Patrick Collins to Speak on Managing Employment Issues

Patrick T. Collins, a Member of law firm Norris McLaughlin, P.A., and Chair of its Labor & Employment Law Practice Group, will present “Managing Evolving Employment Issues with Limited Resources” on Thursday, May 9, 5:30 – 7:00 p.m., at Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. in Little Ferry.  He will discuss wage and hour issues; paid sick, family, and disability leave; workers compensation; #MeToo issues; anti-harassment training; social media in the workplace; handbook updates; the proposed overtime rule changes; the NJ Pay Equity Law; and New Jersey’s new minimum wage.

The event is co-sponsored by The Association of Corporate Counsel Small Law Department Network, the world’s largest organization serving the professional and business interests of attorneys who practice in the legal departments of corporations, associations, nonprofits and other private-sector organizations around the globe, and Meritas® Law Firms Worldwide, the premier global alliance of independent law firms working collaboratively to provide businesses with qualified legal expertise.  To learn more and register, please click here.

A resident of Branchburg, Collins practices labor, employment, and personnel law on behalf of employers and management. He is experienced in all areas of litigation in both federal and state courts, defending discrimination and sexual harassment claims, wrongful discharge and whistleblower suits, and claims brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act and the multitude of other civil rights and anti-discrimination laws. In addition, Collins represents parties in breach of contract claims, and in actions involving unfair competition, restrictive covenants, and confidentiality agreements.

Collins has appeared before state human rights agencies throughout the country, as well as the EEOC, the National Labor Relations Board, and various wage and hour agencies. He has represented employers in numerous labor grievance/arbitration proceedings, and in a variety of other matters relating to the unionization of employees and collective bargaining. He has also worked extensively with employers on public works contracts to ensure compliance with prevailing wage laws.

Much of Collins’ practice concentrates on counseling employers in making workplace decisions that will reduce or avoid entirely the risk of litigation. Collins regularly counsels his clients on matters concerning independent contractors and contingent workers, employment policies, employee discipline and terminations, reductions in workforce, and plant closings. He has conducted sexual harassment investigations and employment law audits, as well as drafted numerous employee handbooks and substance abuse and workplace privacy policies. He has also conducted management and employee training and legal compliance sessions in a variety of areas, including the performance appraisal process and anti-harassment.

Collins is a member of the American Bar Association, the New Jersey State Bar Association, and their Labor & Employment Sections, as well as the Somerset County Bar Association. He sits on the Board of Directors for the Legal Services of Northwest New Jersey and is a former member of the Supreme Court of New Jersey’s District XIII Ethics Committee and the Sidney Reitman Employment Law Inn of Court.  He also serves on the Somerset Valley YMCA Advisory Board.

Collins received his J.D., cum laude, from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1983 and his B.S. from Glassboro State College in 1979.

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