For This Practice![]()
Practice Leader(s)
- Sidney F. Lewis, V
slewis@joneswalker.com
504.582.8352
Practice Attorneys
Related Industries
Combining more than 350 years of experience, Jones Walker’s Labor & Employment attorneys offer clients one of the largest, most diverse, and well-seasoned Labor & Employment practices in the region. We represent employers and their interests exclusively and counsel an array of companies in a wide range of industries, both locally and throughout the United States, in all aspects of labor and employment law. We strive to find the right solutions with practical, common sense approaches. We believe our ability to combine our depth in labor and employment law with Jones Walker's broad base of experience in other practice areas to address unique workplace and industry situations gives our clients a distinct advantage not available from "boutique" firms.
In recognition of the group's overall excellence, Jones Walker has been named the exclusive Louisiana member of the Employers Counsel Network (ECN), a national coalition of 51 leading labor and employment law firms in each of the United States and the District of Columbia.
Jones Walker's Labor & Employment Practice also has been recognized in "Chambers USA - America's Leading Lawyers for Business" for the past five years. In its inaugural 2003–2004 edition, Chambers USA identified Jones Walker as "one of the most prestigious firms in the field." Its 2007 publication ranked Jones Walker as one of the top Labor & Employment Practices in Louisiana and listed more Jones Walker attorneys than any other Louisiana firm.
Areas of Concentration
Employment Litigation
Our group of experienced and successful trial attorneys handles every type of employment litigation, including class actions, in state and federal courts throughout the United States. Our experience extends to defending claims involving race, sex, age, and disability discrimination and sexual harassment; employee benefits issues; wage and hour law; wrongful discharge; breach of contract; and employment torts such as defamation, interference with contract rights, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. We handle suits to enforce confidentiality and noncompetition agreements and to protect our clients trade secrets from theft or misuse by employees and competitors. Our labor and employment attorneys also are adept at handling arbitrations and mediations of workplace disputes under private arbitration and mediation agreements.
Administrative Practice
We regularly represent employers before the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Wage and Hour Division of the United States Department of Labor, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs, and various other federal, state, and local government agencies.
Labor-Management Relations
We represent employers in all aspects of traditional labor-management relations throughout the United States, including union organizing campaigns, the defense of unfair labor practice charges, labor arbitrations, union contract negotiations and other collective bargaining issues, and all other matters arising under the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act. We are experienced in dealing successfully with strikes, lockouts, picketing, and union violence to help our clients continue operating efficiently during labor strife. We also have experience in dealing with a variety of international labor law issues.
Employee Benefits
We frequently work with our Employee Benefits, ERISA & Executive Compensation practice on issues as varied as COBRA and the design of severance plans; the interplay between the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, group health insurance, including HIPAA, retirement plans, and other employee benefits; the design and drafting of executive employment contracts; and employee benefits litigation.
Immigration
We counsel employers on all aspects of the federal immigration laws, including, but not limited to, the various types of employment visas available, visa fraud, I-9 compliance, and national origin discrimination issues. We also assist employers in obtaining permanent employment visas as well as in procuring and/or extending a wide variety of temporary employment visas such as the H-1B visa for professionals, the L-1 visa for employees of U.S. companies abroad, and the B-1 visa for business visitors.
Counseling, Compliance, and Training Programs
Our client service includes proactive counseling, compliance, and training programs. We counsel employers daily to troubleshoot and resolve problems in all employment hot spots to help our clients minimize the risks inherent in nearly all employment decisions. We design affirmative action programs, separation agreements, and comprehensive employee handbooks and personnel policies and procedures. Our supervisor and employee training programs help employers reduce the risks of lawsuits, union organizing efforts, and other workplace problems.
News
- Anderson Authors Second Article in The Forum
- Defense Verdict Obtained in Disability Discrimination/Retaliation Case Tried by Kern and Chess
- Lewis Authors Articles in New Orleans CityBusiness
- Anderson Authors Article in The Forum
Events
- "Workplace Investigations in Louisiana"
- "Five Rules for Avoiding Legal Pitfalls in Recruiting, Applicant Screening, and Hiring"
- "Supervisors Biased? Handling Investigative Reports from the Field"
- "The One Thing You Must Know About 10 Employment Law Issues" and "The True Cost of Litigating – When to Fold and When to Fight"
Publications
- Excerpt from Louisiana Employment Law Letter, March 2008
- H. Mark Adams and Jennifer L. Anderson
Louisiana Employment Law Letter, Vol. 16, No. 2, May 2007 - H. Mark Adams, Jennifer L. Anderson, and Jennifer Faroldi Kogos
Louisiana Employment Law Letter, Vol. 13, No. 7, October 2004 - H. Mark Adams, Jennifer L. Anderson, and Jennifer Faroldi Kogos
Louisiana Employment Law Letter, Vol. 13, No. 6, September 2004 - H. Mark Adams, Jennifer L. Anderson, and Jennifer Faroldi Kogos
Louisiana Employment Law Letter, Vol. 13, No. 5, August 2004






