Legal Defense and Guidance for Employers in Contracts and Disputes

The labor and employment group at Goodsill serves the needs of Hawai‘i’s employers. We are thoroughly versed in the ever-changing maze of federal and state regulations governing employment practices and employer-employee relations.

We provide a complete range of services from initial counseling to our appeals practice, striving to assist employers in maintaining positive relations with their employees and avoiding the expense and disruption of litigation.

We are privileged to serve the needs of multinational, national and local corporations; nonprofit organizations; small businesses; and individual entrepreneurs in the following areas:

Civil litigation: We represent management in wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) claims and other employment-related civil litigation. The firm is also retained by insurers of all types of business and nonprofit organizations to defend against liability claims under Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) and directors and officers (D&O) liability insurance policies.
Agency practice: We represent management before the Hawai‘i Civil Rights Commission, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the State of Hawai’i Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and the United States Department of Labor, including the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and the National Labor Relations Board.
Labor relations, collective bargaining and union activities: We represent management with respect to grievance resolution, unfair labor practices, union organizing campaigns and collective bargaining.
Counseling services: We provide information and advice regarding day-to-day issues such as interviewing, hiring, responding to reference inquiries, employee supervision and management, employee counseling and documentation, employee discipline, termination, employee benefits, mandatory health and disability insurance, and leaves of absence.
Prevention and training: We provide information and advice in preventing and promptly resolving workplace issues such as substance abuse, violence in the workplace and sexual harassment, and we conduct seminars and training at the workplace to respond to employers’ individual needs.
Business transactions and employment-related legal documentation: We advise, negotiate and document business transactions (including sales, mergers and closures); collective bargaining proposals; individual employment contracts; independent contractor agreements; noncompetition, nonsolicitation and nondisclosure agreements; employment manuals and policies; employee discipline and termination documentation; and separation agreements.