Chris Slaughter practices law in the firm’s Huntington, West Virginia, office. Mr. Slaughter represents employers in labor and employment law matters. His practice is evenly divided between counseling and litigation. Mr. Slaughter has tried cases before state and federal courts and administrative agencies, and he regularly litigates arbitration matters. His clients include companies in the construction, energy, health care, hospitality, and manufacturing industries.
REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE
- Advised a large manufacturer in connection with a reduction in force that impacted union and non-union employees, overseeing every aspect of the reduction, from WARN Act notification to salaried employee evaluations, to training managers to deliver the news to impacted employees
- Assisted a regional manufacturer with a reduction in force at operations in four states
- Negotiated the severance of the CEO of a large manufacturer
- Resolved a whistleblower case for a public entity after the key witness and decision-maker was impeached and removed from his office by a public tribunal
- Negotiated labor agreements with a number of different unions
- Helped control mass picketing and violence through court litigation in state and federal courts
- Advised employers engaged in strike contingency planning
- Negotiated executive employment contracts with key employees
- Represented employers in MSHA and OSHA investigations involving workplace injuries
- Defended employers in discrimination and workplace injury litigation in state and federal courts, and before the EEOC and state human rights agencies
- Defended employers in unfair labor practice charge litigation before the NLRB
- Helped employers defeat union organizing campaigns
AREAS OF CONCENTRATION
- Labor law
- Employee benefits (ERISA) litigation
- Employment law
- Employment contracts and policies
- Workplace safety
- Litigation
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
1999 Steptoe & Johnson
2000 Labor Counsel, Law Department, Columbia Gas
Transmission Corp.
1995-1999 Smith, Heenan & Althen
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
- American Bar Association, Sections on Labor and Employment Law and Litigation
- President, Tri-State Society for Human Resource Management
- Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia Bar Associations
INDUSTRY / CIVIC MEMBERSHIPS
- Member, Board of Trustees, Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, Nashville, Tennessee
- Co-Chairman, Board of Directors, Advantage Valley, Inc.
- Commerce Lexington (Kentucky)
- Kentucky Coal Association
- Contractors Association of West Virginia
- Human Resources Committee, West Virginia Chamber of Commerce
- Treasurer, Board of Trustees, Huntington Museum of Art
- Chairman, Finance Committee, Huntington Museum of Art
- Member, Executive and Investment Committees, Huntington Museum of Art
- Advisory Board, Salvation Army of Huntington
- Leadership Tri-State, 2006
- Leadership West Virginia, 2000
- Chair, Chamber Revenue Enhancement Committee for 2010, Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce
- Past President and Board Member, Charleston Jazz Series, Inc.
- Past Chairman, Board of Directors, Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce
AWARDS / HONORS
- Chambers USA America’s Leading Lawyers for Business
- The Best Lawyers in America®
- Recognized in Law & Politics Magazine’s Virginia/West Virginia Super Lawyers®
PUBLICATIONS / SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
- September 2009: "Implementing a Reduction in Force: Legal and Practical Advice," Mid Ohio Valley Society for Human Resource Management, Marietta, Ohio
- July 2009: "Employment Law 101: A Primer for Supervisors," Volunteer West Virginia, South Charleston, West Virginia
- May 2009: "Implementing a Reduction in Force," Charleston Society for Human Resources Management, Charleston, West Virginia
- February 2009: "Card Check Update: What Employers Should Do Now to Prepare for a Union Campaign," Huntington Chamber of Commerce, Huntington, West Virginia
- January 2009: "Change: The Uncut Version—What Employers Can Expect from the Obama Administration," Contractors Association of West Virginia Mid-Winter Meeting, Orlando, Florida
- September 2008: "Labor Law Update," West Virginia Hospital Human Resources Association Annual Meeting, Flatwoods, West Virginia
- August 2007: "Conducting a Successful Union Campaign For the Employer," West Virginia Healthcare Association Assisted Living Conference, Charleston, West Virginia
- January 2007: "The Top Ten Things Every Employer Should Know About West Virginia Employment Law," Contractors Association of West Virginia Mid-Winter Meeting, Aruba
- Contributing author for the American Bar Association’s treatise Employee Benefits Law (2nd Ed., 2001)