Janette S Levey

Child & Family Resources, Inc.

Board Member

Levey Law, LLC

I provide employers with proactive strategies for meeting their workforce challenges. Employers can then stay ahead of the employment law curve, and significantly minimize the chances of lawsuits, government audits, worker disputes. 

Here are just some services I offer:  

--Counseling: Providing you manageable solutions to your employee relations challenges;

 --Training: Your supervisors, managers and staff can receive training in -person, or via webinar on the most current laws relating to harassment, discrimination, employee benefits, family medical leave, disability or wage and hour -- or any other relevant Employment/HR topics. Training can be in-person or online (with the help of cool PowerPoint slides, of course!)

--  Writing, reviewing, and revising employee handbooks and policies, and reviewing records, policies and procedures to ensure that you--the employer-- are in the best position possible to avoid costly litigation or audits. 

-- Responding on behalf of employers to EEOC charges or other administrative hearings in discrimination, civil rights, wage and hour and similar disputes;

Every business needs an up-to-date Employment Practices Wellness Plan. Does yours have one?

Don't wait for a disgruntled employee to sue,  or file an EEOC or state discrimination charge. 

Don't wait for or a government agency to contact you about your employment practices. 

Call 732-902-0728 for your complimentary 30-minute consultation. 

Visit and subscribe my weekly blog, The EmpLAWyerologist, at www.theemplawyerologist.com and receive monthly alerts when you sign up for my electronic newsletter!

Founder and Principal Attorney

Institute of Human Resources/hr.com

Serve in advisory role to Legal and Compliance Panel, primarily by informing the Panel as to relevant current topics of concern to employers, best methods for providing training, and suggesting appropriate speakers and trainers. In addition I have conducted webinar trainings on employment at will and criminal background checks in the hiring process.

Advisory Board Member - Legal and Compliance Panel

American Confidence Institute

ACI helps corporate executives, women and entrepreneurs understand and apply confidence knowledge to be more impactful leaders by collaborating with individuals and organizations worldwide who are researching issues related to confidence. ACI offers customized:

* Keynote PRESENTATIONS
* Onsite WORKSHOPS
* Individual COACHING
* Public & custom RESEARCH 
* Business CONSULTING 


Email info@AmericanConfidenceInstitute.com for more information.

Advisory Board Member

Joule, Inc.

Joule provides temporary staffing solutions in most industries and operates in multiples states. As the company's sole in-house counsel, I achieved the following:

-     Transformed role of performing simple contract review to heading full-service legal department;     worked collaboratively with human resources director to strengthen internal processes and minimize liability;·	
-     I made sure every discrimination charge filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission was dismissed without need for a hearing;

-     I implemented and trained all staff in all 23 company offices on comprehensive e-mail, internet use and electronic document policies;
-      Procured settlements of cases involving drivers in the transportation division, reducing fines and surcharges from tens of thousands to $500 and under; 
 -     Obtained winning decision in labor arbitration arising from a reduction in force, avoiding back pay, front pay, job reinstatement and outside counsel fees;
 -      As a member of the American Staffing Association's Legal and Legislative Outreach Committee I assisted with the defeat of proposed anti-staffing agency legislation in Massachusetts;
-     I counseled and defended the company against employee discrmination/harassment claims; ensured company compliance with EEO, FMLA and disability, background checks, wage and hour and other related matters;
·     I drafted, revised, reviewed and negotiated all types of contracts and leases;
·     I managed outside counsel in employment and other lawsuits against the company, ensuring 
      ensuring savings of tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees each year;

In-House Counsel

Garces & Grabler

·   Key role in starting and running the firm’s newly established real estate and business litigation department.  This new department provided the firm with an additional revenue stream. Other achievements include:

·	Developed and delivered winning argument and brief before Appellate Division in a destruction of evidence claim.

	Won six-figure payouts for plaintiffs cases involving discrimination, hostile work environment, and retaliation/whistleblowing cases.

	Achieved settlement of commercial tenants' breach of parking rights' claim;

Real Estate, Business and Litigation Attorney

Shane and White, LLC

Protected rights of homeowners’ associations in condominium and co-op communities.  Increased revenue and achieved cost savings through dispute resolution with associations, owners, developers, and municipalities.  Wrote and negotiated contracts, lease agreements, corporate and association resolutions, and employment agreements.  Represented business owners in litigation.

Associate Attorney

Law Office of Janette S Levey

I founded a private practice that concentrated in family, business and real estate law.

Some key achievements:

- Settled a custody matter before the petition was even filed;
- Settled a divorce, in which my client achieved tens of thousands more support/equitable distribution per year than she was originally offered;
- Represented many domestic violence victims in hearings to obtain restraining orders on pro bono basis. 
 -Represented business owners in diverse industries during all phases of start-up, expansion, dissolution, and litigation. Doing so entailed conflict resolution that resulted in savings from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Principal

Community Health Law Project

The Community Health Law Project represents the interests of psychiatrically and developmentally disabled persons in housing, family law, and public benefits matters. Achievements include:

- Enabling a mother with mental health issues to regain custody of her daughter after a proceeding that lasted over one year;
- Successfully appealed denials of Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for clients whose applications and appeals had been denied multiple times.
- Restored an evicted client to his apartment.
- Prevented evictions of disabled tenants.

Staff Attorney

You thought you didn’t have to pay your employees overtime. The Department of Labor is about to audit your pay practices and you might now owe a lot of money. You had no Employee Relations issues. Now an employee is complaining and might sue.  You’ve heard that ICE can shut you down due to just one seemingly small I-9 error or omission. You think an employee is abusing his/her FMLA leave. Do these or other employee issues keep you up at night?

If only you could engage an outsourced in-house Employment Counsel to provide proactive solutions. Guess what? You can. That’s what I do. There's a reason people call me "The Employer's Lawyer". 


 If you are unsure whether your employment practices are legal, we can schedule an employment practices check-up, and create an Employment Practices Wellness Plan tailored to your business and your workforce.

I have over twenty years’ legal experience, the last 14 of which I have concentrated in Employment/HR Law. I blog, write magazine articles, speak and train on many issues in Employment/HR Law, and I serve on the newly-formed Workplace Violence Prevention Institute. 

 I am a contributing co-author to the book, "Hiring Greatness: How to Recruit Your Dream Team and Crush the Competition" by David E. Perry and Mark J. Haluska (John Wiley & Sons, Publisher).

Let’s talk.  Can you really afford not to? Call me at 732-902-0728 or email me at janette@janetteleveylaw.com .

Per the Rules of Professional Conduct, this LinkedIn directory may be deemed "Attorney Advertising". Nothing herein should be construed as legal advice. Always consult a lawyer regarding any matter: every case is different - prior results do not guarantee future success.

Most people think they know where the DEI crackdown is headed — but the latest developments tell a very different story.

Before you scrap or scale back DEI, take a breath.
 The legal landscape has been shifting — and probably not the way most expect.

 For employers, HR leaders, brokers, valuation pros, and turnaround experts, this has real implications for compliance, workforce stability, and enterprise value.

👇 I break down what’s actually happening, what the courts have (and haven’t) done, and what employers should be doing right now.
 Read the full deep dive below.

Janette S Levey - The Employer's Lawyer

The DEI legal landscape is shifting — and the rules aren’t as clear-cut as they look. Move too quickly, and you could create legal, operational, or re

The DEI Crackdown Has Hit a Wall — And It’s Probably Not the One You’d Expect...

Employment Attorney & Workplace Legal Strategist| Leveraging Employment Law to Eliminate Workforce Headaches & Boost Growth, Stability, Enterprise Value and Deal-Readiness ─ So Employers Can Grow Without Legal Worry

What happens when “shortcuts” become part of your business strategy — and someone finally calls you on it?

Two suppliers for Hyundai and Kia—one a logistics firm, the other a staffing company—will pay $11.5M in wages to settle a class-action lawsuit in the Northern District of Georgia. The turning point? The court refused to dismiss several claims, pushing the parties toward settlement.

The plaintiffs were skilled professionals from Mexico working in the U.S. under TN visas. Defendant GFA Alabama Inc. (a staffing/recruiting firm) and Glovis Georgia, LLC (Hyundai Kia’s logistics subsidiary) were alleged joint employers, sharing legal responsibility. Together, they were identified as a RICO enterprise (under GA law) based on their alleged fraudulent scheme.

Here’s what the workers say happened:

-They were recruited for “professional” TN-visa roles — then assigned to lower-wage manual labor jobs.
-Mexican workers were allegedly paid less, given worse assignments, and told they could “go back to Mexico” if they raised concerns.
-Soriano, a pregnant worker, was denied light duty, harassed, fired, and given one hour to vacate her company-provided apartment — and stuck with $1,300+ in travel costs home. Martinez had to pay $795 to return home.
-GFA allegedly filed false IRS information returns, inflating wages for TN visa holders, leaving them with unexpected tax liabilities.

Claims ranged from FLSA, IRS violations, Title VII, ADA, Georgia RICO, and implied immigration-related violations.

The case — Martinez et al. v. Glovis Georgia — is a stark reminder of what happens when employers cut corners, ignore warning signs, and breach trust to gain an edge.

And for business owners, executives, brokers, valuation and turnaround experts, and HR, the lessons aren’t subtle:

Key Takeaways
-You can’t tell one story to employees or regulators and live another. The IRS, DOL, and likely DHS are or will soon be taking a very close look — and not the kind of attention any company wants.
-Trust is a business asset — until it isn’t. If you wouldn’t partner with a company that mistreats its workforce, don’t expect others to partner with you if you do the same.
-$11.5M isn’t the full cost. Add legal fees, potential fines, penalties, and ongoing government scrutiny — the long tail can be far more expensive than the settlement.
-Short-term tactics create long-term damage. Companies that rely on these methods already struggle with attraction and retention — and reputational fallout only magnifies that.

For small and mid-size companies, the impact can be devastating. Missteps like this can erode valuation, derail deals, complicate due diligence, and damage brand and culture in ways that take years to repair.

Need I say more?

Hybrid wage claims are one of the most underestimated risks in growing companies. The latest 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals decision shows why.

The case is Lundeen v. 10 W Ferry Street Operations. Employees brought a hybrid wage case — a Rule 23 class action paired with an FLSA Sec. 216(b) collective action. Both involved a large number of similarly situated plaintiffs.

In short, the plaintiffs alleged that 10 West Ferry Street Operations LLC, d/b/a The Logan Inn, let a salaried manager participate in the tip pool, violating the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act (PMWA).

Isn’t that just a technicality?

 No. Servers said it reduced the tips they earned. And because employers often take a tip credit for customarily tipped employees — which managers are not — the impact can add up fast.

The employer ultimately settled the claims.

So what makes this a hybrid claim?

The same facts generated claims under two statutes:

-Rule 23 class action: individuals are included unless they opt out.
-FLSA collective action: individuals must affirmatively opt in.

The settlement (consistent with Rule 23) required anyone who didn’t want to be included to opt out.

The District Court refused to approve the settlement, reasoning that the FLSA’s opt-in requirement meant only those who opted in could waive their claims.

The 3rd Circuit disagreed and reversed. It held that the FLSA’s opt-in rule applies to litigation, not settlement. The statute doesn’t restrict settlement waivers, and the opt-in mechanism was designed to prevent duplicative litigation, not bar employees from resolving claims.

But the real lessons go beyond the legal ruling.

Hybrid wage cases often grow out of everyday operational issues that slip under the radar. Red flags include:

• inconsistent timekeeping
 • auto-deducted meal breaks
 • off-the-clock work
 • supervisors making exceptions
 • rounding issues
 • unclear roles in monitoring time

For growing companies — especially those with lean HR teams — wage exposure isn’t just a legal issue. It becomes:

• an operational drain
 • a leadership and communication gap
 • a financial wildcard

And yes — for companies preparing for expansion, investment, or a future sale — wage patterns like these often surface in due diligence as signs of broader systems problems.

Your turn:

When it comes to wage-and-hour issues, where do you see the biggest challenges — or blind spots — in keeping practices consistent across teams?

Employees and brand are either your greatest business assets — or your most costly liabilities.

 Leadership decides which.

Last week’s $11.5M jury verdict against a major employer proved exactly that.

That employer?

 SHRM — the organization that tells the rest of us how to lead our people.
Workplace culture problems don’t start as legal problems.

 They start as business-value problems.

And those problems show up in:
-Valuation
-Due diligence
-Customer and investor confidence
-Leadership credibility
-Long before anyone files a complaint.

If buyers or potential investors don’t like what they see inside your culture…
 Deals doesn’t close. 

If employees (or potential employees) don't like what they see your company will have difficulty attracting and retaining good employees -- again impacting your company's viability and bottom line.

My latest LinkedIn Newsletter breaks down what went wrong — and what decision-makers need to understand — in a cautionary tale every business owner, exec, investor, broker, valuation expert, turnaround consultant, and HR leader should pay attention to.

A real-world verdict reveals how employer choices determine which way the scale tips SHRM has always encouraged employers to lead by example. Last wee

When Your Greatest Assets Become Your Greatest Liabilities

Friday Poll Series: Workplace Violence & Bullying Poll 

 (Poll at the end ⬇️)

Over the past three weeks, you’ve shared powerful insights about the early warning signs that too often go unnoticed — and how bullying can escalate into real safety risks when behaviors go unchecked.

But even when concerns are raised, who ultimately decides what happens next?

HR is often the first to see the warning signs — but leadership needs to take ownership before risks escalate.

 When that doesn’t happen, prevention becomes reaction — and the consequences can be serious for employees and the business.

This week, I’d like to understand where accountability currently sits in your organization.

Friday Poll Series: Workplace Violence & Bullying
 (Friday Poll at the end ⬇️)

When Words Become Weapons

Last week, I asked which early warning sign employers overlook most.
 Here’s where your votes landed:

🔹 65% — Sudden withdrawal or isolation
 🔹 25% — Escalating verbal aggression
 🔹 9% — Obsession with a grievance
 🔹 2% — “We catch issues early”

Those results tell an important story.

And for business owners, executives, HR leaders — and for those who assess companies for stability, value, or transition readiness — these early patterns often show up in culture and day-to-day behavior long before they lead to safety issues, legal exposure, leadership strain, or financial consequences.

 Most people expect the loud, angry behavior to be the “real” warning sign — but far more often, it’s the quiet shift everyone explains away.

This week, we’re looking at the next stage in escalation: when seemingly “minor” bullying behaviors start crossing the line.

For those involved in valuations, due diligence, or business transitions, these early cultural indicators can be strong predictors of risk

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