Stephen Shawe has over 40 years of experience representing clients in many industries, particularly retail and manufacturing. He has established a reputation for guiding clients in resolving difficult problems and for vigorous representation if clients’ problems result in litigation. For 20 years, he served as chief spokesman for the Bermuda Hotel Association in its collective bargaining negotiations with the island’s 3,500 hotel employees.
In 1997, Stephen presented an oral argument before the United States Supreme Court on the issue of when an employer may poll its employees on their continued support for a union. The Court agreed with his argument by a vote of 5 to 4. Allentown Mack Sales and Service Co. v. NLRB.
Stephen routinely presents seminars on topics ranging from age discrimination issues arising from reductions in force to sexual harassment and the appropriate employer response. He has authored numerous articles on labor and employment matters, including “An Employer’s Duty to Bargain Over a Decision to Subcontract” for the Harvard Legal Commentary. He was co-author of “Avoiding Employment Discrimination Charges” for Matthew Bender & Co., Inc., and he has also written articles for the University of Baltimore Law Review on subjects ranging from concession bargaining to employment discrimination.
Stephen served as law clerk to Chief Judge Simon Sobeloff of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. In 1967, he was appointed an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Maryland. He held that position until 1970, when he was selected as the first General Counsel of the Maryland Commission on Human Relations.