Michael R. Gotzler

Pronounced: GOTS-ler

  • Shareholder
  • Co-Chair, Contractors, Staffing and Contingent Workers Practice Group
  • Madison
  • Milwaukee
mgotzler@littler.com
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Michael R. Gotzler has focused his entire career, including 10 years as an in-house General Counsel, representing employers in all aspects of labor and employment matters.

Mike relies on his wide-ranging practice experience, exceptional client service, and enthusiasm to identify and develop practical and real-world solutions. Mike works with employers of varying sizes and industries to focus on balancing business realities with legal compliance and risk management.

For unionized employers, Mike frequently serves or supports collective bargaining negotiations and provides representation in arbitration hearings. He has prevailed at labor arbitrations that permitted companies to continue subcontracting their non-core services, obtained a full dismissal of all NLRB complaints including allegations of unlawful terminations following 7-day hearing, and helped a multi-state health care system successfully respond to a multi-facility union organizing drive.

As Co-Chair of the firm’s Contingent Workforce practice group, Mike has particular experience and skill in responding to claims and issues surrounding joint and co-employment, the use of third party workers, independent contractors, and outsourced HR services. He has presented at national conferences, represented businesses at White House briefings, participated on panels and has been regularly interviewed and quoted as a result. He has successfully defended and litigated multi-million-dollar independent contractor misclassification cases, advised a 50-state organization with dozens of separate business entities on creating a captive PEO arrangement to realize cost savings and integrate HR and tax systems, and managed a cross-border staffing project that involved the engagement of EOR and PEO service providers across two dozen jurisdictions.

Mike has secured dismissals of dozens of harassment and discrimination claims brought before various administrative agencies, obtained summary judgment in a case alleging a CEO engaged in sexual harassment, and managed executive-level investigations involving in-house counsel and compliance directors.

To help his clients minimize claims, Mike has designed and delivered a wide range of preventive HR training courses, including anti-harassment courses designed with EEOC involvement and approval. Mike was one of the first individuals selected to deliver sexual harassment training as part of a nationwide conciliation agreement, under which the employer was required to provide EEOC-approved training to more than 100,000 employees.

Mike serves as the Wisconsin coordinator and liaison for Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute (WPI). Mike focuses on Wisconsin state legislative and regulatory developments in employment and labor law, as well as municipal ordinances and regulation of the workplace. He assists the employer community in understanding and impacting Wisconsin legislation before it becomes law.

Mike was Littler’s first attorney in the Madison, Wisconsin, office. Prior to joining Littler, Mike was General Counsel of a company that provided temporary staffing, executive recruiting, HR consulting and integrated HR (PEO) services throughout the U.S. He was also shareholder at another firm that focused exclusively on labor and employment matters on behalf of employers.

Credentials & Recognition

Speaking Engagements

Employment Law Update and Look Ahead to 2025

  • November 19, 2024
  • GMA SHRM Annual Legal Conference, Madison, WI

Employment Law Update

  • November 14, 2024
  • WASS Annual Legal & Legislative Conference, Milwaukee WI

Contingent Workforce Risk Management Workshop

  • October 18, 2024
  • Staffing Industry Analysts Conference, Atlanta, GA

Navigating the New Normal: Understanding Union Activity in the Contingent Workforce

  • September 17, 2024
  • SIA North America Summit, Dallas, TX

Best Practices for Leveraging Staffing Firms, Contractors, and Platform Solutions

  • May 8, 2024
  • Littler Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

Hot Topics in Labor & Employment Law for Wisconsin Employers

  • May 2, 2024
  • Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Annual Workforce & HR Conference, Madison, WI

National Labor Relations Board Update

  • October 12, 2023
  • Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce

Littler Summer Kickoff and Employment Law Update

  • May 31, 2023
  • Madison, WI

Annual Case Law Update

  • May 25, 2023
  • NAPEO Legal & Legislative PEO Capitol Summit, Washington D.C.

Surveys Says – Emerging Trends and Gotchas Every Staffing Agency Should Know

  • May 19, 2023
  • ASA Annual Staffing Law Conference, Washington D.C.

2023 Hot HR Topics

  • May 17, 2023
  • Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Annual Workforce & HR Conference, Madison, WI

The Rise and Risks of Leveraging Contingent Workers

  • May 12, 2023
  • Littler Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

The Rise and Risks of Leveraging Contingent Workers

  • May 11, 2023
  • Littler Executive Employer Conference, Phoenix, AZ

Contingent Workforce Risk Management Workshop

  • April 27, 2023
  • Staffing Industry Analysts Conference, Atlanta, GA

Employment Law Update and a Peek Ahead

  • October 5, 2022
  • Madison, WI

Contingent Workforce Risk Management Workshop

  • July 19, 2022
  • Staffing Industry Analysts Conference, Atlanta, GA

Littler Summer Kickoff and Employment Law Update

  • June 8, 2022
  • Madison, WI

NLRB Update

  • June 1, 2022
  • Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce,Madison, WI

Top-10 Predictions for the Future of Nontraditional Work Relationships

  • May 6, 2022
  • Littler Executive Employer Conference

Contingent Workforce Risk Management Workshop

  • April 19, 2022
  • Staffing Industry Analysts Conference, Atlanta, GA

COVID-19 Has Reshuffled the HR Deck: Remote Work, Vaccination, Testing & More

  • March 2, 2022
  • WMC Workforce and HR Conference, Madison, WI

Future of Work and The Wandering Worker

  • November 11, 2021
  • WASS Legal & Legislative Conference

OSHA Publishes Emergency Rule on Vaccine and Testing Mandates for Large Employers

  • November 8, 2021
  • Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce Webinar

An Overview of PCA: A New Day for Employers at the NLRB

  • November 5, 2021
  • Annual ACC-Wisconsin Legal Conference, Elkhart Lake, WI

Employment Law Update

  • October 26, 2021
  • CUNA Annual Attorneys’ Conference

Clearing the Haze: Understanding Marijuana in the Workplace

  • October 14, 2021
  • Wisconsin State SHRM Conference, Wisconsin Dells, WI

Contingent Workforce Risk Management Workshop

  • July 20, 2021
  • Staffing Industry Analysts Conference, Atlanta, GA

Legal Considerations for a Remote or Wandering Workforce

  • June 15, 2021
  • Future of Work Conference, University of Wisconsin Business Consortium

Returning to Work from COVID-19 Plus Other Challenges for Wisconsin Employers

  • May 4, 2021
  • WMC Annual Human Resources Conference

Contingent Workforce Risk Management Workshop

  • April 13, 2021
  • Staffing Industry Analysts Conference, Atlanta, GA

What to Expect Under the Biden Administration

  • March 9, 2021
  • WASS Legal & Legislative Update

The COVID-19 Vaccine – Legal and Practical Implications

  • February 23, 2021
  • QPS Employment Forum, Milwaukee WI

The COVID-19 Vaccine – Legal and Practical Implications

  • January 20, 2021
  • Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce COVID-19 Update

Wisconsin State Law Update

  • December 2, 2020
  • Metro Milwaukee SHRM Legislative Update Conference

Employment Law Year in Review – Sneak Peek at 2021

  • November 17, 2020
  • GMA-SHRM Legal & Legislative 2020

Employee Handbooks: The COVID Edition!

  • November 12, 2020
  • WASS Legal & Legislative Conference

2020 Hot Topics in Minnesota and Wisconsin Employment Law

  • November 11, 2020
  • Littler’s Upper Midwest Employer Conference

Employment Law Update

  • October 26, 2020
  • CUNA Annual Attorneys’ Conference

Ethical Issues Arising in Workplace Investigations

  • August 28, 2020
  • ACC Wisconsin Annual Conference, Milwaukee, WI

COVID-19 Litigation Trends and Recent Employment Law Changes

  • August 12, 2020
  • Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce COVID-19 Update, Madison, WI

Back to Work? Assessing Whether, When and How to Reopen for Business?

  • April 28, 2020
  • WASS Power 20 Series, Milwaukee WI

Practical Advice for Employers Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic

  • April 13, 2020
  • QPS Employment Forum, Milwaukee WI

Clearing the Weeds: Making Sense of Marijuana Legalization Laws

  • February 20, 2020
  • MRA Annual Employment Law Conference, Milwaukee WI

Ethics in Action

  • February 14, 2020
  • Annual Rotary Ethics Symposium, Madison, WI

Marijuana and the Workplace: What Employers Need to Know

  • January 21, 2020
  • Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, Madison, WI

Clearing the Weeds: Making Sense of Marijuana Legalization Laws

  • November 14, 2019
  • Wisconsin Association of Staffing Services Annual Legal & Legislative Conference, Madison, WI

Ethical Considerations in Employment Arbitration

  • November 5, 2019
  • Association of Corporate Counsel – Wisconsin Annual Ethics Seminar, Milwaukee, WI

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Recent Developments on Independent Contractors

  • October 17, 2019
  • Wisconsin State SHRM Conference, Wisconsin Dells, WI

Marijuana Legalization Workplace Challenges

  • August 6, 2019
  • Manufacturing Business Alliance, Beaver Dam, WI

Marijuana Legalization Workplace Challenges

  • July 17, 2019
  • Littler Brewer Briefing, Milwaukee, WI

Contingent Workforce Risk Management Workshop

  • April 24, 2019
  • Staffing Industry Analysts Conference, Atlanta, GA

#MeToo - Navigating the New Era of Workplace Harassment

  • February 7, 2019
  • MRA Annual Iowa Employment Law Conference, Bettendorf, IA

Managing Risks of Using External Workers

  • January 17, 2019
  • Sheboygan Area SHRM Monthly Meeting, Sheboygan, WI

Background Checks: Industry Trends and Legal Issues

  • November 15, 2018
  • Wisconsin Association of Staffing Services Legal & Legislative Conference, Madison, WI

Independent Contractor Challenges

  • August 9, 2018
  • American Payroll Association, Madison, WI

Responding to Sexual Harassment Complaints in the #MeToo Era

  • July 11, 2018
  • Middleton Chamber of Commerce, Middleton, WI

Is the Gig Up? Compliance and the Independent Contractor

  • May 23, 2018
  • Wisconsin State Bar Association, Madison, WI

Responding to Sexual Harassment in the #MeToo Era

  • May 10, 2018
  • Tri-State Human Resources Association, Dubuque, IA

Employment Law & HR Best Practices for Non-Profits

  • February 13, 2018
  • Wegner Leadership Series, Milwaukee, WI

Employment Law & HR Best Practices for Non-Profits

  • January 16, 2018
  • Wegner Leadership Series, Madison, WI

Where Did Your Employees Go? Leaves of Absence and Independent Contractors

  • December 12, 2017
  • Risk Management Conference, Madison, WI

Staffing Industry Challenges and Opportunities

  • November 16, 2017
  • Wisconsin Association of Staffing Services, Annual Legal & Legislative Conference, Madison, WI

Employment Law Update

  • September 27, 2017
  • NAPEO (National Association of Professional Employer Organizations) Midwest Conference, Chicago, IL

OSHA’s Temporary Worker Initiative

  • September 20, 2017
  • Wausau Employer Safety Council, Wausau, WI

Unemployment Insurance Law Update

  • August 16, 2017
  • Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) Policy Day, Madison, WI

Investigations in the Staffing Industry

  • June 14, 2017
  • Wisconsin Association of Staffing Services Webinar, Milwaukee, WI

Compensation Analysis and Wage & Hour Risk Management

  • May 10, 2017
  • Dodge County SHRM, Beaver Dam, WI

Employment Law Challenges in the Staffing Industry

  • April 6, 2017
  • Midwest Staffing Conference, Chicago, IL

Most Pressing Legal Issues for HR Professionals

  • September 21, 2016
  • University of Wisconsin Business School, Madison, WI

The New FLSA Exemption Rule – Impact on the Staffing Industry

  • June 23, 2016
  • Wisconsin Association of Staffing Services Webinar, Milwaukee, WI

The New FLSA Exemption Rule – Impact on Non-Profit Employers

  • June 8, 2016
  • Madison, WI

Legal Aspects of Workplace Investigations

  • May 26, 2016
  • Metro Milwaukee SHRM and ASIS Investigations Conference, Milwaukee, WI

Independent Contractors - Growing Challenges

  • May 17-18, 2016
  • National Association of Professional Employer Organizations (NAPEO) Annual Legal Conference, Washington, D.C.

FLSA Exemption Overhaul – What HR Executives Need to Know

  • May 13, 2016
  • Madison HR Executives Roundtable, Madison, WI

The Most Pressing Employment Law Issues for 2016

  • January 20, 2016
  • Wisconsin Association of Staffing Services – Annual Legal Conference, Madison, WI

Additional Thought Leadership

When a Bedrock Principle Gets Shaken

  • May 2018
  • PEO Insider

Law Fix for Wisconsin Workers’ Compensation

  • April 2018
  • American Staffing Association’s Staffing Success

Impact of Wisconsin Employment Law Preemption Bill

  • March 28, 2018
  • InBusiness

DOL’s Final Rule on Overtime Exemptions

  • October 2016
  • PEO Insider

Persuader Reporting – Worse Than ACA Reporting?

  • May 2016
  • PEO Insider

Hiring with Conviction

  • June 2015
  • InBusiness

Achievements and Pitfalls of Obamacare

  • March 29, 2015
  • Wisconsin State Journal

Experts Divided on Fallout from Potential Supreme Court ACA Ruling

  • March 24, 2015
  • WisBusiness

Supreme Court Ruling on Obamacare Could Cause Chaos, Experts Say

  • March 24, 2015
  • The Capital Times

Let us know how we can help you navigate your particular workplace legal issues.