Stephen R. Woods

Stephen Woods represents and counsels companies on a wide range of labor and employment law issues—though a significant focus of his practice is on background checks (counseling and litigation), reductions in force (including the ADEA/OWBPA, WARN, and state mini-WARNs), and multi-state compliance. He assists national, regional, and local clients on preventive analysis and advice, class and single-plaintiff employment litigation, and EEOC and state agency charges. He is the chair of the firm’s Background Checks Practice Group and instrumental in the substantive legal content on the firm’s innovative Client Portal that provides practical, client-centered information on multi-jurisdictional employment law topics. He is a founding member and past co-chair of the firm’s national RIF/WARN Practice Group.

Stephen lives by a client-centric mantra that combines prevention and practicality to create innovative, business-centered, legally-compliant solutions. Making national clients happy takes a unique skill set, which Stephen has developed and honed during his 25+ years with the firm.

Before becoming a lawyer, Stephen served as the Manager of Administrative Services at The Greenville News (Greenville, SC), where he managed the HR function of this 500-employee newspaper publishing company.

More About Stephen R. Woods

Experience

Education & Admission

Professional Activities

Speeches

Corporate Labor and Employment Counsel Exclusive – “Second Chances? Hiring Candidates With Criminal Backgrounds” – Amelia Island – November 15, 2024
Corporate Labor and Employment Counsel Exclusive – “Covering Your Back in the USMCA: Keeping Your Company’s Background Checks in Check!” – Phoenix – November 10, 2023
Workplace Strategies Seminar – “Multi-Jurisdictional Compliance: More States, More Problems” – Phoenix – May 5, 2022
Corporate Labor and Employment Counsel Exclusive – “Multistate Mayhem and Compliance Conundrums” – Amelia Island – November 11, 2021
Workplace Strategies Virtual Seminar – “So Many States (Not to Mention Counties and Cities), Yet So Little Time” – June 24, 2021
Ogletree Deakins Webinar – “COVID-19 Litigation and Mitigation Strategies Series: RIF/WARN Litigation and Trends” – June 30, 2020
Ogletree Deakins Webinar – “Testing and Screening for COVID-19: Compliance and Best Practices for the Workplace” – May 19, 2020
Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Virtual Conference – “Reductions in Force in the Year of COVID-19” – May 15, 2020
Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Seminar – “Talent Management in a Volatile Economy – From Recruitment to RIFs” – Las Vegas – May 2, 2019
Corporate Labor and Employment Counsel Exclusive – “Hiring Hurdles and Hiccups – The Latest Developments” – La Quinta – November 8, 2018
Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Seminar – “Skeletons in the Closet and Second Chances: Background Check Update” – Phoenix – May 10, 2018
Labor and Employment Counsel Exclusive – “The Dizzying Array of State and Local Employment Laws: Round 4— Background Checks and Guns in the Workplace” – Boca Raton – November 10, 2017
Performance Driven Forum – “Making The Tough Call: Real World Ethical Dilemmas For In-House Counsel” – Greer – June 22, 2017
Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Seminar – “Ban the Box, Ban the Background Check? Dos and Don’ts for Employers” – May 4, 2017
Human Technologies, Inc. (HTI) webcast – “How the Trump Presidency Will Affect HR in 2017” – February 3, 2017
Ogletree Deakins Labor and Employment Counsel Exclusive – “Damned If You Do or If You Don’t? The Latest on Background Checks” – Colorado Springs – September 29, 2016
Greenville Society for Human Resources Management – “How the Fair Credit Report Act Impacts HR” – Greenville – June 7, 2016
Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Seminar – “Background Checks Spawn a New Wave of Class Action Lawsuits” – Chicago – May 5, 2016
Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies – “To Background Check, or Not to Background Check? That Is the Question!” – San Antonio – May 14, 2015
Human Resources Law Update 2015 – “Top Legal Issues Facing HR Department Head” – Greenville – March 3, 2015
Business Management Daily Webinar – “The Role of Criminal Background Checks in Today’s Employment Landscape” – November 18, 2014
Ogletree Deakins Labor & Employment Counsel Exclusive – “The FCRA: Labor and Employment’s Newest Four-Letter Word” – Dana Point – September 18 – 20, 2014
Business Management Daily Webinar – “The Role of Criminal Background Checks in Today’s Employment Landscape” – July 30, 2014
Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Seminar – “Background Checks: How to Avoid Hiring an Ax Murderer Without Buying a Lawsuit” – Las Vegas – May 9, 2014
Human Resources Law Update 2014 – “Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Termination Do’s and Don’ts” – Greenville – February 25, 2014
Ogletree Deakins Labor & Employment Counsel Exclusive – “The Role of Criminal Background Checks in Today’s Employment Landscape” – Charleston – November 7 – 9, 2013
Denver Client Office Seminar – “Background Checks: How to Keep the EEOC Happy and Avoid Hiring an Ax Murderer” – Englewood – October 25, 2013
Business Management Daily Webinar – “Background Checks in 2013: How to Strike the Right Balance Between Not Hiring an Axe Murderer, Not Becoming Big Brother, and Not Running Afoul of the EEOC” – August 15, 2013
Business Management Daily Webinar – “The Role of Criminal Background Checks in Today’s Employment Landscape” – August 15, 2013
Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies – “How to Keep the EEOC Happy and Avoid Hiring an Ax Murderer: Best Practices for Background Checks” – New Orleans – May 10, 2013
Business Management Daily Webinar – “Background Checks in 2013: How to Strike the Right Balance Between Not Hiring an Axe Murderer, Not Becoming Big Brother, and Not Running Afoul of the EEOC” – March 12, 2013
Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies – “Background Checks in 2012: The New EEOC Guidance” – Phoenix – May 11, 2012
Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Conference – “The Four-Headed Hydra: Adding GINA to the ADA, FMLA, and Workers’ Compensation Triangle” – Chicago – May 2011
Human Resources Law Update – “From “Just Say No” to “Here’s My Medical Marijuana Card”: Substance Abuse and Drug Testing in the 2010’s” – Greenville – March 8, 2011
American Foundry Society – “Labor Relations & HR Conference – Annual Update on Significant Cases, Statutes, and Regulations” – Naples – February 11, 2011
Spartanburg Development Association – “FMLA Comprehensive Review” – Greenville – January 25, 2011
BLR National Employment Law Update – “Annual Update of Significant Cases, Statutes, and Regulations” – Las Vegas – October 28, 2010
Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Conference – “Risky Business: The Legal Risks of a Workplace Romance” – Las Vegas – May 2010
Spartanburg Development Association – “Everything You Need to Know About the FMLA, But Don’t” – Greenville – March 17, 2010
Human Resources Law Update – “How to Avoid Becoming a Target for Plaintiff’s Attorneys and Regulators” – Greenville – February 23, 2010
BLR National Employment Law Update – “Terminations: Handling Layoffs and RIFs the Smart Way in a Troubled Economy” – Las Vegas – October 2009
Spartanburg Development Association – “Pandemic Planning: Are You Prepared?” – Greenville – October 2009
Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Conference – “Pandemic Planning” – Miami – May 2009
Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Conference – “Workforce Reduction Techniques That Lessen Your Litigation Risks” – Miami – May 2009

Published Works

Media Quotes

November 15, 2021 – SHRM Online – “Should Employers Keep Preparing for the COVID-19 ETS?”
November 8, 2021 – SHRM Online – “Employers Should Plan for Vaccine-or-Testing Rule While Litigation Ensues”
October 29, 2021 – Legaltech News – “Firms Have the Tech, but Not the Business Model, to Build Employment Law Tools”
December 11, 2020 – EHS Today – “CDC Cuts COVID-19 Quarantine Time for Exposure to Others”
October 30, 2020 – SHRM Online – “Be Sure to Change Furloughs into Layoffs Lawfully”
February 14, 2020 – South Carolina Lawyers Weekly – “Why ‘ban the box’ rules are becoming more popular”
November 12, 2019 – SHRM Online – “Fairer Layoffs: Should Employers Notify in Writing or Not?”
November 12, 2019 – SHRM Online – “Fairer Layoffs: Have a Plan for Saying Goodbye”
November 12, 2019 – SHRM Online – “Fairer Layoffs: When RIF Selections Go Wrong”
November 12, 2018 – SHRM Online – “Ban-the-Box Turns 20: What Employers Need to Know”
August 13, 2018 – Corporate Counsel – “Ban-the-Box Enforcement Gains Steam. What Employers Need to Know.”
July 30, 2018 – HR Dive – “As ban-the-box turns 20, compliance challenges grow”
September 4, 2017 – Business Insurance – “Conviction inquiry laws stymie firms”
December 20, 2016 – People Matter – “Top 3 Labor and Employment Law Trends for 2017”
May 16, 2016 – Ogletree Deakins Blog Post – “How Much Harm Is Enough? SCOTUS Tackles Standing to Sue”
May 16, 2016 – Law360 – “Attorneys React to Supreme Court’s Spokeo Ruling”
May 16, 2016 – Employment Law Daily – “Standing Requires ‘concrete’ injury from FCRA violation, though risk of harm may be enough”
May 16, 2013 – SHRM.org – “Using Credit and Criminal Background Checks”
April 5, 2013 – Law360 – “Retail-Theft Databases May Put Employers At Legal Risk”
August 2, 2012 – We Know Next – “Warning Employees About The Fiscal Cliff”
April 27, 2012 – Law360 – “EEOC Hints Case-By-Case Criminal Checks A Better Bet”
October 22, 2009 – HR.BLR.com – “Layoffs: 10 Steps for Handling One of HR's Most Difficult Tasks”
October 1, 2009 – Inside Counsel – “Fair Warning; Congress Contemplates Major Changes to the WARN Act”
May 11, 2009 – SHRM.org – “Most Frequent Swine Flu Legal Questions Answered”
May 12, 2008 – SHRM.org – “Most Frequent Swine Flu Legal Questions Answered”