Steven H. Trent, the managing shareholder in Baker Donelson’s Johnson City/Tri-Cities office, has counseled and defended clients in employment matters for more than twenty years. Mr. Trent focuses his practice on labor and employment law.
He represents employers before the NLRB and other state and federal agencies and advises employers on many topics including union avoidance, FMLA administration, reductions in force, wage and hour issues, employee handbooks, drug testing and employment contracts.
Mr. Trent also represents the interests of management during the collective bargaining process. His multi-state practice includes defending claims under the Americans With Disabilities Act, Title VII claims, age discrimination claims, Fair Labor Standards Act claims, whistleblower claims, Equal Pay Act claims, FMLA claims, breach of contract claims and retaliation claims of virtually every kind.
Mr. Trent has conducted numerous speaking engagements and client training programs, including annual Labor and Employment Seminars in both Tennessee and Virginia and Management and Supervisor Training regarding labor and employment issues.
These issues include discrimination and harassment, leave issues, union awareness, wage and hour, employee discipline and documentation, retaliation, difficult terminations, employee handbooks, FMLA and effective performance evaluations. Mr. Trent is the former chair of the Labor & Employment Department, and he served six years on the Firm’s Board of Directors.
EDUCATION:
- Vanderbilt University Law School, J.D., 1993
- David Lipscomb University, B.A., 1990, magna cum laude
ADMISSIONS:
- Tennessee, 1993
- Virginia, 1994
Representative Matters:
- Obtained a defense verdict in Federal Court for a manufacturing company on Plaintiff’s FLSA claim of over $300,000.
- Obtained a defense verdict in a jury trial for a retail chain in a sex discrimination lawsuit.
- Obtained summary judgment for DOE contractor on all of Plaintiff’s claims, including Title VII and THRA sex and age-based discrimination claims, as well as a whistleblower claim asserted pursuant to the Tennessee Public Protection Act.
- Obtained summary judgment for a battery manufacturer with respect to plaintiff’s allegations of discriminatory (race) failure to hire in violation of Title VII.
- Obtained summary judgment for a water heater manufacturer on plaintiff’s retaliatory discharge claim related to plaintiff’s workers’ compensation injury.
Cost
Rate : $$$