Louis A. Santiago helps businesses manage the risks of civil litigation and governmental regulations and investigations in the field of employment law.
For over 25 years, Mr. Santiago has trained and counseled clients about the intricacies of federal, state and local employment laws and regulations, and about best employment practices. He advises businesses on a daily basis on a wide array of employment matters, including: race, gender, sexual harassment, age, national origin, disability, and sexual orientation discrimination; family and medical leave obligations; discipline, discharge and wrongful termination matters; wage and hour requirements; employment contracts; severance agreements; trade secret, confidentiality, non-competition, unfair competition, and breach of fiduciary duty matters; and independent contractor agreements.
When facing employment related civil litigation or governmental investigations, large and small businesses alike turn to Mr. Santiago to defend their interests and advance their business objectives. Mr. Santiago is an experienced jury and non-jury trial attorney who has acted as lead trial counsel on high profile, multi-state cases as well as more conventional employment cases filed in federal and state courts in Oregon and Washington. His representative engagements include:
- Lead trial counsel - Successfully defended approximately 150 age, gender, race, national origin, and disability discrimination claims filed in various federal and state courts across the U.S. against a firm client arising out of a nation-wide contract with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to recruit, assess and help hire approximately 60,000 full- and part-time TSA airport security screeners
- Lead trial counsel - Successfully defended sexual harassment and retaliation claims filed in the U.S. District Court of Oregon by a terminated female over-the-road driver for a major West Coast transportation company
- Lead trial counsel - Successfully defended unfair competition claims filed in the U.S. District Court of Oregon against a national life insurance company that had recruited and hired numerous agents from another national life insurance company
- Lead trial counsel - Negotiated favorable settlement of gender discrimination and sexual harassment claims filed in U.S. District Court of Oregon against major retailer of new and used truck parts
- Lead trial counsel - Negotiated favorable settlement of Americans with Disabilities Act claims filed by a terminated employee against a major producer of quartz glassware for the semiconductor industry
- Lead counsel - Obtained no-cause finding in a recent proceeding before the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries relating to whistle-blowing and retaliation charges filed by a terminated employee of a national mortgage brokerage company
- General trial counsel - Directed local counsel and successfully managed wrongful termination claims filed in Washington Superior Court against a major Washington-based financial institution
In addition to his employment practice, Mr. Santiago has extensive litigation and alternative dispute resolution experience representing banks, credit unions, insurance companies, brokerage firms, title insurers, and developers in real property, commercial and business tort disputes.
Prior to entering private practice in 1979, Mr. Santiago served as a staff attorney with the Office of Counsel, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.