Charles H. Kaplan, a partner in the firm’s New York office, represents management throughout the United States and abroad in virtually all aspects of labor and employment law and related litigation. A member of the firm’s Employment and Labor Law group, Mr. Kaplan represents employers before federal and state courts and enforcement agencies, including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs of the U.S. Department of Labor, the New York State Division of Human Rights, and the New York City Commission on Human Rights.
Mr. Kaplan counsels management in public and private companies and other organizations, and in a broad range of industries, on a wide variety of employment and labor law issues, including: employment discrimination, sexual harassment, equal employment opportunity and affirmative action; employment-at-will, wrongful discharge, workplace torts, employment mediations and arbitrations; labor relations, union organizing and corporate campaigns, collective bargaining, labor arbitrations, unfair labor practices, strikes, picketing, boycotts, labor injunctions, and Employee Free Choice Act readiness; human resources administration, personnel forms and policies, and employee handbooks; wage and hour laws, disability issues, family and medical leave, employee theft, drug testing, privacy issues and other workplace law matters; independent contractor issues, occupational safety and health; government contracting and prevailing wage matters, foreign-owned employer issues; plant closings, downsizings and mass layoffs; employee benefits issues and ERISA litigation; executive employment contracts, trade secrets, confidentiality agreements and employee restrictive covenants; partnership disputes; manager and supervisor training; immigration law compliance; public sector workplace law matters; collective and class action defense; and labor and employment law issues in mergers, acquisitions, sales, corporate reorganizations and bankruptcies.
Affiliations, Activities and Accomplishments
Mr. Kaplan is actively involved in the legal, human resources, and industrial relations communities. He has participated in numerous professional organizations, including: the American Employment Law Council; New York State Management Attorneys Conference; Association of the Bar of the City of New York; New York State Bar Association (Labor and Employment Law Section and Commercial and Federal Litigation Section); American Bar Association (Sections of Labor and Employment Law; Litigation; Tort and Insurance Practice; Public Utility, Communications and Transportation Law; and International Law); International Bar Association (Committee on Employment and Industrial Relations Law and Committee on Discrimination and Gender Equality); Federal Bar Council; New York County Lawyers' Association; Labor and Employment Relations Association f/k/a Industrial Relations Research Association; Society for Human Resource Management; American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration; American Arbitration Association; Metropolitan Arbitration Group; Japan Society; Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of New York; WESFACCA; French-American Chamber of Commerce New York; and International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans.
Previously, Mr. Kaplan served on various committees of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, including the Committee on Labor and Employment Law (1984-1987); Committee on Employee Benefits (1990-1992); and Committee on State Legislation (1993-1995). He was also the president of the New York City Chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations Association f/k/a Industrial Relations Research Association (1998-1999). Mr. Kaplan was a member of the American Arbitration Association’s Labor Arbitration Practice Committee (1989-1996). He also served on the New York Lieutenant Governor's Task Force on Plant Closings (1984-1985).
Publications and Presenations
The media, including The Financial Times, Market Watch, and Bloomberg, often quote Mr. Kaplan’s comments on employment and labor law developments. He has also appeared on Fox Business Network to discuss workplace law issues.
Mr. Kaplan has spoken on employment and labor law issues throughout the United States, and in Europe, Asia and Africa, to business, legal, academic and governmental audience under the auspices of the American Bar Association, the International Bar Association, the Society for Human Resource Management, the Association of Corporate Counsel, the World Bank, Japan’s Keidanren Kaikan, and others.