The Employment Discrimination, Labor & Elections Section includes all aspects of public sector employment law. With over 25,000 County employees, represented by thirteen separate bargaining units, in such diverse fields as law enforcement, medicine, and parks and recreation, the County Attorney is required to handle a wide variety of employment disputes, including disputes under the First Amendment, Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, and the County's collective bargaining agreements and civil service rules. As a result of the County's progressive affirmative action policies, the County also often finds itself defending against challenges to its minority and female hiring goals. The Section also drafts and defends legislation applicable to private employees, including laws prohibiting discrimination, guaranteeing leave rights, and protecting whistleblowers. The Section also defends the Miami-Dade County Supervisor of Elections in voting rights cases brought in federal court and in election contests brought in state court.
The following are attorneys who specialize in this practice area: