Employers, whether large or small, face an ever-growing web of workplace regulations and potential entanglements with employees. Polsinelli’s Labor & Employment attorneys understand the complexity and sensitivity of employee relations and workplace issues.

As exclusively management counsel, our attorneys have extensive experience providing employers with cost-efficient advice and aggressive defenses on employment and labor law matters. We represent Fortune 500 corporations and privately owned entrepreneurial firms, with recent national rankings and recognitions that include:

  • Globally ranked in Labor & Employment by Chambers Global (USA)
  • Nationally ranked in Labor & Employment by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
  • Regionally ranked in Labor & Employment by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
    • Highly Regarded in California
    • Georgia
    • Missouri: Kansas City & Surrounds
    • Missouri: St Louis & Surrounds
    • Utah
  • Nationally ranked in Labor & Employment with attorneys recognized as Benchmark Litigation Stars, Benchmark Litigation 
  • Ranked nationally for Litigation – Labor & Employment, with additional national rankings in Employment Law – Management and Labor Law – Management, “Best Law Firms” 

We have a broad range of practice areas and services, including:

While employment litigation and advocacy experience is our strength, preventing legal problems from arising is our goal. We can provide you with counsel on an isolated incident or a regular basis. We assist our clients across a spectrum of employment questions and provide seminars and workshops for supervisors and managers on effective employment practices.

We assist a broad spectrum of employers, ranging from small family-owned businesses to multi-national corporations, in establishing policies, writing handbooks, resolving employee disputes, handling terminations and successfully defending against legal claims. By providing practical advice based on review and analysis of a client’s employment policies and practices, the law and the human experience, our attorneys can often anticipate potential problems and assist clients in minimizing future claims and litigation.

We routinely provide management training in the areas of sexual harassment, workplace diversity, employee retention, hiring practices, wrongful discharge and numerous other areas intended to educate and motivate supervisory personnel in the proper handling of workplace issues.

Whether your business is union or non-union, we have the depth of knowledge to guide you through your labor-related legal challenges to reach practical and sound solutions. We represent clients in all stages of the grievance process and during arbitration proceedings. Slowdowns, strikes and secondary boycotts are areas we can maneuver with our extensive legal team. We have an enviable track record representing employers faced with labor union issues. We provide preventative labor relations training for our clients to assist them in avoiding union campaigns.

Publications
All Publications
The New Rules of Federal Contracting: Redefining DEI Compliance
Key Takeaways Federal contractors and subcontractors should assess whether their existing DEI policies and initiatives include any race- or ethnicity-based disparate treatment that could constitute a violation under EO 14398 and the new FAR 52.222-90 clause. Effective April 24, 2026, all new federal contracts must include a clause prohibiting "racially discriminatory DEI activities," with existing contracts required to be modified by July 24, 2026. Non-compliance carries serious consequences, including contract cancellation, termination or suspension, debarment and potential liability under the False Claims Act. Contractors should map flowdowns across their supply chain to ensure subcontractor compliance and prepare for forthcoming agency information collection requests related to FAR 52.222-90. On March 26, 2026, President Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 14398, titled Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors,
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Federal Court Grants Summary Judgment in ESOP Releveraging Case, Rejecting Novel Dilution Theory
Key Takeaways A federal district court in Arkansas granted summary judgment in favor of an ESOP sponsor, its board and the ESOP trustee, rejecting claims that a two-step releveraging transaction violated ERISA fiduciary duties. The court held that decisions regarding ESOP repurchase obligation strategy, such as releveraging, are generally corporate business decisions, not fiduciary acts subject to ERISA — particularly where the board spent considerable time with qualified third-party advisors workshopping various alternatives to releveraging. The court also reinforced that ESOP trustees satisfy their fiduciary duties where they engage in a robust, well-documented process, rely on independent advisors and negotiate favorable transaction terms for the plan. The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas granted summary judgment to all defendants in Shipp et
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