Stephanie R. Setterington

Stephanie advises employers on a wide variety of labor and employment matters, with an emphasis on employment litigation defense, the identification and development of best practices in the area of human resources, and affirmative action. She has worked extensively as labor and employment counsel for publicly-traded and privately-held companies that vary from single-site businesses to multistate or global entities. She works with each client to ensure compliance with labor and employment-related legal requirements, develop effective human resource operations, and achieve the successful resolution of employment-related disputes.

Stephanie defends employers in state and federal trial and appellate courts, and before state and administrative agencies. She also assists unionized employers with contract and grievance administration issues. Her experience includes defending clients in grievance arbitrations, as well as in National Labor Relations Board proceedings at the trial and appellate levels.

The Best Lawyers in America© has named Stephanie the Grand Rapids “Lawyer of the Year” for Labor and Employment Litigation in the 2021 guide.

Stephanie also maintains a focus on representation of educational institutions. She regularly assists higher education institutions and independent schools regarding specialized matters of compliance, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), the Jeanne Cleary Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act), and other federal, state and local laws relating to students and employees of educational institutions. Stephanie represented one of three Michigan universities in litigation before the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and the United States Supreme Court regarding the constitutionality of Michigan's voter-enacted ban on the use of affirmative action in college admissions.