Since our founding in 1947, Shawe Rosenthal LLP has exclusively represented and advised management in employment and labor issues. We represent employers throughout the United States in federal, state, and local courts, before the NLRB, EEOC, and other administrative agencies and in arbitration hearings. Our clients range from Fortune 100 companies to smaller businesses and non-profits in a wide range of industries. At Shawe & Rosenthal, we place great emphasis on providing effective, efficient advocacy, responsive and personalized client service, and sound practical advice.

Although our practice is national, we have chosen to operate out of a single office in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor area in order to remain cohesive and selective. Our stable corps of attorneys provides our clients with unparalleled depth of experience and personalized service. All of our attorneys handle cases from beginning to end, ensuring that the lawyer who tries the case is thoroughly familiar with the facts and issues.

Our areas of expertise include:

Labor-Management Relations
With a strong focus on traditional labor law, we have successfully represented clients nationwide in thousands of NLRB elections and proceedings. Shawe & Rosenthal attorneys often serve as the company’s representative in collective bargaining negotiations, arbitrations, and unfair labor practice charges. Our experience also allows us to respond immediately to emergency situations, such as strikes and picketing.

Employment Discrimination
Shawe & Rosenthal defends its clients in all types of employment discrimination claims, including race, gender, age, national origin, religion and disability discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliation. We represent employers in administrative investigations conducted by the EEOC and other federal, state or local agencies. We defend our clients in lawsuits in federal and state courts, including class actions.

Employment Contracts and State Employment Law Claims
We draft employment contracts and severance agreements, represent clients in other employment matters such as enforcement of non-compete agreements, and defend state law employment claims including wrongful discharge, fraud, negligent hiring, assault and battery, defamation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Wage and Hour
We defend employers in wage-hour litigation, including overtime, minimum wage, and wage payment claims. We handle complex class and collective action claims, as well as individual actions. We also provide advice concerning wage-hour practices, conduct wage-hour audits, and represent clients in investigations and audits conducted by government agencies.

Advice and training
While we spend a great deal of time defending our clients when an action is filed, much of our practice is devoted to preventing problems. We review individual employment decisions such as discipline and discharge, advise clients concerning policies and procedures, conduct internal investigations as well as management training, and help plan major employment decisions such as reductions in force.