Donald P. Lawless is a partner in Barnes & Thornburg’s Labor and Employment Law Department in Grand Rapids, Michigan and serves as Vice Chair of the firm's Higher Education Practice Group. He has 25+ years of experience working on behalf of employers to meet their labor and employment law objectives.
The focus of his business practice is in the pharmaceutical, food processing, and service industries. Mr. Lawless’s labor law practice includes contract negotiation, grievance arbitration, and defense of unfair labor practice charges. He advises employers on developing and implementing union avoidance strategies and responses to organizing activity. He provides strategic advice related to workforce restructurings in the merger and acquisition context. He works with clients on the broad range of civil rights compliance and defense, with subspecialties in OFCCP compliance and audits, occupational safety and health, ADA compliance, and facility and program access under Titles II and III of the ADA.
