Howard E. Cole

Howard Cole’s practice includes both traditional labor law and employment law and litigation. His ‎practice is limited to exclusive representation of employers in both the private and public ‎sectors, including gaming, health care, public agencies, construction companies, and dozens of ‎other industries.‎

In the area of traditional labor law, Howard has extensive experience ‎representing employers in union organizing efforts, developing union-free strategies, defending ‎companies in unfair labor practices before the National Labor Relations Board, negotiating ‎collective bargaining agreements on behalf of private and public sector employers, ‎representing employers during union strikes and picketing, and representing employers in ‎arbitration and mediation matters. ‎

Howard also advises clients throughout the West on ‎day-to-day legal issues affecting the workplace, including employee discipline and ‎terminations, workforce reductions, discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims, ‎confidential proprietary information and trade secrets disputes, substance abuse, ADA, ADEA, ‎OWBPA, Title VII and ADAAP issues, occupational safety and health, wage and hour, wrongful ‎termination, contract administration, strategic planning, benefit matters, employment ‎agreements, personnel policies, workplace privacy, executive employment contracts, ‎overseeing and conducting internal investigations involving employee misconduct, and other ‎human resources issues. He regularly defends employers in state and federal courts and ‎administrative agencies on disputes involving discrimination, harassment, wrongful ‎‎termination, trade secrets/unfair competition, and wage and hour law. He has also ‎defended clients in class and collective actions involving the FLSA and state wage/hour laws in ‎state and federal court. In addition, he has represented clients in workplace safety disputes before ‎NV-OSHA, Cal OSHA and Fed OSHA, and state OSHA review boards.‎

Howard provides extensive training and consulting with clients. He regularly strategizes ‎with management about ways to prevent expensive and time-consuming ‎litigation. He trains ‎clients’ executives, managers, and supervisors on employment law and ‎human resource issues ‎designed to reduce wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims.‎