United States > Labor and employment > Labor-management relations > Law firm and leading lawyer rankings

The ‘top-rated’ team at Jones Day is praised for its work in union-related issues. In Washington DC, Patricia Dunn ‘provides excellent advice and is always extremely responsive’; she recently acted as lead negotiator for a media company in contract renewal talks with a union which resulted in the complete overhaul of her client’s legacy labor contract. In Chicago, a team that included Brian Easley and David Birnbaum acted in a collective bargaining negotiation on behalf of Kraft Heinz. Meanwhile Michael Ferrell led the advice to Bulkmatic with regards to a union organising campaign. Willis Goldsmith and Doreen Davis are representing McDonald’s in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) lawsuit alleging that franchise workers were retaliated against for participating in rallies that called for higher wages. Other names to note in New York are Daniel Hagen and Jessica Kastin. Houston-based Joanne Bush is also recommended.

The lawyers at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP ‘are experts in their field supported by a deep bench of junior practitioners’ and clients appreciate their ‘amicable approach to union matters’. John Ring and Joseph Ragaglia jointly head the practice from Washington DC and Philadelphia, respectively. Other notable practitioners include Steven Wall and Daniel Bordoni. Jonathan Fritts ‘takes the time to understand his clients and their unique needs’; he continues to lead the advice to a global transport company with regards to all of its non-class action disputes with the NLRB and labor unions. Elsewhere, Century City’s Harry Johnson is known as ‘a walking encyclopaedia’ and successfully defended Chevron in an unfair labor practice action filed before the NLRB by the United Steelworkers.

The ‘deep bench’ at Proskauer Rose LLP is ‘a world leader in the field’ and ‘provides a clearly superior service’. The firm’s client roster includes heavyweight names in the sports, education and entertainment sectors - among others - who engage the group to intervene in the negotiation of collective bargaining agreements, labor arbitration proceedings and unionization petitions. New York-based Neil Abramson and Bernard Plum are part of the team representing the National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB) and Major League Soccer (MLS), while the ‘fantastic’ Paul Salvatore oversaw numerous mandates in the education sectors for clients such as Yale and Duke universities. The ‘fantastic, smart, practical and responsive’ Mark Theodore sits in Los Angeles.

At Seyfarth Shaw LLP response times and value are ‘excellent’, and advice from the ‘outstanding’ team is ‘always measured and pragmatic’. Practice co-head Bradford Livingston ‘provides sound solutions-based advice to satisfy business objectives’ from Chicago, while San-Francisco-based Christian Rowley is known for his ‘high degree of integrity and trust’. In recent highlights, the team successfully dismissed unfair labor practices claims, negotiated a successor collective bargaining agreement for an industrial manufacturer, and continues to represent a heavyweight telecoms entity in all its disciplinary arbitrations. Brian Stolzenbach and Joshua Henderson lead the department with Livingston from Chicago and San Francisco, respectively. Glenn Smith recently joined from Littler Mendelson, P.C..

DLA Piper LLP (US) recently added experienced litigator Mary Dollarhide to the San Diego office from Paul Hastings LLP. The team in Chicago represented United Airlines in the negotiations of joint contracts for its flight attendants ahead of the merger with Continental Airlines. Washington DC-based Harriet Lipkin handled Station Casino’s response to a Culinary Workers campaign seeking voluntary ‘card check’ recognition, and the firm also assisted American Baptist Homes of the West in an appeal of an NLRB decision. In March 2018, Michael Sheehan left the firm for McDermott Will & Emery LLP, and not long after, in April 2018, a team including Ron Holland, Pankit Doshi , Marilyn Pearson, Ellen Bronchetti and David Durham made the same move.

Jackson Lewis P.C. covers the full spectrum of labor issues such as union organization, ‘card check’ and neutrality agreements, corporate campaigns, and protected concerted activity. The practice is jointly led by Atlanta’s Jonathan Spitz and New York’s Philip Rosen. In one recent highlight, New Orleans-based Jeffrey Schwartz continues to work alongside New York’s Daniel Schudroff to advise Murphy Oil on a longstanding dispute. The group also oversaw complex disputes involving significant regulatory changes, union elections and arbitration. Other key clients include ExxonMobil, the New York Yankees and Legends Hospitality. Laura Pierson-Scheinberg and Chad Richter are also names to note in San Francisco and Omaha, respectively. In February 2018, Gary Tocci joined in Philadelphia from Reed Smith LLP.

Littler Mendelson, P.C.’s Washington DC-based Maury Baskin and Joshua Waxman represented FedEx in appellate proceedings before the NLRB regarding the agency’s decision that single-route drivers in Connecticut be considered employees rather than independent contractors. Also notable was Tanja Thompson and Stefan Marculewicz’s advice to a leading manufacturer with regards to a large-scale union election. The team is led by Thomas Bender and Jeremy Roth from Philadelphia and San Diego, respectively. In Houston, A. John Harper III is a name to note.

Ogletree Deakins continues to advise clients in collective bargaining, labor-management disputes and arbitration proceedings, and on regulatory issues. Ron Chapman Jr led the team, including Indianapolis’ Christopher Murray, which secured three successful appeals that considered whether employers can maintain a class action waiver in an arbitration agreement. In Phoenix, Mark Kisicki represented Banner Health in its challenge against the NLRB’s decision that businesses cannot direct employees to keep an internal investigation confidential based on the nature of the issue being investigated. The firm significantly bolstered its labor and employment offering through the promotion to partner of 20 attorneys and the lateral hire of thirty partners across its national offices. Managing partner Matthew Keen leads the group from Raleigh.

The offering at Baker & Hostetler LLP covers a vast range of matters for clients across the transport, media and healthcare sectors, and under the leadership of Columbus-based Daniel Guttman continues to advise the administration of Ohio governor John Kasich on its unionized workforce. The group, which is jointly spearheaded by Washington DC’s Jay Krupin and Orlando’s Patrick Muldowney, also intervenes in collective bargaining agreements negotiations, arbitration proceedings and regulatory challenges.

Bracewell LLP advises clients in matters pertaining to collective bargaining, individual terminations in the context of white-collar crime allegations, and arbitration. Dallas-based Robert Sheeder acts as lead counsel to L-3 Communications across the full gamut of labor mandates, and, in San Antonio, James Kizziar continues to represent Adventist Health System in union organization matters and disputes before the NLRB. Of counsel J. Tullos Wells is a name to note and leads the firm’s work for several entertainment and sports entities such as the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs. In Houston, Rebecca Baker and Robert Nichols handled the labor aspects of several high-value corporate transactions in the energy space.

Headed by David Garland in New York, the labor and employment practice - with a particular niche in healthcare - is one of the founding pillars of Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.. In a recent matter led by Steven Swirsky, the team intervened in a campaign by a builders’ union that sought to force a manufacturer to cease all dealings with a non-union maintenance contractor. On the non-contentious side, Los Angeles’ Adam Abrahms secured a win for a not-for-profit when its employees voted down a well-known union in union elections. Jeremy Brown is the name to note in Newark.

In an example of its multi-disciplinary offering, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, under the leadership of practice co-chair Jonathan Sulds, is representing a major electric power utility in collective bargaining, healthcare insurance and other labor relations matters arising from the commencement of bankruptcy proceedings. Also in New York, Jerrold Goldberg continues to advise the NoMad Hotel on union grievances, employment issues and various discrimination charges, while Boston-based Terence McCourt acted for a client in contentious proceedings pertaining to the interplay of NLRB and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations.

O'Melveny & Myers LLP is ‘the premier advisor to the entire airline industry as it provides unparalleled expertise regarding the Railway Labor Act’. Led by Los Angeles’ Apalla Chopra the team has achieved ‘extraordinary results’ and represents clients such as Walt Disney, American Airlines, FedEx and Harvard University. In New York, Jeffrey Kohn assisted Mylan Pharmaceuticals in labor negotiations with the United Steel Workers, and Robert Siegel - also based in Los Angeles - successfully obtained a temporary restraining order for Spirit Airlines prohibiting its pilots from disturbing its operations. Mark Robertson is another key name to note in New York.

Under the leadership of Houston-based Mark Temple and Los Angeles-based Christine Kohler, Reed Smith LLP represents large employers, across a wide array of industry sectors. In Philadelphia, Karl Fritton led several collective bargaining negotiations, and in a separate matter the team secured a three-part victory for a package delivery company in a longstanding dispute with a Teamsters-backed employee. A number of lawyers recently left the firm, including Gary Tocci, while James Glunt joined the Pittsburgh office from Ogletree Deakins. Betty Graumlich is also a key name.

Steven Wheeless spearheads Steptoe & Johnson LLP’s team from Phoenix and recently teamed up with Washington DC-based Alan Feldman to advise Walmart on a series of state trespass and nuisance actions arising from ‘store invasions’ coordinated by the United Food and Commercial Workers. The pair also defended Walmart in an unfair labor practice claim which sought to allow non-union employees the right to a representative during investigative interviews. Larry Katz intervened in the negotiation of a collective bargaining agreement on behalf of BridgePoint Hospital. Of counsel Doug Janicik is also a key contact and worked alongside Wheeless to represent Adecco in its challenge of an NLRB decision pertaining to class waivers in employment agreements.

Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP’s practice is grounded in the public sector where it regularly represents labor unions. Co-managing partner Alan Klinger continues to work alongside special counsels Dina Kolker and Beth Norton to advise the United Federation of Teachers on arbitration, mediation and collective bargaining agreements. On the contentious side, the group acted for the 237 Local Teamsters Islip Welfare Fund in a claim by a rival union alleging an equitable interest by former fund participants. David Kahne was promoted to partner and is part of the team counselling the New York City Municipal Labor Committee on its long-term cost-saving goals of $4.3bn in healthcare services over a four-year period. All named attorneys are based in New York.

With clients across a range of industries, Vedder Price advises on the full spectrum of labor-management relations, including collective bargaining, disputes and union organizing. Under the leadership of San Francisco’s Heather Sager, the group continues to counsel a national transportation group on state-wide wage-and-hour compliance and negotiations with several unions. In Chicago, Kenneth Sparks represented a regional hospital in an election petition and unfair labor practice allegations. In Chicago, Mark Stolzenburg was recently promoted to partner and Patrick Spangler took over Charles Wolf’s practice following his retirement.

Winston & Strawn LLP’s Joseph Torres is ‘a real expert in the field’, ‘a great communicator’ and ‘able to cut right to the core of any issue’. Based in Chicago, Torres teamed up with Derek Barella to assist Caterpillar with its response to the United Auto Workers’ 450-worker strong campaign at an Ohio distribution centre. In another recent highlight, Washington DC-based William Miossi represented Liberty Maritime in a dispute arising from the failure to renegotiate employee wages, benefits and other economic terms, and its disagreement with the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association over the need for arbitration.