Heather Steele
Associate | Akron
Assistant | Melisa Parker : [email protected]
About Heather:
As an employment and labor attorney, I provide employers with counseling on matters related to their workforce, including employee leave of absence policies, accommodation requests, pregnancy, discrimination and harassment, wage and hour issues, personnel policies & employee handbooks, multistate compliance, employee terminations and reductions in force, and confidentiality, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements. In addition to counseling, I support businesses and educational institutions by handling a variety of workplace investigations, inclusive of Title IX investigations and decision-maker services for school districts, colleges and universities.
I also represent employers in employment-related lawsuits in federal and state court. When litigation is unavoidable, or a charge has already been filed with an administrative agency, I vigorously defend and guide my clients through the court or administrative process from start to finish.
Before joining the practice of law, I served as general manager for a Fortune 100 telecommunications company. This experience gives me a unique and important understanding of my client’s needs. My goal is to ensure my clients feel heard, valued, and a part of the decision-making process when working with me.
- Employment-related litigation in federal and state court – breach of contract, tortious interference, and trade secret misappropriation, Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), American with Disabilities Act (ADA), Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PFWA), and Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
- Defend against Charge and/or Complaints – Ohio Civil Rights Commission (OCRC), Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC ), Department of Labor (DOL) and Unemployment Compensation Review Commission (UCRC).
- Conduct thorough, fair and impartial workplace investigations
- Workforce training and development
- Serve as a Title IX Investigator and Decision Maker
- The University of Akron School of Law (J.D., magna cum laude)
- Litigation Certificate from University of Akron School of Law
- University of Massachusetts, Lowell (B.A.)
Admissions
- Ohio
- U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio
- Greenleaf Family Center, Board Member
- Torchbearers Akron, Class of 2023
Presentations:
- "Real Insights about Artificial Intelligence," Breakfast with Buckingham (May 2024)
- Morning Buzz Panelist, Greater Akron Chamber (October 2023)
- Buckingham Employment & Labor Seminar (October 2023)
- Ohio Contractors Association, Employee Handbook (October 2023)
- "Winter is Coming: Are you ready?" Breakfast with Buckingham (October 2022)
- "Making the Call: Evaluating Request for Religious Objections to the COVID-19 Vaccine," Akron Bar Association (January 2022)
- "HR Nightmares," Canton Regional SCORE (August 2021)
- "Hiring Legalities and Best Practices," Canton Regional SCORE (May 2021)
- The Impact of COVID-19 on Employment Issues (30 minute webinar) (November 2020)
- FTC Ban on Non-Compete Agreements (April 24, 2024)
- NLRB Says Severance Agreements That Contain Broad Confidentiality And Non-Disparagement Clauses Violate The National Labor Relations Act (February 24, 2023)
- OSHA Withdraws its Vaccine or Testing ETS (January 26, 2022)
- EEOC Issues Guidance on Employer-Mandated COVID-19 Vaccinations (December 28, 2020)
CONNECT WITH Heather
Our attorneys will provide a collaborative, thoughtful approach to your legal needs. We look forward to connecting with you.
