For more than 30 years, Jill has guided employers through challenging personnel issues, including discipline and discharge, and helped them to comply with such laws as the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, and the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act. Jill has successfully defended employers against both administrative charges of discrimination and wrongful discharge lawsuits in state and federal courts.

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Jill’s practice also includes traditional labor law: leading collective bargaining with unions, advocating for employers in labor arbitration, and defending employers in proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board. Organizations large and small turn to Jill to prepare employment contracts, create employment policies and handbooks, and train managers in a wide range of critical workplace issues. 

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REPRESENTATIVE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

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• Obtained summary judgment in favor of manufacturing companies in cases involving allegations of:
  - ancestry harassment and retaliation
  - sexual harassment
  - disability discrimination
  - wrongful discharge

• Secured summary judgment in favor of retail business in federal wage and hour case challenging exempt status of mechanics

• Acted as employer's advocate in more than 100 labor arbitrations

• Successfully defended public employer against multiple unfair labor practice charges before the State Employment Relations Board

 

PUBLICATIONS AND SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS

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• When Tax Law Meets the #metoo Movement

• Political Activism and the Workplace

• Ohio Expands Right to Carry Concealed Guns

• NLRB Clears Path to Bargaining Units including Temporary Workers

• Ohio Legalizes Medical Marijuana: Review Your Workplace Rules

• Are You Ready for New Overtime Rules?

• What the Defend Trade Secrets Act Means for Your Business

• Do Employees Have a Right to their Personnel Files?

• EEOC Issues More Proposed Wellness Program Regulations

• Beware of GINA in Workplace Investigations

• The Supreme Court’s Same-Sex Marriage Decision: What Employers Need to Know

• Marijuana Legalization: Impact on the Workplace

• Becoming Proactive about Religious Discrimination

• U.S. Supreme Court Weighs in on Pregnancy Discrimination

• Is Your Business Ready for a Union Organizing Effort?

• NLRB Decisions May Require Change to Personnel Policies

• EEOC Issues New Guidance on Pregnancy Discrimination

• EEOC Guidelines for Employment of Disabled Veterans

 

HONORS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

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• Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2015 - 2018
  Employment Law - Management and Labor Law – Management

• SuperLawyer rated 2020

 

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP

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• Stark County Bar Association, Chair--Labor Law Committee

• Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland and East Central Ohio, Board Member & Past Chair--Board of Directors

• Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce, Chair--Personnel Task Force

• Leadership Stark County, graduate--11th Class

 

COURTS AND BAR ASSOCIATIONS

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• State of Ohio

• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio

• Ohio State Bar Association

• Stark County Bar Association

 

EDUCATION

• The Ohio State University College of Law, Juris Doctor, 1986

• Case Western Reserve University, Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, 1983

 

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS

• Articles Editor, Journal on Dispute Resolution, Ohio State University College of Law

• Member, Phi Beta Kappa

• Recipient, Kennedy Prize