David L. Zwisler

David’s broad range of labor and employment experience includes:

• Providing practical solutions to employment and labor law issues to all levels of management on a day-to-day basis.
• Lead counsel in numerous state and federal employment discrimination cased, including cases alleging discrimination based on age, color, disability status, gender, genetic information, national origin, race, and religion.
• Lead counsel in numerous state and federal employment cases, including cases alleging wage and hour violations, breach of contract, defamation, privacy violations, and wrongful discharge.
• Oversee and conduct wage and hour compliance audits and provide counsel on FLSA compliance.
• Oversee and conduct comprehensive audits of employment policies and practices including drafting and editing employee handbooks; executive contracts; severance, non-competition, non-solicitation, confidentiality, and trade secret agreements.
• Counsel on maintaining a union-free environment and compliance with the NLRA.
• Chief strategist in union representation campaigns and decertification efforts.
• Chief spokesperson in numerous collective bargaining negotiations, including multi-employer group representation.
• Lead counsel in NLRB investigations and ALJ hearings.
• Lead counsel in countless grievance and arbitrations, including disciplinary and contract interpretation issues.
• Advisor to businesses with union contracts, including issues related to workplace closures, mergers and acquisitions, downsizing, outsourcing, restructuring, and successorship issues.
• Counsel on workplace restructuring and closing in both unionized and non-unionized settings, with a particular emphasis in avoiding grievances, unfair labor practice charges, discrimination claims and achieving WARN and OWBPA compliance.
• Advisor to businesses with drug and alcohol testing compliance issues ranging from varied state laws to federal drug and alcohol programs regulated by the FMCSA.
• Lead counsel in countless OSHA investigations, settlements and hearings, including advocating for employers in over 25 workplace fatalities.

Education

• J.D., University of Denver College of Law, 1996
• B.A., University of Colorado, 1990

Admission to Practice

• Colorado
• U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
• U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
• U.S. District Court, District of North Dakota
• Wyoming
• U.S. District Court, District of Nebraska
• U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
• Nebraska
• U.S. District Court, District of Wyoming 

• Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, Local Legislative Affairs Committee
• Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance, Board Member
• Larimer County Bar Association

• Ogletree Deakins Managing a Workforce in 2025 – “Adapt to Survive” – Englewood – November 21, 2024
• Law Practice CLE – “The National Labor Relations Act: What You Need to Know” – November 14, 2024
• “Drafting Severance and Confidentiality Agreements Amid Continued SEC, EEOC, and NLRB Scrutiny” – October 30, 2024
• International Practice Management Association – “HR Trending Topics. AKA Hot Button HR Issues: Legal and Practical Perspectives” – October 24, 2024
• National Ready Mixed Concrete Association – “The National Labor Relations Act and the National Labor Relations Board: Where we are at and where we may be going” – October 12, 2024
• Northern Colorado Payroll Association – “Colorado’s Paid Family and Medical Leave Insurance (FAMLI) Program” – September 19, 2024
• Stafford Webinars – “Workers’ Comp, FMLA, and ADA Overlap: Navigating the Bermuda Triangle of Employee Leave Laws; Pitfalls to Avoid” – September 13, 2024
• Lawline Program – “The National Labor Relations Act: What You Need to Know” – September 3, 2024
• myLawCLE Webinar – “Gain Expertise in Labor and Employment Law: Understanding Title VII, ADA, ADEA, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and recent court decisions (2024 Edition)” – June 7, 2024
• Ogletree Deakins Podcast – “Workplace Strategies Watercooler 2024: California Lite? Expanding Employee Protections in Activist States” – May 23, 2024
• Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Seminar – “California Lite? Expanding Employee Protections in Activist States” – Washington, D.C. – May 2, 2024
• Northern Colorado Payroll Association – “Changes in Colorado Employment Law: What You Need to Know” – March 21, 2024
• Corporate Labor and Employment Counsel Exclusive – “Almost California? Recent Developments in Other Key States” – Phoenix – November 10, 2023
• Strafford Webinar – “Drafting Severance and Confidentiality Agreements Amid Continued SEC, EEOC, and NLRB Scrutiny” – October 25, 2023
• Mile High Chapter: Association of Legal Administrators – “2023 Colorado Employment Law Update” – January 19, 2023
• Ogletree Deakins Webinar – “We Are FAMLI: Preparing for Colorado’s New Paid Family and Medical Leave Program” – December 7, 2022
• Mile High SHRM Webinar – “A Legal Update: What You Need to Know in 2022” – February 22, 2022
• Northern Colorado Payroll Association Webinar – “Understanding and Complying With Colorado’s 2021 Legislative Updates Affecting Payroll and HR and a Brief Look Ahead for 2022” – February 17, 2022
• Mile High Chapter: Association of Legal Administrators – “Colorado Employment Law: A 2021 Recap and Peak Into 2022” – January 20, 2022
• Strafford Webinar – “Medical and Recreational Cannabis and the Workplace” – October 5, 2021
• Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce Webinar – “Talent Summit 2021: Updates in HR for 2021” – April 21, 2021
• Northern Colorado Payroll Association Webinar – “Colorado’s Employment Law Changes in 2021” – February 18, 2021
• Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance Webinar – “New rules effective January 1 – What you need to know!” – December 15, 2020
• Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance Webinar – “In the midst of COVID, the Challenging Juncture of Health, Schools, and Employers/Employees” – August 5, 2020
• Northern Colorado Legislative Alliance Webinar – “Labor Bills: The Practical Considerations for Business, Leadership, and Economics” – July 1, 2020
• Ogletree Deakins Webinar – “OSHA Hour: The Occupational Safety and Health Issues Raised by Returning Employees to Work in Nonessential Industries” – June 18, 2020
• Strafford Webinar – “Employer Policies and Medical Cannabis in a Changing Legislative Environment” – May 19, 2020
• Northern Colorado Payroll Association Webinar – “COVID-19: Understanding Payroll & HR Compliance Issues” – April 16, 2020
• Ogletree Deakins Briefing – “After the Trial: Lessons Learned from Experienced Employment Law Litigators” – Denver – November 8, 2019
• Mile High Association of Legal Administrators – “When Harry Becomes Sally: Accommodating Gender Transition in the Workplace” – Denver – May 15, 2019
• Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Seminar – “Can You Still Have a Drug-Free Workplace? Practical Solutions for Today’s Challenges” – Las Vegas – May 3, 2019
• Northern Colorado Payroll Association – “Issuing the ‘Final’ Paycheck” – Loveland – February 21, 2019
• Frontier Human Resources Association – “First Amendment Rights: A Panel” – Cheyenne – February 19, 2019
• Ogletree Deakins Briefing – “Say What – The Intersection of Social and Political Expression in the Workplace” – Denver – September 28, 2018
• Mile High SHRM – “Invisible Risks – Managing Mental Health Problems in the Workplace” – Denver – September 12, 2018
• Strafford Webinar – “Structuring Workplace Drug Policies: Employer Pitfalls in the Age of Marijuana Legalization and the Opioid Crisis” – August 14, 2018
• Northern Colorado Human Resource Association – “Responding to ‘Alt’ Views in the Workplace” – Denver – August 8, 2018
• Mile High SHRM Webinar – “Accommodating Gender Transition in the Workplace” – June 26, 2018
• Mile High SHRM Annual Conference – “Responding to ‘Alt’ Views in the Workplace” – Denver – January 29, 2018
• Mile High SHRM Professional Development Group – “Accommodating Gender Transition in the Workplace” – Denver – December 15, 2017
• Wharton Business Radio on SiriusXM – “In the Workplace” – December 12, 2017
• HRCertPrepPros – “Labor Relations and Unions” – Denver – November 20, 2017
• Ogletree Deakins Briefing – “Ron Burgundy v. Rocky Mountain News Network: A Mock Trial” – Denver – November 10, 2017
• Ogletree Deakins Briefing – “Sanctioning or Restricting Religious Practices in the Workplace – When are Accommodations Required?” – Denver – November 10, 2017
• Mile High SHRM Webinar – “Prescription Drugs in the Workplace” – October 24, 2017
• Mile High SHRM Professional Development Group – “Basic Training for the New (HR) Recruit” – Denver – September 27, 2017
• Ogletree Deakins Briefing – “Discrimination and Retaliation” – Denver – March 2017
• Ogletree Deakins Briefing – “Avoid Making Your Holiday Party The Gift That Keeps On Giving” – Englewood & Fort Collins – December 2016
• Rocky Mountain Regional Payroll Conference – “Mission Possible: Ghost Workers or Rogue Employees?” – Loveland – October 14, 2016
• Colorado Spa & Fitness Association – “Independent Contractors and the Department Of Labor’s New Regulations” – Boulder – October 12, 2016
• Mile High SHRM – “Employment Law – We Have to Do What?” – Denver – September 21, 2016
• Ogletree Deakins Seminar – “New Laws Are Born” – Denver – September 16, 2016
• Mile High SHRM Webinar – “Is Orange the New Black at OSHA?” – September 8, 2016
• Mile High SHRM Webinar – “The DOL’s Overtime Regulations” – June 30, 2016
• America’s Claims Event – “Assessing Risk With Legalized Marijuana” – Minneapolis – June 23, 2016
• Ogletree Deakins Briefing – “Accommodating Gender Transitions in the Workplace” – Denver – June 16, 2016
• Colorado Culture of Health Conference – “Wellness Programs: What You Don’t Know Might Make You Sick” – Denver – April 27, 2016
• Ogletree Deakins Briefing – “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do: Drafting Effective and Enforceable Separation Agreements” – Denver – October 30, 2015
• Ogletree Deakins Briefing – “The National Labor Relations Act and Why It Will Matter to Colorado Employers in 2016” – Denver – October 30, 2015
• Mile High SHRM – “FLSA: Fear, Loathing and Something Awful” – Denver – October 14, 2015
• Boulder Area Human Resource Association – “Independent Contractors: The Poison Or The Cure?”” – Boulder – August 20, 2015
• Northern Colorado Human Resource Association – “Why HR Matters – Money Always Talks” – Denver – July 8, 2015
• Northern Colorado American Payroll Association – “Independent Contractors: The Poison Or The Cure?” – Denver – June 18, 2015
• Ogletree Deakins Briefing – “OSHA’s Cutting-Edge Enforcement Agenda” – Iowa and Nebraska – June 1, 2015
• Mile High SHRM – “Why HR Matters – Money Always Talks” – Denver – May 13, 2015
• Ogletree Deakins Briefing – “The Truth About Dating in the Workplace” – Fort Collins – February 12, 2015
• Strafford Webinar – “Employer Policies on Medical Marijuana Use: Navigating Conflicting Federal and State Laws” – February 11, 2015
• Ogletree Deakins Briefing – “The Truth About Dating in the Workplace” – Englewood – February 10, 2015
• Northern Colorado Human Resources Association – “Why HR Matters. Money Always Talks.” – Fort Collins – July 8, 2014

• November / December 2021 – The Nebraska Lawyer – “OSHA and the Evolution of Workplace Safety During the COVID-19 Pandemic”
• January 22, 2015 – SHRM.org – “Lack of Expert Medical Evidence Dooms ADA Claim”

• June 28, 2023 – Law360 – “Policy Developments Discrimination Attys Should Watch For”
• June 8, 2023 – Law Week Colorado – “What the POWR Act Means for Colorado Employers”
• July 28, 2021 – Workspan Magazine – “Colorado Steps Up the Push for Pay Transparency”
• January 1, 2021 – The Denver Post – “Changes Coming for Colorado Employers and Workers Alike Starting in 2021”
• August 15, 2018 – Law Week Colorado – “NLRB Rethinking Stance on Employee Email Use”

• Recognized in the 2025 edition of The Best Lawyers in America^® for Employment Law – Management