corporate officers to develop consistent employment policies and practices. Through our counseling services, we desire to reduce the risk and expense of litigation, protect an employer’s advantage, assist in the restructuring of an employer’s work force, and most importantly, provide employers with every opportunity to avoid employment-related lawsuits. The need for appropriate employment practices has never been more apparent.

To help our clients stay abreast of new developments in employment law, we offer the following client counseling and preventative services:

  • assist in the drafting and implementation of employment applications
  • assist in the drafting and implementation of employment agreements and contracts
  • assist in the drafting, implementation and persistent review of employment handbooks
  • counsel management on proper lawful employee investigations and termination practices
  • assist employers with lawful workplace investigations
  • provide workplace training and investigation to limit discrimination and sexual harassment claims
  • counsel clients as to appropriate responsive measures to be taken toward discrimination and harassment claims when they arise
  • assist employers in their analysis of leaves of absence and identify practical solutions to reasonable accommodation requests
  • assist in the drafting and enforcement of non-compete, confidentiality and non-solicitation agreements
  • resolution of termination disputes
  • resolution of employee benefit claims and preparation for responsive litigation
  • counseling employers on wage and hour laws
  • counseling employers on unemployment compensation and insurance issues
  • evaluation of workplace safety efforts
  • counseling employers with respect to employee privacy issues in the electronic workplace
  • development of anti-discrimination, and related behavior policies
  • assist in the drafting, implementation, and review of e-mail, internet, and voicemail policies
  • provide preventative discrimination and harassment seminars in compliance with federal and state laws

As part of our employment counseling and preventative practices, we are able to provide cost effective seminars and training sessions for both management and the entire workforce. These sessions can provide valuable assistance to human resources staff and other officials to insure that an employer is properly prepared to deal with divergent issues on a daily basis.

A Final Word

Through our highly individualized business approach, we have developed many long-term relationships with our clients. Whether it is a matter of providing legal counsel on a complex development in the employment law arena, handling a complicated discrimination or misappropriation of trade secrets proceeding, or offering day-to-day advice on such matters as drug and alcohol testing or employee handbook review, we know that our clients have instilled a measure of trust in our services, and we value our relationships with them highly. The pride we take in our employment law services reflects our commitment to the field of law, and the value we place in the strength of our relationships with our clients.

Learn More

To learn more about the employment law services we provide to our clients, please call us at 952-432-3136 or, if you prefer, contact us via e-mail.