On this site you will notice images of my ancestor, Major- General Israel Putnam, a hero of the American Revolution and next-in-command to Washington. Famous for his command at the Battle of Bunker Hill, “Don’t fire ’til you see the whites of their eyes,” he was known throughout the Continental Army as “Old Put,” and this is how Washington affectionately referred to him.
240 years later, my battles are restricted to leveling the playing field for employers in the increasingly-complex world of labor law, I accomplish this by emphasizing preventative measures that have the demonstrated effect of making workplaces virtually immune to lawsuits without compromising efficiency or diminishing management prerogatives.
For those employers who arrive with pending lawsuits, I strive for a prompt resolution at nominal cost, and this is normally accomplished.
Preventing Employment-Related Lawsuits and Related Claims is My Business!
With over 40 years of deeply-textured experience to draw on, my office is uniquely-qualified to advise employers about the measures they can take to prevent employment-related lawsuits and other workplace claims.
We can offer high-impact guidance on how a few simple measures can entirely prevent workplace labour law disputes from progressing to lawsuits. These include expertly-drafted employee handbooks, arbitration policies and related documents that are combined with immediate access to complimentary, expert legal advice when problems, questions or concerns arise.
Such “preventative medicine”, as opposed to after-the-fact defense of lawsuits, is where employers can expect the greatest return on their investment.
Work highlights
1987-present: Commenced private practice, presently located in Petaluma, California, representing employers in all areas of labor and employment law and litigation of employment disputes before California trial and appellate courts, arbitrators and administrative agencies, in the following areas of specialty; among others:
- California overtime law and compensation;
- wrongful termination;
- workplace harassment, including sexual harassment and workplace intimidation/violence;
- employment discrimination (eeo and eeoc);
- disability discrimination;
- age discrimination;
- religious discrimination;
- sex discrimination;
- leave of absence rights;
- employee privacy rights (including social media);
1982-1987: General Counsel to Redwood Employers Association, representing hundreds of employers throughout northern California in a broad range of industries in collective bargaining, grievance-arbitration and unfair labor practice-related litigation, as well as before the NLRB, arbitrators, federal and state courts, the Workers Compensation Appeals Board, Department of Fair Employment and Housing, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Cal/OSHA, the U.S. Department of Labor, the California Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (Labor Commissioner) and other administrative agencies with workplace regulatory authority.
1980: University of California, Hastings College of the Law, Moot Court Award, David
E. Snodgrass Moot Court Competition, Outstanding Appellate Advocacy.
1976: University of Colorado at Boulder, Bachelor of Science, Journalism;
1972: Canada Junior College, center field, defending California State champion baseball team;
Please take a moment to review Mr. Putnam’s blog.