Employment Law
Employment Law
We advise Michigan employers on hiring, compensation, separation and the disputes that follow, and we draft the agreements that determine how much room the company has when a relationship ends badly.
Schedule a ConsultationWhat This Work Actually Involves
What Employers Actually Need
Most employment problems are decided long before anyone consults a lawyer. They are decided by what the offer letter said, whether the handbook was followed, how the commission plan was written, and whether the restrictive covenant was drafted to be enforceable in the state where the employee actually works.
We work with closely held companies that do not have in-house counsel and often do not have a human resources department either. That means the practical question is usually not what the law permits in the abstract, but what this company can realistically administer and defend.
Employment Law Services
Counsel Across the Employment Relationship
Our work addresses the agreements, policies, compensation structures, separations and disputes that determine how much flexibility and protection an employer has when circumstances change.
Employment and offer agreements
Offer letters, employment agreements, and the compensation and termination terms that determine exposure when the relationship ends.
Restrictive covenants
Non-solicitation, confidentiality and non-competition provisions drafted against the law of the state where the employee actually works, and enforced or defended when tested.
Equity and incentive compensation
Stock incentive plans, phantom equity and bonus structures for companies that want to retain key people without giving away control.
Handbooks and workplace policy
Policies a company of this size can actually follow, because a policy that is not followed is worse in litigation than no policy at all.
Separations and severance
Structuring departures, negotiating separation agreements, and securing releases that hold.
Claims and investigations
Responding to discrimination, harassment, wage and classification claims, and to agency charges before they become lawsuits.
Practical Employment Counsel
Employment decisions rarely exist in isolation. Compensation, ownership, company policy, performance expectations and future business plans often converge in the same agreement. Our role is to identify those connections before they become sources of exposure.
The strongest employment strategy is one the company can consistently administer, explain and defend.
Representative Experience
Matters We Have Handled
Reese Serra · 2024
Stock incentive plan for a multi-state company
Drafted and implemented a stock incentive plan for a privately held company operating in Florida, Michigan and New York, reconciling competing interests among key employees and team leaders. The plan was adopted.
The matters described above are examples of work performed by The Private Firm. Client identities and identifying details have been omitted or generalized. Every matter turns on its own facts and its own law. Prior results do not guarantee, predict or imply a similar outcome in any future matter. Nothing on this page constitutes legal advice or creates an attorney-client relationship.
Who Handles This Work
Employment Counsel at The Private Firm
Employment matters are handled by the attorneys who advise the company generally, because the right answer usually depends on the company's structure, its ownership and what it is trying to accomplish commercially.