Jonathan M. Crotty

Jonathan Crotty has been a successful counselor and problem solver for large and small employers in the Southeast and beyond for more than 30 years. He heads Parker Poe’s Employment & Benefits Practice Group and represents employers in all aspects of the employment relationship, from hiring to discharge.

Jonathan provides guidance to employers as they navigate the complex array of laws and regulations applicable to the employment relationship, including employment discrimination laws, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) compliance, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and wage and hour matters. If employers face legal or administrative claims resulting from their employees and employment practices, he defends and resolves those disputes in line with the client’s goals and expectations.

Representative Experience

Federal and North Carolina OSHA compliance, administrative citations and litigation, including representation of employers before OSHA review commissions.
Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage and hour claims, including compliance reviews, audits, and employee exemption determinations.
Americans with Disabilities Act compliance and defense of discrimination and failure to accommodate claims.
Affirmative action plan drafting and compliance, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) audits, and administrative defense of claims against government contractors.
Transactional employment matters, including preparation of employment contracts, restrictive covenants, employee handbooks and employment policies, employee separation agreements and employment issues relating to corporate merger and acquisition activities.
Counseling and advising human resources professionals and other corporate executives and managers with respect to individual employee issues, including discipline and termination.
Employment and other legal issues unique to the transportation industry, including Department of Transportation (DOT) driver safety compliance.

A sample of Jonathan’s recent work includes:

Successfully represented a Fortune 500 company in the negotiation and settlement of systemic discrimination claims before the OFCCP relating to alleged discriminatory hiring practices by a government contractor. The settlement included innovative multi-location hiring procedures intended to correct the hiring discrepancies.
Obtained dismissal of OSHA administrative charges against a general contractor based on alleged safety violations by one of its subcontractors; achieved this result through a detailed reconstruction of work site safety conditions and compliance responsibilities.
Convinced the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to vacate a previous “for cause” Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) discrimination determination based on drug testing and employee reinstatement procedures.
Represented a Fortune 500 employer faced with complex executive employment agreement issues relating to its acquisition of a competitor, including successful negotiations with multiple executives of the target company resulting in retention of key personnel through closing of the transaction and beyond.

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Honors & Awards

The Best Lawyers in America in Employment Law: Management, Labor and Employment Litigation, 2011-2024
The Best Lawyers in America "Lawyer of the Year" in Charlotte for Employment Law: Management, 2022
Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers in Labor & Employment, 2012-2023
North Carolina Super Lawyers, 2008-2013, 2018-2019
Business North Carolina magazine's "Legal Elite" in Employment Law, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2021
Charlotte Business Journal's 40 Under 40, 1997
Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ in Employment & Labor; Administrative Law; Educational Institutions; Transportation; Government & Public Policy

Memberships

Charlotte Historic District Commission, Chair, 2006-2010

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