Richard has been providing employers, general counsel, managers, and human resource professionals with timely, practical and effective employment law guidance for over 21 years. Richard’s practice focuses on wage and hour single plaintiff and collective action lawsuits, non-competition and trade secret litigation, class and single plaintiff lawsuits asserting discrimination claims under Title VII and corresponding state law, ERISA single plaintiff and class action lawsuits, and disability and Family and Medical Leave Act claims.

Richard often acts as his clients’ first point of contact, as he is always available to provide advice and guidance regarding unannounced federal agency visits, high-level terminations and investigations, employee leave and accommodation requests, theft of confidential and proprietary information. Richard also has a wealth of experience providing guidance regarding discrimination and harassment complaints, whistleblower and retaliation claims, reductions in force, executive compensation, employee retention, wage and hour compliance, training and workplace audits.

Richard’s employment law guidance and advice is informed by his trial experience. It has allowed him to draw a precise distinction between scenarios that provoke skepticism from judges and juries, versus those that demonstrate fair and consistent treatment by the employer.

Richard routinely litigates cases in federal and state court both in and outside of Michigan, has argued before the Michigan Supreme Court and United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and regularly represents employers before federal agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the United States Department of Labor.

Kristi is a pragmatic and strategic partner to employers, providing counsel and direction across a variety of labor and employment matters.

She has litigated cases before state and federal administrative agencies, state and federal courts, and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. She has represented clients in internal investigations, employee grievance processes, mediations and arbitrations. She has been the lead negotiator in dozens of bargains. She has counseled employers on labor and employment issues such as union organizing, employee social media use and First Amendment rights, strategic compensation and evaluation processes, compliance matters, discipline and termination. She has negotiated contracts, overseen RFP and bid processes, and evaluated risk management strategies and safety assessments. She frequently provides training on topics such as harassment and discrimination, ethics, First and Fourth Amendment rights, and the recently amended Title IX requirements.

Kristi also spent several years as both an in-house attorney and Director of Human Resources for public sector entities. As an executive leader, she managed hundreds of employees and a multi-million dollar budget for salaries and benefits. She was directly responsible for strategic staffing decisions, expanding and enhancing employee benefit opportunities, administering leave provisions, implementing new policies and training requirements, managing employee performance, and all discipline and termination decisions. This experience has provided her with a unique insight into the challenges faced by human resources professionals and business owners across the country.

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