Labor & Employment

Woods Rogers’ Labor & Employment team partners with employers to solve complex workforce challenges and reduce legal risk. We provide management-side employment counsel tailored to the real-world needs of general counsel, HR leaders, and business executives. As one of the largest dedicated employment practices in Virginia, we represent employers in matters nationwide and across all industries.

Whether you need day-to-day HR advice, strategic guidance on emerging employment laws, or defense in high-stakes litigation, our attorneys deliver clear, practical guidance with a focus on your business outcomes. We are known for being responsive, collaborative, and direct, so you can act with confidence in fast-moving situations.

Our team is ranked Band 1 in Virginia by Chambers and Partners, with clients praising our ability to provide “honest, clear, and well-defined assessments” and noting our strength in compliance, litigation, and labor-management relations.

Why Employers Choose Woods Rogers

• Management-side focus: We exclusively represent employers, offering practical, business-oriented solutions.
• Full lifecycle support: We are your partner from prevention and training through litigation and appeals.
• National reach: We regularly handle multi-state and cross-border employment matters.
• Highly responsive: We understand urgency and provide timely, actionable guidance.
• Respected advisors: Clients and peers recognize our team for professionalism and legal excellence.

Workplace Solutions

Human Resources Compliance and Training

We help employers stay ahead of rapidly evolving employment laws and regulatory expectations with proactive, business focused counsel. Our team partners with HR and legal leaders to build compliant, scalable workplace practices that reduce risk and support organizational goals.

We advise on:

• Leave management and accommodations (ADA, FMLA, PWFA, and state/local requirements)
• Equal employment opportunity compliance, including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, investigations, training, and related policy guidance.
• Wage and hour compliance (FLSA, state laws, classification, pay equity, and audits)
• Workplace policies and employee handbooks tailored to multi-state operations
• Performance management, discipline, and terminations aligned with best practices and defensibility
• Reductions in force and restructuring, including WARN considerations
• Federal contractor compliance, including OFCCP audits, affirmative action programs, and Davis-Bacon/SCA obligations

We also deliver customized, practical training programs designed for executives, managers, HR professionals, and employees—available onsite or virtually and tailored to your workforce and industry.

Popular training topics include:

• Anti-harassment, respectful workplace culture, and bystander accountability
• Wage and hour compliance for managers and HR
• Conducting effective investigations and documentation
• Workplace safety, crisis response, and violence prevention
• Legal updates and emerging workplace trends impacting employers

Labor-Management Relations

In today’s environment of heightened union activity and evolving labor policy, employers need strategic, experienced counsel who understand both the legal landscape and the realities of managing a unionized or union‑targeted workforce.

Woods Rogers offers an experienced team of management-side labor attorneys who regularly advise employers across industries on traditional labor matters from union avoidance to complex collective bargaining to high-stakes disputes. Our team includes seasoned negotiators and frontline advisors who bring credibility, practical judgment, and a steady hand in sensitive labor relations matters.

We partner with employers to:

• Develop and implement lawful union awareness and avoidance strategies, including supervisor training and campaign readiness
• Advise on union organizing campaigns, elections, and decertification efforts
• Lead and support collective bargaining negotiations, with a focus on achieving sustainable agreements that align with business objectives
• Administer collective bargaining agreements, including day-to-day counseling on contract interpretation and management rights
• Handle grievances, arbitrations, and mediations with a disciplined, results-oriented approach
• Represent employers in NLRB proceedings, including representation in unfair labor practice charges, petitions, elections, and injunction matters
• Prepare for and respond to strikes, picketing, and work stoppages, including contingency planning and operational continuity

Our attorneys are known for firm but fair negotiation strategies that protect business interests while maintaining workforce stability.

Importantly, our attorneys take a preventive approach and help employers identify vulnerabilities before they become organizing opportunities, equip supervisors to communicate effectively, and align labor strategy with broader business goals.

Employment Litigation Defense

We defend employers in state and federal courts, administrative agencies, and arbitration, handling matters ranging from single-plaintiff claims to complex, high-exposure litigation.

Our experience includes:

• Discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims
• Wrongful discharge and public policy claims
• Wage and hour class and collective actions
• Noncompete, trade secret, and unfair competition disputes
• Whistleblower and retaliation claims

We focus on efficient, strategic resolution, whether through early case assessment and dismissal, negotiated outcomes, or aggressive trial advocacy. Our goal is always to minimize disruption, control costs, and protect your business and reputation.

Workplace Investigations

When workplace issues arise, we work closely with our Government & Special Investigations Team to conduct and guide thorough, defensible workplace investigations with sensitivity and discretion.

We assist with:

• Internal investigations into misconduct, harassment, discrimination, and policy violations
• Executive-level and board-directed investigations
• EEOC charges and position statements
• DOL audits and investigations
• OFCCP compliance reviews

Our approach emphasizes credibility, documentation integrity, and risk mitigation, delivering clear findings and practical recommendations that position employers for effective resolution.

Employment-Based Immigration

We help employers navigate complex U.S. immigration requirements to attract and retain global talent, including:

• Non-immigrant and immigrant visas
• I-9 compliance and E-Verify
• Labor condition applications
• Intracompany transfers

OSHA & Workplace Safety Compliance

We advise employers on OSHA and VOSH compliance, helping reduce liability and improve workplace safety.

Our team assists with:

• Workplace incident investigations
• OSHA inspections and citation defense
• Safety audits and compliance programs
• Whistleblower and retaliation claims

Guests at our annual Labor & Employment Seminars return year after year to learn about legal developments and cases that affect the workplace.

Comments from past seminar attendees include:

• “By far the most enjoyable summit/conference I have attended. Everyone was friendly, knowledgeable, interactive, and made the day fun…”
• “Information was timely and impactful and did not give the feel of 'information overload.' Presenters did an excellent job of providing meaningful examples and items to be on the lookout for.”
• “Love the unbiased approach to HR legal issues! The speakers were engaging and knowledgeable; I’ll definitely be back.”
• “I love this bunch of presenters; they are knowledgeable, friendly, and funny. They make hard topics interesting.”

We are recognized by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) to offer Professional Development Credits (PDCs) for the SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP®. We also meet the criteria for pre-approved recertification credit(s) for any of the eight credentials recognized by the HR Certification Institute® (HRCI®), including SPHR® and PHR®.

Woods Rogers serves as the exclusive Virginia affiliate for the Employment Law Alliance (ELA), the world’s largest network of labor and employment attorneys. Through our membership, we provide seamless access to counsel across the U.S. and in more than 100 countries.

This expansive network allows us to:

• Coordinate multi-jurisdictional employment strategies
• Deliver reliable guidance across locations
• Support cross-border workforce issues

For more information about ELA, visit www.ela.law.