FordHarrison LLP, one of the country’s largest management-side labor and employment law firms, is pleased to announce that four of the firm’s Florida-based attorneys have been named to the 2019 "Florida Legal Elite" list by Florida Trend magazine. Todd S. Aidman, Edward B. Carlstedt, Andrew S. Hament, Tracey K. Jaensch, Tammie L. Rattray, and Viktoryia Johnson were recognized.
Florida Legal Elite is now in its 16th year of publication. The rigorous selection process began with notifying and inviting members of the Florida Bar to nominate attorneys they hold in the highest regard or would recommend to others. After the ballots were processed, the list of top vote-getters was further examined using membership status and practice histories provided by the Florida Bar. The 2019 list of Legal Elite attorneys represents the top 1.5 percent of attorneys in the state of Florida.
Todd Aidman is experienced in complex and class action litigation and regularly practices in the trial and appellate levels of federal and state courts, as well as administrative agencies such as the EEOC and DOL. He defends companies in a broad range of employment and labor disputes, including cases involving allegations of age, race, national origin, disability, sex discrimination, sexual and racial harassment, retaliation, fraud, defamation, negligent supervision and retention and breach of contract. He also handles claims involving the FLSA, FMLA, ERISA, the WARN Act, employee handbooks, drug testing, misappropriation of trade secrets, and noncompetition agreements. Todd is nationally known for handling Title III ADA cases as well as collective action brought under the FLSA. He is the co-chair of the firm’s Restaurant Practice Group, and serves on the EPLI and Management Committees.
Ed Carlstedt serves as the office managing partner for FordHarrison’s Tampa office. His practice focuses on trade secret, non-compete and restrictive covenant disputes as well as representing management in employment law matters, including defending employers against harassment, discrimination and retaliation claims. Ed has extensive experience in matters involving trade secret, non-compete and restrictive covenant related issues, and has handled dozens of evidentiary hearings in federal and state courts in connection with such disputes. He has also defended employers in discrimination, harassment, medical leave, wage and hour and other complex litigation matters in state court, federal court, and arbitration proceedings.
Andy Hament represents management in all areas of employment and labor law and is certified by the Florida Bar as a specialist in Labor and Employment Law. He regularly advises private and public sector employers in discipline and discharge, reductions-in–force, collective bargaining, union grievance/arbitrations, discrimination issues, sexual harassment investigations, executive employment and severance agreements, trade secret and non-compete issues, drug abuse and drug testing, the FMLA and violence in the workplace. Andy regularly represents employers in state and federal courts and in investigations and charges before the EEOC, the Florida Commission on Human Relations, the DOL, the NLRB and the Florida Public Employees Relations Commission. Andy previously served on the Board of Directors for the United Way of Brevard County.
Tracey Jaensch is the Regional Managing Partner of FordHarrison's six Florida offices and a Board Certified Specialist in Labor & Employment Law. She has tried more than 30 jury trials representing employers. A recognized industry leader in the healthcare field, Tracey has close to 30 years of representing hospitals and physician practices on a broad range of topics unique to healthcare employers. In addition to healthcare, she has deep bench experience in all aspects of employment issues in the retail grocery, airline, correctional, and government space, having handled well over 1,000 cases, including highly publicized executive contract and multi-plaintiff matters.
Tammie Rattray has represented clients in both union and union-free environments, providing legal counseling and support to meet the client's objectives. Her experience includes providing legal representation throughout collective bargaining, arbitrations, NLRB trials, and union campaigns. Tammie also frequently represents clients in employment litigation, having successfully defended a broad array of claims including discrimination, harassment, retaliation, whistle-blower, and wage and hour, and she has tried cases to both federal and state court juries. Her practice crosses a number of industries, although she focuses primarily on healthcare, hospitality, retail, education, and professional employer organizations.
Viktoryia Johnson concentrates her practice on employment litigation, representing management in claims involving workplace discrimination, harassment, and retaliation; whistleblower complaints; leave law violations; and wage and hour violations, among others. She represents companies in employment disputes under state and federal laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Florida Civil Rights Act, the Florida Public- and Private-Sector Whistleblower’s Acts, and the Fair Labor Standards Act. Viktoryia practices in state and federal courts, and represents employers before administrative agencies.