Labor and Employment Law

Few areas of law are as dynamic or require as much balance between practical and legal considerations as labor and employment law. The nature of the employer-employee relationship is such that each day, BHBC fields calls from organizations seeking creative solutions to potential disputes before they mature into formal claims or full-fledged litigation.

At BHBC, we prefer to take a proactive approach, working with clients to develop and implement employment contracts, policies and practices that minimize the likelihood of conflict. In keeping with that approach, we maintain regular contact with our clients by publishing Legal Alert, a summary of recent cases, laws and developments of interest to employers, and by conducting in-house seminars to assist them in understanding and complying with the law.

If litigation becomes necessary, we are ready. Our attorneys take a coordinated team approach to representing clients in state and federal court and in administrative proceedings before the Alaska State Commission for Human Rights, the Alaska Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the National Labor Relations Board.

In the field of employee benefits law, BHBC advises trustees, plans, and private and public employers concerning an array of retirement, welfare, executive compensation and equity-based plans. We have substantial experience representing fiduciaries regarding the establishment, administration and interpretation of employee benefit plans. We have a thorough knowledge of amending plan documents for legal compliance, and preparing participant communications that effectively convey the terms and restrictions of each plan.

BHBC represents parties concerning employee benefits in all phases of corporate transactions. We are experienced in handling difficult compliance issues before the Internal Revenue Service, U.S. Department of Labor and other federal agencies, including prohibited transactions, fiduciary breaches and the correction of operational errors affecting qualified retirement plans. Our experience extends to reviewing or developing plan documents to conform to the increasingly complex federal mandates governing group health plans, welfare plans and cafeteria plans, including addressing privacy and security concerns under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Generally, BHBC represents employers, both public and private, in actions brought by individual employees or groups of employees. However, we’ve also represented a select number of plaintiffs. This experience from the other side of the table has provided us with key practice insights and, most notably, a perspective on relevant issues that other firms may lack.

We provide counseling in nearly all traditional labor and employment fields, including:

• Discrimination and harassment
• Wrongful termination and constructive discharge
• Breach of contract or implied covenant
• Restrictive covenants
• Wage and hour violations
• Classifications
• Reductions in force
• Contract negotiations
• Labor grievances
• Employee Benefits
• ERISA
• HIPAA

Widely recognized as experts in their field, our attorneys often serve as featured speakers at seminars conducted by national organizations on a broad range of labor and employment topics.  BHBC closely monitors current court decisions and regulatory and legislative developments that affect the rapidly changing field of employment law.

Attorneys

• Stanley T. Lewis
• Jennifer C. Alexander
• Amy W. Limeres