Jean E. Novak has been with Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky (SMGG) since 2002 and is Co-Chair of the Firm’s Employer-Employee Relations practice. Ms. Novak brings practical, business-oriented solutions to labor and employment challenges.
Ms. Novak’s years of private and in-house practice have focused in the areas of manufacturing, healthcare, technology, and education. She has trained business managers and owners on a variety of subjects including policy development, discrimination, and talent management trends.
Ms. Novak has litigated cases in state and federal courts and has represented clients before numerous agencies including the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the National Labor Relations Board, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance, the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Civil Rights, the U.S and Pennsylvania Departments of Education, and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
In addition to her administrative and litigation expertise, Ms. Novak has represented both businesses and executives in a variety of employment matters, including successful resolution of discrimination and overtime disputes. She has also negotiated severance agreements and executive contracts.
Jean is proud to be part be an adjunct professor of law at her alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She is teaching Wages, Hours and Benefits in the University’s Human Resources Law Online Graduate Certificate Program.
As part of her commitment to training tomorrow’s leaders, Jean has served as Distinguished Service Professor (Adjunct) at Duquesne University’s John F. Donahue Graduate School of Business where she has taught Ethical Decision Making. She has also been a guest lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh and at Chatham University.
Prior to attending law school, Jean, who majored in finance as an undergraduate and graduate, was a tax analyst for the West Virginia Department of Revenue, where one of her duties was tracking domestic and international business trends.
