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Representing Unions and their members is the cornerstone of our firm. Our Union clients are made up of employees in all industries, both public and private sector. We represent them throughout Alabama and the country. For these clients, we offer ongoing advice as to new legal developments, and as to difficult questions of law and strategy in labor relations. We negotiate labor contracts, handle grievances and arbitrations, appear before the National Labor Relations Board, and litigate everywhere from municipal court to the U.S. Supreme Court. We also represent pension funds, and health and welfare funds, that are set up by Unions and employers through collective bargaining. We also represent our Union clients in their own business matters, as well as in their dealings with employers and with their members. If you are a Union official interested in becoming a client of our firm, please contact Cecil Gardner in our Mobile Office (251.433.8100). If you are an official of a pension or health fund, please contact Kim Walker in our Mobile Office (251.433.8100). |
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One of the most important legal developments of modern times has been the rise of the class action, as a tool by which individuals with small or moderately-sized legal claims could band together in a collective suit against a larger and more powerful foe that had wronged them all in a similar fashion. For instance, class actions have become important in the fields of consumer law (regarding products and services that are deceptively advertised, or negligently made), securities law (regarding such things as manipulation of stock prices), employment law (regarding discrimination, failure to give notice of plant closings, and other sorts of group-wide harms to employees), and other areas. Our firm has become a leader in this area, in Alabama and throughout the nation. Our cases have ranged, for instance, from workplace exposure to hazardous substances, to challenging unlawful behavior by credit card companies. If you believe that you know of a matter deserving class action treatment, please contact Kim Walker or Mary Olsen in our Mobile Office (251.433.8100). |
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Injuries (including Workers' Compensation): For those whose injuries are caused in the workplace -- by accidents, or exposure to dangerous materials, or through other means -- we seek a remedy not only through Workers' Compensation (including Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation, for those working in that industry) but also by bringing suit against responsible parties other than the employer. For instance, we have years of experience in bringing claims for asbestos exposure as well as exposure to other hazardous materials and conditions. We also represent people whose injuries are not work-related -- who have been injured by defective products, or by the negligence or recklessness of others. If you are seeking assistance in a Workers' Compensation matter for an on-the-job injury, please contact Cecil Gardner in our Mobile Office (251.433.8100). |
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Civil Rights & Employment Law: Our practice in the area of Civil Rights and Employment Law includes a variety of cases, all ultimately centered on the law's protection of equal rights. A substantial part of this practice is employment law. We regularly litigate cases of employment discrimination, under all of the major federal statutes in that area including "Title VII" (forbidding discrimination and harrassment on the basis of race, sex, religion, andnational origin), the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. We also litigate and advise clients as to their rights and obligations under other federal workplace statutes, such as the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (aka WARN Act). In addition, we bring cases under Alabama law for those areas in which federal law is not controlling, such as Alabama's Teacher Tenure Law and related subjects. Also within this field of practice are other types of civil rights litigation, including Constitutional matters (regarding rights to due process, Equal Protection, First Amendment rights, and other topics) and Voting Rights. For questions, contact Mary Olsen or Vance McCrary at 251-433-8100. |
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Appellate litigation -- briefing and argument to higher courts -- is often overlooked as a distinct area of practice. In our firm, we recognize that this area requires its own skills and experience. We regularly handle appeals -- in some cases that our firm has handled in the lower courts, and in some where we are retained by other firms specifically for the purpose of handling an appeal -- in both federal and state courts, and in a wide variety of subject areas including criminal as well as civil suits. If you are an attorney interested in obtaining our assistance in an appellate matter, up to and including the U.S. Supreme Court, please contact Sam Heldman in our Washington DC Office (by email or 202.965.8884). |
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Members of our firm also have experience in a wider variety of civil litigation, on a wide range of topics. This includes some unique and complex cases, cases involving frauds, breaches of contract and economic injuries, family law matters, and some "insurance defense" matters. If you are seeking an attorney in a matter not covered by any of the other practice areas on this page, please contact Allison Kahalley in our Mobile Office (251.433.8100). |
©2009 The Gardner Firm, PC
