Wisconsin labor and employment attorney
Work is where almost all of us spend our productive lives, and so it is vitally important that the workplace provide fair treatment to all. Unfortunately, too often the workplace is hardly fair. Indeed, workplace law is traditionally built around the concept of employee-at-will — where employees can be fired for any reason or no reason, at any time, under any circumstance, and where there is no requirement for even good faith dealing.
As a result, discrimination and harassment from supervisors and even co-workers are all too common. So too are situations when employees are not paid the overtime wages, holiday or vacation pay, or even the basic wages and minimum wages due them. Only by fighting for your rights in these matters can you actually gain what is due you — fair treatment and all the wages due you for your work. But, these kinds of cases can be incredibly complicated and having a knowledgeable attorney at your side is crucial in most cases. For those employers who value their employees and who want to treat them fairly, the road they need to take is just as difficult. Not only must they depart from their competitors who are lowering their short-term operational costs by cheating their own employees, they also need to face the every day competition of running their businesses in difficult economic times. To compensate, fair-minded employers have to be even more efficient while also open to new decision-making routines that can undo established company practices. Effective personnel planning that includes a system of checks and balances and which allow for multiple lines of communication about personnel matters are crucial for such employers to survive in the long-term. Unemployment representationBecause fees in unemployment cases are capped at ten percent of the benefit amount by statute, most attorneys do not take unemployment cases. As one of the supervising attorneys at the Madison unemployment clinic and author of a blog on Wisconsin unemployment law, I have expertise that allows me to provide cost-effective representation in these kinds of cases. Those who live in Dane County should contact the Madison unemployment clinic first. But, those folks from other parts of the state should give me a call to see what might be done about their unemployment case.Who I amBefore moving to Wisconsin, I worked in Massachusetts for a year and a half as an administrative law judge for unemployment appeals and then for four years as a hearing officer for the Massachusetts labor commission. During that time, I heard more than 400 unemployment cases and presided over dozens of unfair labor practice proceedings as well as representation petitions.At present, I have a small solo practice and volunteer in numerous ways, including serving as the supervising attorney for the Unemployment Compensation Appeals Clinic in Madison, Wisconsin and helping out with Madison Area Job Transition. As a solo practitioner, I have successfully represented employees and employers in cases involving workplace race or gender discrimination, just cause for a discharge or discipline, disability or age discrimination, workplace harassment, bargaining for a new collective bargaining agreement, and unemployment cases involving concealment allegations, quits for good cause, discharges for misconduct and substantial fault, drug and alcohol testing (including the science of hair testing) as well as other matters. Here is a partial list of the unemployment cases:
Finally, as a solo practitioner I know there are numerous situations where help should be called upon. Winning a case too often hinges on which side can marshal the greatest legal resources in its support. Accordingly, I have often turned to other lawyers for assistance and support in cases, including Sharon McLaughlin of Rose Law S.C., MacGillis Wiemer, LLC, Marilyn Townsend Law Office, Mahadev Law Group, LLC, Law Office of Syovata Edari, and House Law Office. To learn more about me and what I can do for you, call me at 608-352-0138 or send me an e-mail message.
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