Lawrence Allen Katz

Partner

• lkatz@steptoe.com
• vCard
• Phoenix Office

Lawrence Allen Katz is a partner in the Phoenix office of Steptoe & Johnson LLP. He is head of the firm's Labor Relations and Employment Law Department and manages the twelve Phoenix attorneys who practice in that area.

Labor Relations & Union-Related Matters
Mr. Katz assists clients in all kinds of union-related issues, including unfair labor practice proceedings and other matters before the National Labor Relations Board, and he has substantial litigation experience related to union activities.  In 1983, Mr. Katz successfully argued the Bill Johnson's case in the US Supreme Court, which established the employer's right to sue a labor union for defamatory statements made during otherwise protected activities.  Mr. Katz and his colleagues in the firm's labor relations and employment law group also have substantial arbitration experience under collective bargaining agreements and have participated in numerous labor contract negotiations.  Mr. Katz also counsels clients on antitrust issues related to labor-management relations, and he has litigated cases alleging Sherman Act violations.

Equal Employment Opportunity & Wrongful Discharge Litigation
A significant component of Mr. Katz's work involves state and federal court litigation under the employment discrimination statutes, contracts, or various common-law employment rights.  His litigation experience, which has involved several successful jury trials, includes issues under Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act, The WARN Act, and various related state and federal statutory and common-law claims.  Mr. Katz has successfully argued a number of cases in the appellate courts, including the US Supreme Court.

Human Resources & Personnel Counseling
Mr. Katz is often called upon in matters involving unfair competition, theft of trade secrets and business disparagement, and he advises his clients on the preparation and enforcement of non-compete clauses and other restrictive covenants and on labor relations issues pertinent to the change of ownership of a business.  His counseling practice includes advice and representation under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, wage and hour statutes, and other labor laws.  Mr. Katz frequently negotiates and drafts employment agreements for high-level corporate officers and litigates disputes arising under such agreements.  Mr. Katz is a firm believer in the need for an attorney specializing in labor relations and employment law to be easily accessible to his clients, and the firm's labor relations and employment group responds quickly to all inquiries.

Noteworthy

• Best Lawyers’ 2012 Phoenix Employment Law – Management Lawyer of the Year
• Best Lawyers in America (has been listed for over twenty years), Labor and Employment Law, 2012
• "Top 50 attorneys in Arizona," Southwest Super Lawyers, 2009-2011
• Southwest Super Lawyers, Labor and Employment Law, 2007-2011
• #1 Ranking in Chambers USA: America's Leading Business Lawyers; Labor & Employment (Arizona), 2008-2011 
• Lawdragon 3000 Leading Lawyers in America, 2011
• Arizona Business Magazine Top Lawyers, Labor and Employment Law, 2008-2010 
• Euromoney's Expert Guide to the World's Leading Labour and Employment Lawyers, 2007, 2009
• Who's Who Legal, Management Labor and Employment, 2008

Select News & Events

• Four Steptoe Partners Named ‘Lawyer of the Year’ by Best Lawyers
• Steptoe Receives 67 Individual Mentions from Best Lawyers
• Eighth Annual Labor Relations Conference, May 19, 2011, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)
• Southwest Super Lawyers Honors Steptoe Attorneys
• Steptoe Receives 18 Practice, 56 Individual Mentions in Chambers USA 2011
• Chambers USA Honors 18 Steptoe Practices and 41 Attorneys
• Seventh Annual Labor Relations Conference, May 13, 2010, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)
• Southwest Super Lawyers Honors 14 Steptoe Attorneys
• Employment Law Seminar, December 8, 2009, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)
• Sixth Annual Labor Relations Conference, April 24, 2009, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)
• Fifth Annual Labor Relations Conference, April 11, 2008, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)
• Fourth Annual Labor Relations Conference, May 2, 2007, (A Steptoe-Sponsored Event)

Professional Affiliations

• Arizona Equal Justice Foundation, Board of Directors
• American Bar Association, Sections of Labor Law and Litigation
• Member and past Chair, Labor Law Advisory Council/CUE
• Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, Inc.