Samuel H. Ottinger

Sam focuses his practice on wage and hour matters, partnering with employers to navigate the full lifecycle of Fair Labor Standards Act compliance and litigation. He regularly advises on pay practices, exemption classifications, timekeeping systems, independent contractor and joint-employer issues, and state-law analogs, helping clients proactively mitigate risk and align policies with evolving requirements. He also defends employers in wage and hour class actions and collective actions, as well as related agency proceedings, and handles broader employment litigation—including single-plaintiff and multi-plaintiff disputes—drawing on his extensive experience in handling complex litigation in state and federal courts.

Beyond litigation, Sam provides day-to-day advice and counsel across the spectrum of federal and state employment laws, including Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, and the FMLA, with a practical, business-oriented approach to problem solving. Before law school, he supported employers nationwide with FMLA and ADA compliance, giving him an operational perspective that informs his counseling of HR and in-house legal teams. Sam routinely publishes and presents on pay and compliance topics.

Sam earned his J.D., cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and his B.A. from The Ohio State University. He is admitted to practice in Ohio, the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio, the Eastern District of Michigan, the Western District of New York, and the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second and Sixth Circuits. His work has been recognized by Ohio Super Lawyers as a Rising Star. Sam is a member of the Cleveland Employment Law Inn of Court.