An experienced management-side employment lawyer, Suzanne King counsels employers on a wide range of employment practices, including: hiring, managing employee performance and discipline, terminations, reductions in force, complaints about sexual and other harassment, reasonable accommodations under the ADA, leave under the FMLA and various state laws, wage and hour practices, including employee classification issues and pay equity, and data privacy and security. Suzanne also has extensive experience drafting a variety of employment agreements (including executive employment, non-disclosure, non-competition, and severance agreements) as well as employee handbooks, individual policies, and offer letters.
Suzanne regularly trains HR professionals and managers on a full range of employment law issues, including sexual harassment and FMLA and ADA procedures. Twice a year, Suzanne offers Managing Employees 101, a half-day program for supervisors and managers that includes the ten things every manager and supervisor should know about employment law as well as practical tools for managing employee performance.
Suzanne has conducted numerous workplace investigations in response to employee complaints of harassment, discrimination, and/or retaliation as well as workplace injuries and/or safety violations.
Suzanne also regularly works with clients to minimize litigation risk by responding effectively to demand letters, cease and desist letters, federal and state DOL investigations, and charges of discrimination at state agencies and the EEOC. Many disputes can be resolved without litigation through strong advocacy and skillful negotiation, and Suzanne has successfully negotiated hundreds of resolutions on behalf of employers.
With 15 years of in-house experience, Suzanne understands the importance of practical solutions. Clients rely on Suzanne for her ability to apply the law to real-world situations. Suzanne’s clients include large non-profits, independent schools, colleges and universities, financial services companies, credit unions, life sciences and technology companies, manufacturers, start-ups, and medical practices.
As a member of the firm’s Education Practice Group, Suzanne routinely assists independent schools with employee and student issues. Suzanne also assists colleges and universities with policies and procedures affecting students and employees, including student complaint procedures and Title IX, Clery Act, and FERPA compliance. In addition, she conducts training on responding effectively to student complaints of harassment or sexual violence.
Prior to joining Pierce Atwood in 2015, Suzanne was a partner in a small firm specializing in employment and education law. Prior to that, Suzanne was in-house employment counsel at a multistate energy company.