As an active member of law firm management, Jill Luft is very familiar with issues owners and managers face in running a business. She is the Employment & Labor Practice Group leader and the firm’s Assistant General Counsel, handling employment matters. Jill was a member of Greensfelder’s Board of Directors from 2006-2015 and was on the Board’s Executive Committee from 2012-15. She has also chaired the Recruiting Committee, the Nominating Committee for the Board of Directors, and the Diversity & Inclusion Committee.

As of 2022, Jill has 30 extensive years of experience in practicing all facets of employment law. This includes:

• providing day-to-day human resources and employment law advice to sophisticated corporate counsel and to small business owners
• compliance management
• workplace safety (OSHA)
• employee leave management
• requests for medical and religious accommodations and engaging in the interactive process
• website accessibility issues
• employee privacy issues
• use of biometric information in the workplace

Jill guides her clients through the wide range of legal issues involved in employee recruiting, hiring, job classifications, promotions, transfers, demotions, discipline, and terminations. She also conducts internal investigations for businesses when their employees bring internal claims of violations of the law, codes of conduct, or other policies that rise to the level of having an outside employment lawyer serve as the investigator.

In addition, Jill conducts workplace training and prepares employee handbooks, policies, and forms including disciplinary documents and performance improvement plans. She prepares and negotiates executive employment agreements, confidentiality, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, separation agreements, and severance packages. She also conducts wage and hour audits, job classification audits, and guides clients through the planning, analysis, and execution of reductions in force to ensure ADEA and WARN Act compliance.

With significant experience with employment-related litigation, Jill represents employers and management in lawsuits filed in federal and state courts alleging:

• claims of discrimination
• harassment
• hostile work environment
• retaliation
• failure to accommodate
• whistleblower claims
• FMLA interference and retaliation
• wage and hour violations
• breach of contract
• tortious interference
• negligent hiring and supervision
• defamation

She defends employment claims and charges filed with government agencies including the EEOC and state counterpart agencies.

Furthermore, Jill advises universities on their internal investigations of student complaints and defends universities in Title IX claims filed with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

Jill is also EPL (employment practices liability) panel counsel for multiple insurance companies.

Professional Affiliations

• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
• Defense Research Institute, Employment Law Committee
• Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis

Honors & Awards

• Chambers USA, Labor & Employment, 2015-2022
• Benchmark Litigation, Labor & Employment Star, 2018-2022
• The Best Lawyers in America, Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, 2010-2023; St. Louis area Employment Law – Management Lawyer of the Year, 2017
• Best Lawyers' Women in the Law, 2017-2020
• Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Attorney, 2003-2022; Judicial Edition; and Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers
• Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers, Employment & Labor, 2005, 2010-2011, 2013-2021

Representative Matters

• Negotiated settlement of federal and state wage and hour claims prior to threatened filing of class action litigation.
• Served as co-counsel in the representation of an employer and two supervisors in a lawsuit filed by two former employees alleging gender and age discrimination under the Missouri Human Rights Act. After a three-day jury trial, the jury returned unanimous verdicts in favor of all three defendants.
• After protracted litigation, two pre-trial conferences, and successful rulings on multiple pre-trial motions including our client’s motions in limine, plaintiff accepted a nominal settlement offer days before trial in a case alleging race and disability discrimination and retaliation.
• Defeated a plaintiff’s motion for class certification in WARN Act class action litigation against regional retailer.
• Obtained summary judgment for a foundry and manufacturing company in a workers’ compensation retaliation lawsuit.
• Obtained summary judgment for a trucking company in a lawsuit filed by a former employee alleging discrimination.
• Represented multiple defendants sued in federal court, including claims against our clients alleging negligent hiring, negligent supervision, and various employment torts. Obtained jury verdicts in favor of all defendants.
• Obtained summary judgment on behalf of a hospital in a lawsuit brought by a former employee asserting claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act.
• Successfully defended a retail store and obtained dismissal of lawsuit alleging of age and race discrimination brought by a terminated employee.

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