Neil B. Pioch has an extensive background in employment law, with a particular emphasis on litigating wage and hour cases. He has both prosecuted and defended large class and collective actions in federal courts throughout the country. Neil is skilled in advising in-house attorneys, insurers and human resource professionals in various aspects of the employment relationship, including pre-employment inquiries, background checks, hiring practices, employee discipline, termination decisions, severance agreements and minimum wage and overtime compliance. Over the years, Neil has counseled multistate employers as to best practices across a range of industries on employment law matters, including compliance with employee benefit laws and state and federal antidiscrimination statutes such as:
- Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
- Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Equal Pay Act
- Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act
Neil handles civil litigation on behalf of employers, municipalities and large corporations. He has served as deputy general counsel for municipalities he represents by regularly attending city council meetings and closed sessions to provide advice and counsel, legal opinions, answer questions, present strategic recommendations, and ensure compliance with Open Meetings Act requirements. Neil also has routinely defended municipalities against claims brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, including lawsuits alleging excessive force, constitutional torts, zoning, ordinance and nuisance disputes, requests for injunctive and declaratory relief and marijuana-related matters.
Clients frequently call upon Neil to draft state and federal appeals because of his demonstrated legal research and writing abilities, including appeals predicated on the denial of qualified immunity.
