An Employment Lawyer deals with employment law and legal concepts that regulates the operation of the labor market in general, and the employment relationship between employers and employees in particular.
Examples include the hiring process, suspension from work, maternity rights, layoff, wages and overtime pay, discrimination, defamation, breach of employment contract, retaliation, freedom of speech in the workplace, military re-hires, and unemployment compensation.
Employment Lawyer from Arcadier, Biggie & Wood, PLLC is highly regarded as a Top Attorney by AVVO.

At Arcadier, Biggie & Wood, PLLC, Employment Law is our specialty. We have three attorneys who are dedicated practicing employment

law. We have over 20 years of combined experience. Mr. Arcadier, the managing partner, is board certified in labor and employment law and is AV rated by the reputable rating standard established by Martindale-Hubbell and Lawyers.com.

Employment Law is diverse with very complex issues. For your reference, we have broken down employment law under the following areas. Our employment lawyers and attorneys have experience and litigated in all these areas of employment law:

• • Age Discrimination
  • Collective Bargaining
  • Defamation in the Workplace
  • Disability Discrimination
  • Discrimination Cases
  • Employee handbooks
  • Employment Contracts
  • Equal Protection Act
  • ERISA
  • FMLA Family Medical Leave
  • Freedom of Information Act
  • Gender Discrimination
  • Harassment
  • Hostile Work Environment
  • Noncompetition agreements
  • None Disclosure Agreements
  • FMLA Family Medical Leave
  • Pregnancy Discrimination

• • Public Whistleblower Cases
  • Race Discrimination
  • Reasonable Accommodation
  • Religion Discrimination
  • Risk Management
  • Sarbanes-Oxley
  • Severance Packages
  • Sexual Harassment
  • Sexual Preference Discrimination
  • Unemployment Compensation
  • Unions
  • Unpaid overtime / FLSA
  • Unpaid Wages
  • USERRA / Military Discrimination
  • Whistleblower Cases
  • Wrongful Termination
  • Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)

There are numerous Federal Laws which are generally tailored to protect societal interests such as the Anti-Discrimination provisions embodied in Title VII. Generally speaking, Title VII protects employees from discrimination based on sex, gender, race, ethnic background, religion, and retaliation. Title IX similarly protects employees who work for an educational institution. Additionally, laws protecting whistleblowers, pensions, retirement accounts governed by ERISA, unpaid overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act, abound. Other well-recognized laws include the ADA (Amended to be the ADA AA) protect individuals from discrimination due to a disability so long as they can perform the essential functions of the job. Under the ADA, an individual with a qualified disability may also require his or her employer to provide reasonable accommodations to accommodate the disability. The ADEA (Age in Discrimination Employment Act) protects employees who are over the age of forty from discrimination based on their age. Additionally, the FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) made into law by President Clinton, protects covered employees for up to 12 weeks of medical leave to take care of themselves and/or their significant other. In order to be covered, an employee must have worked for his or her employer for at least one year and 1,250 hours. The FMLA is intended to protect only the employees right to return to work for up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave. However, the employee is entitled to use his accrued vacation pay and sick leave. Also, military personnel is entitled up to 5 years of reemployment under the USERRA act of 1994.

Each State, as a sovereign entity, is entitled to give additional protections than those afforded by Federal Regulations. In Florida, such laws include Florida Statute Chapter 760 (dealing with anti-discrimination and anti-retaliation provisions), Florida Chapter 448 (dealing with unpaid wages and the private whistleblower act. Additionally, State Governments and its municipalities are governed and regulated by Florida Statutes Chapters 112 and 120. Florida has also instituted anti-retaliation provisions which prevent the employer from retaliating against an employee for filing a workers’ compensation claim, and for attending Jury Duty. There are many other protections afforded to employees in Florida. To give an example, under Florida Statute 540.08, an employer cannot require an employee to have his picture distributed in a yearbook. Because many unusual laws exist and there are many requirements exclusions, it is imperative that an employee who believes they have been wronged, or an employer seeking to comply with all employment laws, to seek the advice of competent counsel.

In addition to the State or Federal laws, the employment relationship may be governed by written contracts (so long as the clauses do not violate inalienable rights). The employer and employee may enter into a written contract that establishes elements such as termination only for cause. Additionally, Unions are governed by a collective bargaining agreement which binds the employer and employee to abide by certain guidelines, including redress through a grievance and arbitration process. Arcadier’s experts will help ensure that employers and employees are treated fairly under federal, state and local discrimination laws as well as those that prohibit discrimination in the workplace.

When an offer of employment is made by an employer to an employee, the law governing the relationship between an employee and an employer begins. An employment lawyer is the type of attorney that should be sought.

EMPLOYERS – From a Labor and Employment Lawyer / Attorney

Employers should implement preventive strategies to minimize risks of costly litigation. Towards this end the employment lawyer, Maurice Arcadier from the law office of Arcadier, Biggie & Wood, PLLC offer:

• Employer risk management
• Create or ameliorate the company’s policies and procedures handbook
• Business Consulting and Advice
• Employment Contracts
• Employee Handbook For Employer
• Overtime Pay Consultation
• Non-compete agreements
• Confidentiality agreements
• Severance packages agreements with general releases
• Contract review
• Non-disclosure agreements
• Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act

See also our Business Law section. We also offer employers all aspects of litigation support to handle employment matters including:

• Unemployment Compensation
• Litigation and Trial Work
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) [view our video]
• The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) [view our video]
• Discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation (Title VII and Florida Civil Rights Act)
• Florida Publish and Private Whistleblower Actions
• Equal Pay Act
• Workers Compensation retaliation
• Sarbanes-Oxley Act (retaliation)
• Whistleblower representation [view our video]

Employer Defense – Perspective from an Employment Lawyer

If you are a small- to medium-sized business with legal matters involving charges of discrimination, a civil action, wage and hour claims, drafting or enforcement of non-compete agreements, employment agreements, severance agreements, or policies and procedures, Arcadier, Biggie & Wood, PLLC can represent you.

Severance & Non-Compete Agreements

Arcadier, Biggie & Wood, PLLC can help you draft and negotiate a fair severance agreement. If you are an employee who has been offered a severance agreement by your employer, it is important to remember that the agreement is usually drafted with the employer’s best interest in mind. On the other hand, if you are an employer with concerns about potential future legal action by an employee, we can help you draft a reasonable agreement that is fair, satisfies the interest of both parties and protects your business.

Employment Lawyer Advice

• Advice about equal employment opportunity and other related legal requirements;
• Advice on employee hiring and promotion interviews and decisions;
• Advice on employee discipline, including reprimands, pay cuts, and demotions;
• Advice on handling employee suspensions and termination decisions;
• Advice on responding to unemployment compensation claims;
• Advice on how to avoid wrongful termination claims;
• Preparation of legal documents in all administrative and legal matters involving legal business representation.

We offer contract creation and review for business purchases, business acquisitions, and agreements with other businesses and individuals.

Attorney Videos

EMPLOYEES An Employment Lawyer Perspective

Employment law is a complex, ever-evolving specialty in the practice of law. Employees are well advised to seek competent professional legal advice when an employment law issue arises. Employment Law has many strict deadlines as it pertains to the filing of claims, as such, it is imperative for employees to assert their rights as soon as possible. Oftentimes, it is advisable to seek legal representation before the adverse employment action occurs, such as, while the employee is still employed with the employer.

We represent employees in all employment-related issues including:

• Unpaid Overtime [view our video]
• Unemployment Compensation
• Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) [view our video]
• The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) [view our video]
• Discrimination on the basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation (Title VII and Florida Civil Rights Act) [view our video]
• Florida Public and Private Whistleblower Actions
• Workers Compensation retaliation
• Sarbanes-Oxley Act (retaliation)
• Whistleblower retaliation [view our video]
• Hostile work environment
• Unlawful termination [view our video]

• Workplace violence
• Battery / Assault
• Defamation, Libel, and Slander
• Unpaid Wages
• Sexual Harassment
• Title VII and Title IX
• Appeals
• Name-clearing hearings
• Breach of Contract
• Collective Bargaining
• Due process violations
• Union representation
• PERC and FCHR Hearings
• EEOC and FCHR filings
• Severance and separation packages
• Contract review
• Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act

Employee Representation – An Employment Lawyer’s Perspective.

Discrimination, prejudice, harassment, hostile workplace, and other forms of unfair treatment at the place of employment can be devastating to a person’s sense of dignity and mental well-being. If you have suffered such treatment on the basis of age, race, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, or a disability, options are available for you to seek legal recourse. We have extensive experience in pursuing violations of the Florida Civil Rights Act (FCRA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Employee Retirement Income Securities Act (ERISA), Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, worker’s compensation retaliation claims, and more.

Many legal rights conjure the right of an employee to collect attorney (lawyer) fees land costs upon prevailing or being designated as the prevailing party. As such, what would oftentimes be fees and costs exceeding the 10s of thousands or hundreds of thousands, employees may retain competent counsel on a contingency fee basis. Every case is different and every attorney may interpret a case differently. As such, retainer or engagement contracts are often individually tailored.

In evaluating your case, however, usually employment law attorneys and lawyers require payment of the consultation fee. This is because, many times, employees do not have an actionable case as simply an “unfair” termination is not illegal in an employment-at-will State such as Florida.

Employment Lawyer /

View our Employment Law videos.

If you need an experienced, focused, and qualified attorney, contact the employment lawyers of Arcadier, Biggie & Wood, PLLC. If your issue requires legal expertise outside our areas of expertise, we will refer you to a qualified competent attorney to address your particular needs.in an area of law, Our Melbourne office is centrally located, enabling us to serve clients throughout “the Space Coast”, including Brevard County (from Titusville to Palm Bay) and Vero Beach. See our map, directions, and location.