Pay Equity

Recent high-profile lawsuits and increased activity from state legislatures have thrust pay equity issues to the forefront for today’s employers. As the momentum of legislation, regulation, and corporate initiatives focused on identifying and correcting pay disparities continues to grow, our attorneys are ready to assist with the full spectrum of pay equity-related issues. The members of Ogletree Deakins’ Pay Equity Practice Group have extensive experience navigating the pay equity arena, from advising clients on compensation policies and procedures to conducting pay audits. Our attorneys are also experienced in defending employers in various state and federal forums, including class action litigation. The practice group constantly keeps clients in the know and up to date on the latest developments in this quickly evolving area through timely webinars, publications, and other programs.

Advice, Counseling, and Audits

Pay Equity Practice Group members regularly provide the following counseling and compliance services to our clients:

counseling clients on proactive measures and best practices to prevent and defend pay discrimination claims;
conducting privileged pay equity audits;
evaluating and drafting defensible compensation policies and procedures;
performing statistical analyses by partnering with experienced labor economists and statisticians;
advising on employment policies and practices that may impact pay, including hiring practices, job descriptions and structure, and performance reviews; and
advising on the ever-increasing number of state-specific laws related to pay equity.

State-Specific Services

As the proliferation of state legislation on pay equity continues, our practice group attorneys across the country are poised to offer state-specific services for employers that operate in states with their own pay equity laws. For example, we help employers navigate and comply with California’s expansive Fair Pay Act, and we do the same in the increasing number of states with pay equity laws.

Litigation Defense

Pay equity litigation is a fast-growing area due to the numerous regulatory and legislative initiatives popping up across the country making it easier for employees and government agencies to bring pay discrimination claims. Should an employer find itself faced with litigation, our attorneys have extensive experience representing employers before local, state, and federal agencies and courts.

Our attorneys frequently defend clients in connection with EEOC and state agency charges alleging pay discrimination, defend clients in individual and class/collective actions alleging pay discrimination, and assist federal contractors and subcontractors in connection with audits conducted by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.

Up-to-Date Notice of New Developments

The pay equity landscape is constantly changing as federal and state jurisdictions pass new laws and implement new regulations related to pay discrimination. We will keep you informed of new laws, regulations, and court decisions through our timely publications, webinars, and other programs.

Value

We are a leader in offering innovative and value-based billing for clients. We work closely with our clients to develop fee arrangements that are tailored to their needs, and we are happy to discuss alternative fee agreements that may be of interest to our clients.