Joseph H. Harris is a partner in Barton’s Labor and Employment Practice Group.
Joe’s litigation practice concentrates on representing employers in state and federal court and before government agencies. He focuses primarily on defending employers against claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and the violation of wage-and-hour laws. He also represents employers in disputes involving the breach of post-employment restrictive covenants, such as non-competition, non-solicitation, and confidentiality agreements.
However, litigation is only one component of Joe’s practice. Joe also works with employers to proactively reduce their risk of employment lawsuits and government investigations, and to put them in the strongest position possible, should an employment dispute arise. He does this by counseling employers on how to respond to internal employee complaints, conducting internal workplace investigations, auditing employers’ employment practices for legal compliance, advising employers on the development and implementation of legally compliant workplace policies, conducting anti-discrimination and harassment training, and by drafting independent contractor agreements, confidentiality agreements, non-competition and non-solicitation agreements, and other workplace contracts.
The third element of Joe’s practice is executive compensation where he represents both companies and executives in negotiating employment agreements and severance packages. His experience includes both public and private companies. He has advised clients with respect to compliance with Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code, severance packages in connection with reductions in force, change in control provisions, non-competition covenants, and equity agreements.
Joe works within a broad range including finance, technology, non-profits, start-ups and early-stage companies, retail, real estate, construction, healthcare, automotive, logistics, staffing, professional practices, insurance, health and fitness, education, and more.
Joe is regularly called upon to speak on a broad range of employment law topics. He has lectured at the Strategic Steps for Growth program at New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business, Emory University School of Law, Fordham University School of Law, the Community Business Program of Columbia University, the Human Resources Association of New York, the New York State Society of CPAs, and the National Academy of Continuing Legal Education. He is routinely quoted in employment related articles and publications.
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