Joseph Santoro is a shareholder who joined the firm in 2002. Joe is the co-chair of Gunster’s Labor & Employment practice group. He is an experienced trial lawyer and trusted advisor who represents clients in every phase of the employment relationship, from day-to-day counseling, to administrative proceedings, to employment litigation. Joe also represents business clients in other commercial disputes and litigation matters.
Although Joe has diverse litigation experience, his practice focuses primarily on defending business clients and executives in employment related disputes including executive contract disputes, non-compete litigation, discrimination and harassment cases, wage and hour litigation, whistleblower claims, wrongful termination cases, employee leave claims, and employee theft and trade secret litigation.
Joe’s courtroom experience makes him a trusted counselor and advisor to clients, who understand that knowing what it takes to successfully defend cases in court is crucial to making correct employment decisions so that costly litigation can be avoided. Joe’s experience allows him to provide valuable advice, counseling and training to business clients regarding a full array of labor and employment issues including wage and hour compliance, Department of Labor audits, reductions in force and plant closings, workplace diversity and non-discrimination, sexual harassment prevention and compliance, employee leave requests under the FMLA, and disability accommodations. In addition, Joe works with clients on preparing employment agreements, non-competition agreements, employee handbooks and policies, and other documents that are essential to maintaining corporate best practices in the area of labor and employment law. Joe also represents management in administrative proceedings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Florida Commission on Human Relations (FCHR) and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).