For over 30 years, Peter has advised clients on difficult and complex employment law matters, advocated on his clients' behalf, and, when needed, litigated to represent their interests. He provides advice on virtually every employment decision, including hiring and firing employees; compensation and compliance with the FLSA and state wage and hour laws; reasonable accommodations under Title VII and the Americans with Disabilities Act and comparable state laws; succession planning and reductions-in-force; and complying with laws governing leaves of absence, including the FMLA and USERRA.
Peter represents employers before state and federal courts and agencies involving such claims as sexual harassment, race, sex, age, and disability discrimination; wrongful discharge; breaches of covenants not to compete; cases arising under the Fair Labor Standards Act and ERISA; and various types of injunction proceedings. He has also handled many labor arbitrations and unfair labor practice charges involving a broad range of contract interpretation and disciplinary issues, including discharges arising from drug and alcohol related offenses, theft, fraud, insubordination, and absenteeism.
Peter's practice includes counseling employers on such diverse personnel-related issues as compliance with discrimination laws; hiring, evaluating, and discharging employees; drug and alcohol testing; developing record-keeping and personnel policies and employee handbooks, pay practices and employee benefits; negotiating and administering collective bargaining agreements; and health and safety issues. He is also responsible for advising employers of their affirmative action obligations, if any, under federal and state law. In this regard, he has drafted and revised affirmative action obligations and assisted clients in responding to OFCCP audits.
As general outside counsel to two non-profits and special counsel to numerous additional non-profits, Peter has been involved in a wide range of issues, including reviewing and revising corporate by-laws; training board members on fiduciary obligations; drafting and revising employee handbooks and numerous other policies relating to board members, staff and clients; succession planning; responding to government claims of misuse of funds and failure to comply with applicable regulations; real estate acquisition and development; obtaining status as an institute of purely public charity under Pennsylvania law; advising and responding to allegations of sexual abuse against clients; custody issues; and determining "in loco parentis" status.
Upon graduating from law school, he served as a law clerk to Justice Arthur H. Healy of the Supreme Court of Connecticut. He has also been honored by his peers and selected multiple times to the Pennsylvania Super Lawyers® list. Peter also serves as editor-in-chief of Pennsylvania Employment Law Deskbook, which is currently in its Fourth Edition and published by PBI Press.