Phyllis Karasov
Minnesota
Larkin Hoffman Daly & Lindgren Ltd
8300 Norman Center Drive
Suite 1000
Minneapolis, MN 55437-1060
Tel: 952-896-1569
Email:
pkarasov@larkinhoffman.com
Web:
www.larkinhoffman.com
Phyllis Karasov advises businesses on labor and employment matters. Her clients come from a variety of sectors, including construction, manufacturing, higher education, K-12 private education, nonprofit and healthcare. She provides counsel in all areas of human resources, including hiring, handbooks, regulatory compliance, discrimination, sexual harassment, discipline and termination, Americans with Disabilities Act, OSHA rules and the Family and Medical Leave Act. As a former National Labor Relations Board attorney, Phyllis is often called upon to represent clients in labor union matters including arbitrations, collective bargaining agreements and union contracts. In higher education, Phyllis is an experienced and trained investigator of Title IX complaints. Phyllis is certified by the Minnesota State Bar Association as a Labor & Employment Specialist.
Phyllis has substantial experience drafting, interpreting and enforcing noncompetition agreements, confidentiality agreements, and separation agreements. She also has deep experience developing and drafting employee handbooks and other types of employment documents and policies. She often represents clients before administrative agencies and in state and federal courts.
Examples of Phyllis’ experience include:
- Provided guidance to employers on the many issues that arose with COVID-19, including governmental and voluntary mandatory vaccination requirements, mandatory vaccination policies, interpretation and application of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the layoff of employees, mandatory COVID-19 testing, gubernatorial executive orders and the preparation of work from home policies.
- Represented employers in complaints of discrimination filed with Minnesota Department of Human Rights, St, Paul Department of Human Rights, Minneapolis Department of Civil Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
- Represented employers in state and federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) citations and administrative law hearing process, resulting in recission of citations or significant reductions in the penalty or seriousness of the alleged violation.
- Represented a construction contractor in a jurisdictional dispute.
- Advised numerous employers on proper classification of workers as employees or independent contractors.
- Advised numerous employers on exempt and nonexempt status of employees and other FLSA issues.
- Negotiated collective bargaining agreements with various labor unions.
- Advised employers how to remain non-union or how to respond to a union organizing campaign.
- Advised employers on the discipline and termination of problem employees.
- Advised employers who are audited by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Bar Admissions:
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
- United States Court of Appeals – 8th Circuit
- United States District Court – Minnesota
- Minnesota Supreme Court
- United States District Court – Georgia (Inactive)
- Georgia Supreme Court (Inactive)
Education:
- Emory University School of Law, Atlanta, GA; J.D.
- University of Rochester, Rochester, NY; B.A. with distinction
Honors:
- Top 50 Women Lawyers, Super Lawyers magazine
- Super Lawyer®, Super Lawyers magazine
- Minnesota Leading Attorney, Leading American Attorneys
- Twin Cities Cardozo Society, Sidney Barrows Lifetime Commitment Award, 2014
The Larkin Hoffman employment law team identifies and resolves workplace issues in this rapidly evolving and highly regulated area. Our attorneys provide counsel and advice to businesses, public employers and other organizations about all aspects of the employment relationship.
As Congress, state legislatures, local government and the courts continually change employer obligations and employee rights, employers need experienced counsel to help confront problems and comply with rules. We provide advice to employers across the full range of employment law and personnel issues. Whether an organization is growing or requires a reduction in force, we provide valuable guidance at each critical step of the process.
We assist clients in formulating and administering employment policies and procedures designed to avoid problems and litigation. We counsel clients about local, state and federal laws and regulations, regulatory schemes, policy matters, labor relations, wage and hour, discrimination, OSHA, business torts, non-competition, independent contractor status, FMLA and other matters that affect everyday business activity. We respond to charges of discrimination filed with local, state and federal agencies on behalf of clients and represent them in state and federal courts in all areas of labor and employment law.
We provide training of personnel to implement programs that comply with employment and labor laws. We work with corporate counsel, human resources and management to establish training programs for employees and managers; conduct investigations (e.g., sexual harassment); audit employment practices; draft, review and interpret contracts; develop commission plans; and give advice regarding employee benefit plans. Our labor relations practice includes providing advice on union representation elections, negotiating collective bargaining agreements, responding to unfair labor practice charges and managing grievances.
Our benefit legal professionals work with small and large companies to design and administer the full range of benefit programs including retirement, health, and cafeteria plans as well as executive compensation programs. We advise clients in the intricacies of ERISA regulation, compliance, withdrawal liability, plan design and resolving plan issues. We counsel clients regarding IRS and DOL filings, corrections and audits.
Our attorneys practice employment and labor law in many jurisdictions across the country. We also have relationships with law firms in all 50 states, allowing us to work through local counsel as necessary. Clients benefit from our familiarity with their businesses regardless of the geographic area where issues arise.
The founders of Larkin Hoffman set out to form a different kind of firm, with a focus on providing truly responsive service to our clients. They adopted four guiding principles that have defined our culture for more than 60 years:
- Provide excellent client service
- Create fee structures that our clients find reasonable and appropriate for their businesses
- Encourage creative thinking among attorneys working in a collaborative environment
- Give back to our community
Larkin Hoffman has changed a good deal since the firm was founded in 1958, but we have never wavered from our commitment to these principles. They have allowed us to embrace change more readily in technology, diversity, sustainability and other areas that are central to our ability to serve clients.
These principles guide us today as much as they did at the firm’s founding. We are committed to them, even as we continue to change in response to the changing needs of our clients.