James P. Smith focuses his practice on employment litigation, labor arbitrations, collective bargaining and helping management resolve employment-related issues. He has wide-ranging civil litigation experience in both employment and commercial matters and has handled cases involving:
- Age, race, gender and disability discrimination and harassment
- Leave and disability
- Compensation
- Business restructuring, including reorganizations and acquisitions
He has successfully represented clients in complex disputes before federal and state courts throughout the country and before administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Labor, the National Labor Relations Board and various state civil rights commissions.
He also appears before labor and employment arbitrators and has obtained favorable results for employers at both the trial and appellate levels. He has specific knowledge of the following statutes:
- The Americans with Disabilities Act
- The Age Discrimination in Employment Act
- The Uniform Trade Secrets Act
- The Ohio Civil Rights Act
- The Older Workers Benefit Protection Act
Jim also advises employers on a variety of day-to-day issues that confront management. These include the management of employee issues related to federal and state anti-discrimination laws, as well as employee discipline and employee separation.
Prior to working at Littler, James worked for a well-established regional labor and employment law firm where he developed wide-ranging civil litigation experience in both employment and commercial matters. In law school, he was a member of the Immigration and Nationality Law Review.
Education :
- J.D., University of Cincinnati College of Law, 2001
- B.A., Yale University, 1998
Courts :
- U.S. Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
Professional & Community Affiliations :
- Member, Labor Law Section, American Bar Association
- Member, Ohio Bar Association
- Member, Cleveland and Ohio Employment Inns of Court
Cost
Rate : $$$