Ogletree Deakins Taps New Leadership in its RIF/WARN Practice Group

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – April 22, 2021 – Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, is pleased to announce that Trina R. Ricketts, shareholder in the firm’s Kansas City office, has been selected to serve as co-chair of the firm’s national RIF/WARN Practice Group. Trina will serve as co-chair alongside Milwaukee Office Managing Shareholder, David Froiland. Trina has deep leadership experience, including serving as the Kansas City Office’s Managing Shareholder for many years, and she currently serves as Co-Chair for Ogletree Deakins’ OD Family business resource group.

The attorneys in Ogletree Deakins’ RIF/WARN Practice Group have extensive experience working with businesses in almost every industry and efficiently designing and implementing systemic reductions in force and voluntary separation programs. Notably, the Practice Group’s attorneys responded nimbly to the increased need for their services in the last year by creating internal teams to respond effectively to clients’ business needs. The RIF/WARN Practice Group also prepared voluminous complimentary resources for clients to obtain easily at Ogletree.com. The increased and immediate demand for such services also caused innovation in this area, including the creation of a Voluntary Separation Program portfolio of documents that can be easily tailored to implement a voluntary reduction program.

The group regularly advises clients on the complex and sometimes ambiguous requirements of the WARN Act and the Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA). This includes providing assessments of WARN Act triggering and coverage events, such as employer coverage, number of employees affected, identifying part-time employees for purposes of making coverage decisions, understanding the legal requirements covering temporary employees who may be working at impacted sites, and defining the single “site of employment” that serves as the basis for analyzing whether the WARN Act is triggered.

In addition, the attorneys in the group are well versed in and collaborate with the firm’s ERISA group to meet the intricacies of Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) and the federal tax code, including how they affect RIFs, mass layoffs, or plant closings, and how employers can design voluntary and involuntary severance plans to meet these requirements.

Trina has structured more than 100 large and small-scale reductions in force and voluntary separation programs for a variety of employers across the U.S. in diverse industries. Her employment litigation experience includes defending employers against claims of race, gender, disability and age discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) claims, and wage and hour violations before federal and state courts and various administrative agencies. Trina is well versed in counseling clients on litigation avoidance, FMLA and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) matters, negotiating and drafting severance agreements, and conducting complex internal investigations. She is also regular speaker on women’s and leadership topics.

About Ogletree Deakins
Ogletree Deakins is one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management in all types of employment-related legal matters. Premier client service, as outlined in the firm’s Client Pledge, is one of the firm’s top priorities and a cornerstone of its core values. U.S. News – Best Lawyers^® “Best Law Firms” has named Ogletree Deakins a “Law Firm of the Year” for 10 consecutive years. In 2021, the publication named Ogletree Deakins its “Law Firm of the Year” in the Litigation – Labor & Employment category. Ogletree Deakins has more than 900 attorneys located in 53 offices across the United States and in Europe, Canada, and Mexico. The firm represents a diverse range of clients, from small businesses to Fortune 50 companies. www.ogletree.com