Robert W. Small is a Partner in the Firm’s Philadelphia, Pennsylvania office and Chair of the Employment Practice Group. Bob brings to clients more than three decades of real-world experience with the problems employers and employees face every day. His deep understanding of his business clients’ operations, processes, and goals, as well as the dynamics of interpersonal relationships, enables him to respond promptly to thorny situations with practical guidance.

As counsellor, Bob strives to keep his clients out of the costly and unproductive morass of litigation by guiding employers to navigate the complex world of employment law created by the myriad of federal, state, and local laws and ordinances that govern the workplace, including issues of:

• worker status as an employee or independent contractor
• discrimination and harassment
• wage and hour compliance
• pregnancy, medical, and family leave rights and obligations
• how to lawfully hire, discipline, and discharge workers

Bob’s counselling includes drafting and revising Employee Handbooks, periodic training of managers on how to avoid employment issues and how to deal with those that are unavoidable, drafting Employment Agreements with enforceable provisions that protect an employer’s confidential information and prevent unfair competition by former employees, and timely alerting clients to significant changes in the laws that impact their business. Bob is acutely mindful of the dynamics of working relationships between employees and their managers and that maintaining those relationships is critical to the success of any business, and advocates with that in mind.

As a lawyer, when litigation is unavoidable, Bob’s wealth of courtroom experience makes him sought out by clients for his ability to distill seemingly complex matters to their essence and present his client’s case to judges and juries in a clear and forceful manner. He is particularly skilled at examining lay and expert witnesses. Bob represents employers and employees nationwide in:

• enforcing and challenging the enforcement of non-compete and other restrictive covenants,
• claims of wrongful termination, discrimination, and harassment
• wage and hour claims
• breach of contract
• conducting employment audits and investigations
• and other types of commercial claims

Bob believes that by representing both employers and employees he maintains a level of objectivity that enables him to candidly advise both when it is appropriate to take a matter to trial and when it is better to accept a fair compromise and settle a lawsuit.

When not working, Bob enjoys golf, woodworking, and watching classic movies.