A $300,000 lawsuit may be avoided by a fifteen-minute telephone call. Nothing is more important in the field of human relations than proactive counseling and advice. Creativity is crucial, and common sense is a baseline requirement.

Many employee claims can be prevented. Powell Goldstein's lawyers would sincerely and honestly rather provide counsel that eliminates a claim than to defend the claim on a client's behalf. What makes us unique from other employment law firms is our creative and highly focused effort to prevent problems in the first instance.

To that end, we maintain that one of our key value drivers is being available to provide a preliminary answer to any labor and employment inquiry within 24 hours. We work on human resources matters day in and day out. We keep our finger on the pulse of business trends, as well as the law, and are here to apply that knowledge to our clients' situations at a moment's notice.

Together, we have:

• Provided effective counseling on hiring and firing
• Conducted human resource audits
• Created and implemented diversity programs
• Offered proactive counseling to avoid charges and lawsuits
• Investigated sexual harassment and many other matters
• Provided compliance advice regarding wage and hour matters
• Counseled businesses on the ADA and FMLA
• Prepared handbooks and policies
• Advised companies on reductions-in-force, plant closings and company restructurings
• Counseled businesses in connection with mergers and acquisitions