Doug Sergent concentrates his practice on employment litigation, employment counseling, employment class actions and traditional labor matters. He represents clients in the transportation, technology and manufacturing industries.
With more than ten years of non-law-related work experience, including five years of management-level experience in the retail industry, Mr. Sergent brings a practical “hands on” approach to his work. This experience has enabled him to successfully defend employers against claims of discrimination and harassment (including sex, race, age, national origin and disability), retaliation, breach of contract, wrongful discharge and other work-related tort claims.
Mr. Sergent has also litigated matters in state and federal courts and has extensive experience defending employers before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and various state civil rights agencies.
Mr. Sergent is an experienced employment counselor, regularly advising employers on employment issues, including hiring and termination practices, pay policies and practices, employee discipline, noncompetition agreements, employment contracts, employment and labor due diligence issues and corporate investigations.
He has counseled employers on all aspects of federal and state employment law, including matters involving the OFCCP, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act (USERA), Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) and various state law provisions. In addition, he has experience with matters involving trade secrets, confidential information and breaches of noncompetition/non-solicitation agreements.
Mr. Sergent also conducts risk audits for management clients with regard to wage issues and leave policies. He frequently drafts employee handbooks, separation agreements and other policy documents.
In the area of employment class actions, Mr. Sergent has developed a deep understanding of complex electronic discovery issues. He has handled both federal and California wage and hour class action litigation matters and has counseled clients on wage and hour issues, particularly in regard to exempt employees and preservation of exempt status.
A portion of Mr. Sergent’s practice includes labor relations. He handles unfair labor practice cases and represents clients during the negotiation of bargaining agreements and plant shutdown agreements. He also counsels clients on matters including the National Labor Relations Act, the Davis-Bacon Act and similar state law provisions, as well as the Employee Retirement Income Service Act (ERISA) with respect to multiemployer pension funds. He has assisted with the defense of breach of fiduciary obligation claims against employer trustees of Taft-Hartley plans.
Mr. Sergent is a regular presenter on various employment topics. A member of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, he formerly served as a chair for the Labor & Employment Section and currently serves on its Executive Council. In addition, he previously served on the Board of Directors for a local nonprofit organization operating 17 Head Start centers within the Cleveland area.
1/10/2011 - Baker Hostetler Announces New Partners