Michael J. Puma
Michael J. Puma focuses on complex litigation, particularly wage and hour class and collective actions, and restrictive covenant and trade secrets disputes, including successfully prosecuting claims to prevent or limit executives seeking to join competitors and/or to recover stolen files. He has litigated a number of race and gender discrimination class actions and more than 100 wage and hour class and collective actions across many industries. Mike serves as the deputy leader of the firm’s global labor and employment practice and as a member of the firm’s Advisory Board.
In addition to litigation, Mike conducts comprehensive internal wage and hour audits to assist clients in properly classifying employees as exempt or nonexempt, avoiding off-the-clock liability, and ensuring compliance with regular rate of pay, meal and rest, wage payment, and other US federal and state law obligations. In particular, as one of the leaders of the firm’s cross-practice independent contractor initiative, Mike counsels clients on avoiding contractor misclassification and joint and co-employment liability. He also helps them manage legal risks and financial and employee relations issues associated with reclassification projects.
