During his career, Scott has assisted some of the nation’s largest companies in defending against employment-related lawsuits, including Title VII cases, wage and hour cases, and Fair Credit Reporting Act cases. Scott also has litigated a variety of general commercial matters. Due to his litigation experience, Scott takes particular pride in helping clients to avoid legal actions whenever possible. He has worked closely with companies to develop policies, practices, and contracts that significantly reduce the risk of claims.
Clients
Scott works with organizations in a variety of industries including retail, information technology, staffing, manufacturing, accounting, agriculture, background screening, transportation, insurance, construction, non-profit, and a variety of others.
Client Recommendation
“I have known and worked with Scott Paler for a couple of years and have nothing but good things to say. Scott has the ability to see all sides of a situation while incorporating our business position. This approach results in him providing comprehensive advice to ensure our company is not legally compromised.” --Brook Parker, Jungle Source, Inc.
Notable Representations
- Counseled a staffing agency in resolving a wage and hour collective action on excellent terms.
- Assisted in successfully obtaining the dismissal of a lawsuit claiming that a hotel chain owed a substantial unpaid bonus to an employee.
- Worked to obtain a favorable resolution for a company accused of violating various employment and buy-out agreements by its former president.
- Prepared dozens of position statements for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and similar state agencies leading to the dismissal of discrimination charges.
- Helped four large, national corporations to conduct exempt status classification audits to reduce the risk of wage and hour class and collective actions.
- Helped numerous companies in preparing employment applications and handbook policies.
- Advised dozens of franchise owners on the handling of day-to-day employment issues such as reasonable accommodations, discipline, and terminations.
Scott also maintains a unique expertise in background screening issues. He has counseled more than 50 employers, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to small businesses, on developing and executing legally compliant background screening programs. He has also helped successfully defend employers’ background screening practices before administrative or judicial bodies in Wisconsin, New York, and Michigan. Further, he has published several articles on background screening issues and delivered presentations on background screening topics for large and small audiences around the country.
In addition to helping employers on background screening issues, Scott has provided legal assistance to dozens of background screening providers. Among other things, he has:
- Offered regular advice to background screening providers on how to comply with the Fair Credit Reporting Act and similar state laws.
- Worked with background screening providers to develop top-of-the-line contracts and sample forms for end-users.
- Defended background screening providers in law suits or administrative actions.
- Conducted numerous training sessions for background screening providers.