Things have changed tremendously for employers over the years. Not only have employment rules and regulations significantly evolved in favor of workers, but employees are more willing to speak up than ever. They’re also more willing to file lawsuits than ever before. It’s a particularly challenging time for employers, and they need experienced, reliable counsel.

For more than 35 years, Susan Fahey Desmond has helped companies – hospitals, banks and credit unions, manufacturing companies, offshore oil companies, school districts, and others – minimize the cost and disruption of employment disputes. She defends wage and hour, wrongful discharge, non-compete, Family and Medical Leave (FMLA), and other claims. Clients seek her litigation counsel for age, sex, disability, race, religion, and sexual harassment discrimination lawsuits, as well as class actions. She helps employers dispute Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charges and other administrative complaints and navigate the administrative and judicial process. And, perhaps most importantly, she works with management and HR to resolve issues before they develop into contentious litigation.

In addition, Susan has an active practice counseling employers on employment practices, from advising on employment contracts to drafting and updating employee handbooks to crafting effective workplace policies and procedures. A natural public speaker, she regularly conducts training seminars for managers and employees on various topics, including FMLA and FLSA compliance, employee speech, employer investigations, records retention and destruction, layoffs and downsizing, and more.

Given her extensive representation with the financial services, healthcare, manufacturing, and education industries, Susan prides herself on an innate understanding of her client’s operations. Her first step in working with new clients is to tour their facilities, to familiarize herself with their workplace environment, norms, and practices, and hear the way they talk about their work first-hand.

Susan’s clients range from companies with 30 employees to Fortune 100 companies. Whether handling terminations with finesse, managing claims of disability discrimination or wrongful termination, or addressing labor concerns, clients know they are in capable hands with Susan’s guidance. They rely on her experience inside and outside the courtroom to guide them through complex disputes before and during trial and on appeal.