Arent Fox partner Stewart Manela has been elected Vice Chair of the American Bar Association's Section on Labor and Employment Law. He will become the Chair in 2012. The Labor and Employment Law Section is one of the largest and most active in the ABA. The chairmanship and vice chairmanship have historically been occupied by some of the most renowned and accomplished practitioners in the field. With Stu’s election to this position, that tradition has been continued.

Stewart’s practice involves representing and advising employers on personnel decision making, planning employee terminations, and counseling employers regarding extraordinary employment actions such as mergers and acquisitions, reductions in force, plant closings, and union organizing. He has extensive experience with the employment laws and socio-economic programs that apply to companies that are involved in contracting with the federal government, and frequently advises government contractors.

Stewart regularly advises employers on compliance strategies involving the full range of laws covering the workplace, including labor standards, equal employment opportunity and affirmative action compliance for federal contractors; the Americans with Disabilities Act; Federal Fair Labor Standards Act; state wage and hour laws; the Family and Medical Leave Act; the Occupational Safety and Health Act; unemployment compensation requirements; workers’ compensation; veterans’ reemployment rights; drug testing; evaluating employees; the use of contingent employees; and other federal, state and local laws and regulations. Stewart counsels clients on employment contracts, hiring, handbooks, adverse employment decisions, affirmative action compliance programs, training managers, and immigration compliance. He advises employers in union-management relations, such as union organizing drives and elections, strikes, and collective bargaining negotiations. He has represented and advised the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards in workers’ compensation, grievances, arbitrations, and other matters.

Stewart has represented employers in state and federal courts and agencies in employment litigation for more than 30 years.