MILWAUKEE – April 27, 2016 – Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins), one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, continues to grow its presence in Wisconsin with the addition of esteemed labor and employment attorney Eric Hobbs, who joins the firm’s Milwaukee office as shareholder. Hobbs joins Ogletree Deakins from Michael, Best & Friedrich LLP, where he led the firm’s Workplace Safety practice group. His arrival strengthens the firm’s Workplace Safety and Health practice in Milwaukee and bolsters the capabilities of our Midwest-based team of Workplace Safety attorneys.
“Eric is a first-rate attorney with niche Workplace Safety experience that will provide near and long term benefits to our clients, both in Wisconsin and nationwide,” said Tim Costello, managing shareholder of Ogletree Deakins’ Milwaukee office. “He has a depth of Workplace Safety knowledge that will help our team quickly react to and service our client’s needs. We are excited to welcome him to our office and the firm.”
Hobbs has more than 30 years of labor and employment legal experience and focuses his practice on workplace safety and health, employment counseling and policy development, worker’s compensation, wage and hour matters, and employment discrimination litigation. Hobbs also has experience in wage and hour and multi-district class action cases. Hobbs represents employers of all sizes in a variety of industries from service to heavy manufacturing and has litigated before state and federal agencies and courts throughout the United States.
Hobbs, who is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, has been recognized in the area of labor and employment law by Chambers USA, named a Wisconsin Super Lawyer by Super Lawyers magazine, and included as one of The Best Lawyers in America. Best Lawyers also named Hobbs as the 2015 Employment Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year” in Milwaukee. Hobbs is very active in the Milwaukee community, serving as chair of the advisory board for the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s School of Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health, vice chair of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra board, and director of the Milwaukee Jewish Free Loan Association and Meier Clinics Foundation. In 2014, Hobbs was named the inaugural recipient of the “Eric Hobbs Award” by the Milwaukee County Commission for Persons with Disabilities in recognition of his 10 years of leadership and 20 years of service to the commission. Hobbs earned his J.D. from Cornell Law School in 1985.
About Ogletree Deakins
Ogletree Deakins is one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management in all types of employment-related legal matters. Premier client service, as outlined in the firm’s Client Pledge, is one of the firm’s top priorities and a cornerstone of its core values. U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Best Law Firms” has named Ogletree Deakins a “Law Firm of the Year” for five consecutive years. In 2016, the publication named Ogletree Deakins its “Law Firm of the Year” in the Employment Law – Management category. Ogletree Deakins has more than 750 attorneys located in 49 offices across the United States and in Europe, Canada, and Mexico. The firm represents a diverse range of clients, from small businesses to Fortune 50 companies.