Listen to Vanessa speak about what her firm can do for you.VKelly@SchwartzKelly.com
VANESSA M. KELLY regularly counsels employers on various employment issues, including terminations, leaves, workplace misconduct, protecting key personnel and proprietary information, contingent workers, reductions in force, and implementation of workplace policies designed to avoid disputes and comply with state and federal law. She performs investigations of employment issues for employers and counsels her employer clients through the process of investigation and remedial measures. Ms. Kelly has significant experience in drafting employment agreements, restrictive covenants, separation agreements, independent contractor and contingent worker agreements. She has created employee handbooks, operating manuals, and has created human resource functions and processes, as well as their implementing forms and policies, for new or growing businesses.
Ms. Kelly has substantial experience defending employment claims in state and federal courts across the country and in prosecuting and defending enforcement of restrictive covenants, both here in New Jersey and in other jurisdictions. She is an experienced trial lawyer having conducted both jury and bench trials. She recently obtained a No Cause verdict in favor of a surgical practice in defense of state whistle blower claims. She also has experience defending employers against claims raised in state and federal administrative agencies, especially human rights agencies, and wage and hour forums.
Ms. Kelly writes and speaks on employment law issues. She recently addressed the Employers Association of New Jersey in October of 2004 and at their annual meeting in June 2005 on protecting proprietary information. She spoke at the American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law Subcommittee of Restrictive Covenants on the departure of employees subject to restrictive covenants, at the ABA's Annual Convention in 2005 and in 2004. She has been a contributing editor to the American Bar Association, Employment Section, Employee Rights and Responsibility Committee's and BNA's jointly prepared State-by-State compendiums, including Covenants Not to Compete, Defining Proprietary Information, and Employee Duty of Loyalty.
Before forming her own firm, Ms. Kelly was Of Counsel to the Morristown, New Jersey office of Jackson Lewis, LLP, a national law firm specializing in the representation of employers in employment related matters and a member of the Sills Cummis Epstein & Gross Employment and Labor practice group.