Morris L. Hawk

Associate

Professional Experience

Morris represents privately-owned and publicly-held corporations in employment litigation, labor law matters, and general commercial litigation. In addition, he advises clients on general corporate and employee benefits matters.

Areas Of Emphasis

Morris' litigation and counseling experience includes the following:

Defending employers against employment discrimination claims in federal and state courts, as well as before the EEOC and the OCRC
Defending employers in traditional labor matters before the NLRB, including unfair labor practice proceedings, representation proceedings, and union avoidance campaigns
Defending employers against wrongful discharge claims
Representing employers in lawsuits involving employee benefits
Litigation of disputes involving non-competition agreements and trade secrets
Advising clients on all aspects of employment law, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII, the WARN Act, ERISA, and COBRA compliance
Preparing employee handbooks for various employers, including a manufacturing facility and a financial services company
Representing clients in the litigation of trust disputes
Representing contractors in disputes with subcontractors, suppliers, and labor unions

Presentations

Morris spoke on the topic, “Creating Wage and Hour Compliance Strategies That Work,” at the Advanced Employment Law seminar sponsored by the National Business Institute, in Independence, Ohio; July 10, 2008
"Successfully Litigating Employment Discrimination", sponsored by the National Business Institute, February 19, 2008
"Employment Laws Made Simple; Ensure compliance with employment law procedures and practices!" , National Business Institute Seminar, December 11, 2007

Professional & Community Associations

Ohio State Bar Association
Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association

Education

Case Western Reserve University, J.D., 1995 (Contributing Editor, Law Review, 1994-1995)
Ohio University, B.A., 1990 (summa cum laude)

Licensed to Practice

Ohio
Federal district and appellate courts

Articles by Morris L. Hawk

August 2010 - "Ohio Supreme Court: Employers Are Not Required to Grant Maternity Leave," TLNT

June 2010 - "The Ohio Supreme Court Rules That Employers Are Not Required to Grant Maternity Leave to Pregnant Employees"

January 2010 - "Gender-Specific Vulgarities Sufficient To Establish A Claim For Sexual Harassment Even If The Comments Are Not Directed At Plaintiff"

September 2009 – Client Alert on Employment Law: "EEOC Publishes Proposed Rules Implementing the Amendments to the Americans with Disabilities Act"

April 2007 – In his article, “Traps for the Unwary,” published in the April/May issue of Contemporary Long-Term Care magazine, Morris offers advice to employers on how to prepare employee severance agreements which will hold up in court.

November 2006 – Client Alert on Employment Law: Issue 5, "What do employers need to do to comply with Ohio's "Smoke Free Workplace Act" and Issue 2, "The success of Issue 2 creates a constitutional amendment replete with new employer responsibilities".

Traps For The Unwary: Drafting Severance Agreements And Releases That Will Stand Up In Court Article

Fall 2004 – Overview Of The Department of Labor's New Overtime Regulations