Employment Law

The cheapest employment dispute is the one a good policy prevents.The case for counsel before the claim

Most workplace problems are solved long before they become lawsuits — in the handbook, the offer letter, the classification decision, and the way a termination is documented. The firm provides the day-to-day counsel that keeps a business compliant and defensible:

• Employee handbooks, policies, and workplace training
• Exempt / non-exempt classification and independent-contractor analysis under the FLSA
• Hiring, discipline, leave, and termination practices
• Leave administration under the FMLA and accommodation under the ADA
• Reductions in force and WARN Act compliance
• Investigations of harassment and misconduct complaints

In Louisiana, a non-compete is enforceable only if it is drafted exactly right.La. R.S. 23:921

Louisiana law disfavors restraints on competition and enforces them only on strict statutory terms. Under La. R.S. 23:921, a valid non-compete must fit one of the statute’s defined relationships, run no longer than two years from the end of employment, and specify the geographic area by parish or municipality. There is no judicial “reasonableness” rescue — an agreement that misses the requirements is simply unenforceable. Mississippi takes the more common approach, enforcing restraints that are reasonable in time, territory, and scope.

The firm drafts agreements that hold up, enforces them when a departing employee or competitor crosses the line, and defends employees and new employers against overbroad restraints — along with the trade-secret and customer-solicitation questions that travel with them.

These claims live in federal court — and start with a deadline.Title VII · ADA · ADEA · EEOC charge

Workplace discrimination and harassment claims arise mainly under federal law — Title VII (race, color, religion, sex, national origin), the ADA (disability), the ADEA (age 40+), and the Equal Pay Act — and they begin with a timely charge to the EEOC. Louisiana layers its own Employment Discrimination Law on top (La. R.S. 23:301 et seq.); Mississippi relies almost entirely on the federal statutes.

The firm defends employers through the EEOC charge process and into litigation, and represents select employees with strong, well-documented claims. Either way, the first question is always timing — the charge window can be as short as 180 days in both states.

• EEOC charges — position statements, mediation, and defense
• Harassment and hostile-work-environment claims
• Retaliation and whistleblower matters (incl. La. R.S. 23:967)
• Disability accommodation and ADA disputes
• Right-to-sue letters and federal-court litigation

Unpaid wages carry their own penalty in Louisiana.La. R.S. 23:631–632

The federal Fair Labor Standards Act governs minimum wage, overtime, and the misclassification questions that drive most wage disputes — including off-the-clock work and salaried employees who were never truly exempt. Louisiana adds real teeth at separation: under the Louisiana Wage Payment Act (La. R.S. 23:631–632), a departing employee’s final wages are due by the next payday or within fifteen days, and an employer who fails to pay can owe penalty wages of up to ninety days’ pay plus attorney fees, subject to a good-faith-dispute exception.

The firm advises employers on compliance and pay practices, defends wage claims and FLSA collective actions, and pursues clear cases of unpaid overtime, off-the-clock work, and withheld final pay.

A clean separation is a drafted one.Employment & severance agreements

The documents that begin and end the employment relationship are where risk is allocated — or created. The firm drafts and negotiates offer letters, executive and employment agreements, and severance and separation agreements with enforceable releases. Where a release covers an employee aged 40 or older, it must satisfy the federal Older Workers Benefit Protection Act — with its consideration periods and revocation right — to be effective, a detail that quietly defeats many do-it-yourself releases.

For employees, the firm reviews severance packages and releases before they are signed, so you understand what you are giving up and whether the terms are fair.

Both states are at-will — but at-will is not without limits.The exceptions are where the case is

Louisiana and Mississippi are both at-will states: absent a contract, an employer may generally end the relationship for any reason or none. But at-will has limits — an employer still may not fire you because of a protected characteristic, in retaliation for protected activity, or in violation of a specific statute. The firm represents select employees where the wrong is clear and well-documented:

• Discrimination, harassment, and retaliation
• Unpaid wages, overtime, and withheld final pay
• Wrongful termination within the recognized statutory exceptions
• Review of severance agreements and non-competes before you sign

Because the firm also counsels employers, every prospective representation is conflict-checked first — one reason the intake conversation starts with a few names, not your story.