Stephen E. Baumann II
Partner

Overview
Steve Baumann is a labor and employment attorney in Holland & Knight's Denver and Los Angeles offices. Mr. Baumann focuses on providing efficient, practical and strategic solutions that employers need to navigate ever-evolving labor and employment challenges, from day-to-day advice and counsel to complex, high-stakes litigation across the country.
Mr. Baumann is experienced in working with employers of all sizes, from small startups to Fortune 500 companies, to address and resolve employment and traditional labor issues throughout the employment life cycle, from hiring through performance management, corrective action and separation of employment. He advises employers about employment agreements, employment policies, protection of trade secrets, restrictive covenant agreements and other issues confronting employers in a constantly evolving legal landscape.
In addition, Mr. Baumann has a significant background in litigation practice in federal and state courts nationwide. He has an in-depth knowledge of complex litigation involving trade secrets, non-compete agreements, non-solicitation agreements, discrimination, retaliation, harassment, failure-to-accommodate and wrongful termination.
Mr. Baumann further helps employers remain union-free and manage their union-represented workplaces.
Prior to joining Holland & Knight, Mr. Baumann was an attorney at a labor and employment law firm in its Denver office. While in law school, Mr. Baumann co-taught the first-year legal writing and advocacy program as a legal writing and advocacy fellow and served as a content editor for the Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal. In addition, he served as a judicial extern for the Honorable Manuel L. Real in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
Representative Experience
- Obtained a federal jury verdict following a five-day trial on an Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) case for a large publicly traded employer
- Obtained a state court bench trial verdict on a Healthy Families and Workplaces Act case for a large publicly traded employer
- Obtained temporary restraining orders (TROs) and preliminary injunctions following hotly contested evidentiary proceedings to protect the trade secrets, confidential information and competitive advantages of energy companies, advertising companies, mid-size distributing companies, medical device companies, industrial maintenance and repair companies, and others
- Obtained a Rule 12 dismissal of putative Rule 23 class action claims against a construction industry client on claims of failure to pay wages under the Colorado Wage Claim Act, Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) and Colorado Organized Crime and Control Act (COCCA)
- Obtained a dismissal of claims for familial-status discrimination under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) against a small business, affirmed by the Colorado Court of Appeals, when, on an issue of apparent first impression, the court concluded that CADA does not protect familial status
- Obtained a voluntary dismissal of claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) against a multinational financial services company following discovery sanctions entered against plaintiff and her counsel
- Obtained Rule 12 dismissal of allegations seeking a declaratory judgment on enforceability of a non-compete agreement, as well as damages for outrageous conduct, intentional infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy, on behalf of an alternative energy company, including an award of fees and costs against the plaintiff
- Obtained a Rule 12 dismissal, affirmed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, on Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)-related RICO claims on behalf of a Fortune 500 financial services company
- Obtained summary judgment for a small energy company in a case brought by its former founder and CEO alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination and shareholder derivative claims
- Obtained summary judgment in a Title VII race discrimination arbitration for an aerospace and defense contractor
- Successfully defended charges of discrimination in state and federal agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Colorado Civil Rights Division (CCRD) and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)
- Conducted positive employee relations training
- Conducted successful union-organizing campaigns and defeated representation petitions
- Successfully bargained first contracts and successor agreements in collective bargaining negotiations
- Successfully litigated employee grievances
- Successfully defended unfair labor practice charges before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and its state-level counterparts
- Advised clients in avoiding potential strike activity
Credentials
- University of Southern California Gould School of Law, J.D.
- University of Colorado Boulder, B.A., cum laude
- California
- Colorado
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
- U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado
- U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California
- U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Colorado
- American Mensa
- California Bar Association
- Colorado Bar Association
- The Best Lawyers in America guide, Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment, 2025
- The Best Lawyers in America guide, Ones to Watch, Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment, 2021-2024
- Stand-out Lawyer, Thomson Reuters, 2024
- Rising Star, Colorado Super Lawyers magazine, 2016-2023
- Barrister's Choice, Employment Lawyer for Defendants, Law Week Colorado, 2022
- BTI Client Service All-Star, 2017
- American Jurisprudence Award in Legal Research, Writing and Advocacy, University of Southern California Gould School of Law
- American Jurisprudence Award in Evidence, University of Southern California Gould School of Law
- Merit Scholarship, University of Southern California Gould School of Law, 2008-2011
- Phi Beta Kappa