Linda S. Johnson
Director
Linda is a director with over twenty years of experience litigating cases in state and federal agencies and courts, and in representing the interests of management in all aspects of labor and employment law. In addition to serving as the firm's lead employment lawyer and chair of its Employment Law Practice Group, Linda is also chair of the firm's Education Law Group. She represents the interests of many private elementary and high schools, colleges, and the largest independent academy in the United States. Linda is especially well known for developing and presenting training programs in workplaces and schools on topics such as Managing Within the Law, Harassment Prevention, and Conducting a Workplace Investigation. She is recognized as a leading labor and employment lawyer, and provides ongoing risk management services to numerous businesses and schools throughout the state and in New England. Linda is also a trained and experienced mediator with extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution.
Department
Litigation
Employment Law
Education Law
Areas of Practice
- Employment & School Litigation & Trial Practice
- Employment & School Risk Management Services
- Workplace & School Training Programs & Development
- Discrimination and Harassment Investigation Services
Representative Clients & Work
Linda is consistently recognized as one of the leading labor and employment lawyers on the management and employment defense side. She also has a large practice representing the overall interests of private schools as well as providing consultation services to public schools and school districts in the areas of harassment, hazing, bullying and abuse prevention and responses.
Some examples of recent work include:
- Providing training to all the high schools and junior high school students and employees for the Diocese of Manchester on "Maintaining a Safe School Environment " (Understanding Hazing, Harassment, Bullying, Abuse Reporting and Safe School Zone Obligations).
- Representing Poultry Products of New England, Inc. drafting, updating and seeking enforcement of noncompetition and nondisclosure agreements.
- Representing Pinkerton Academy in matters before the Public Employee Labor Relations Board, the New Hampshire Supreme Court and New Hampshire Superior Court.
- Assisting numerous companies in responding to complaints of age, sex and race discrimination before the New Hampshire Human Rights Commission and the EEOC.
- Providing consultation services to numerous companies regarding day to day issues such as regarding the Family and Medical Leave Act, leave issues, policy development, harassment investigations, state and federal law compliance, wage and hour and unemployment audits, reductions in force, workplace privacy issues, employee handbooks and contracts, employee disciplines and terminations.
- Providing consultation services to private schools in areas such as student discipline and expulsions, tuition refund claims, facilities use agreements, enrollment contracts, employee and student handbooks, employment contracts, staff, student and trustee training, abuse reporting obligations, harassment prevention and investigations, and numerous other faculty, staff and student issues unique to the private school settings.
- Serving as approved insurance defense counsel for United Educators Insurance Company.
Admissions
New Hampshire, U.S. District Court for New Hampshire, First Circuit Court of Appeals
Professional & Association Memberships
American Bar Association (Labor & Employment Committee Member); New Hampshire Bar Association (Treasurer, 1988-1990); Fellow, New Hampshire Bar Foundation
Recognition
- Woodward's Best Lawyers in America - Education Law
- Woodward's Best Lawyers in America - Employment Defense
- Chambers & Partners America's Leading Business Lawyers - Recognized as one of New Hampshire's Leading Employment Defense & Labor Law Lawyers (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006)
- Outstanding Business Woman of New Hampshire - N.H. Business Review (2006)
- Philip S. Hollman Equality Award - Committee on Gender Equality of the NH Bar Association (2006)
- Leadership New Hampshire - Class of 2005
- Marilla Ricker women lawyer of the year - N.H. Women's Bar Association (2002)
- Jon Meyer Civil Rights Award - N.H. Civil Liberties Union Foundation (2002)
- Regional and Statewide Champion for Children - N.H. School Administrators Association (1996)
- One of Outstanding Women of New Hampshire - Manchester & Nashua Magazines (1990)
- New Hampshire Bar Association President's Award for Distinguished Service to the Association and to the Public (1987)
- Commissioner, New Hampshire Commission on the Status of Women (2003 to present)
Career
- J.D. - Boston University School of Law, 1984
- B.S. - Rivier College (magna cum laude), 1981
Member
Chair, Gender Equity in Education Task Force of the N.H. Commission on the Status of Women; Human Resource Committee of the NH Business & Industry Association; Society for Human Resource Management (former member of the Employment Committee); Manchester Area Human Resource Association (former President, Board Member and Legislative Liaison); N.H. Bar Association Labor and Employment Committee (Chair 2005); National School Boards Association; N.H. Council of School Attorneys; Volunteer Mediator for N.H. Commission for Human Rights and for N.H. Superior Courts
Recent Publications and Lectures
Community Involvement
- Board of Trustees for Rivier College
- Member at Large, Board of the Southern New Hampshire Women's Business Network
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