Mary Theresa Metzler

Litigation, Labor and Employment, Appellate, Health Care

Mary Theresa Metzler is a partner in the Litigation Department and a member of the Labor and Employment Group; Health Care; and Appellate Groups. Ms. Metzler concentrates her practice in private and public sector employment and labor law on behalf of management. A heavy focus of her practice is in traditional labor law, involving employer campaigns in union organizing attempts, collective bargaining negotiations, labor arbitrations, unfair labor practice proceedings, representation cases, and general labor relations issues. Her practice also involves the defense of employers charged with Title VII violations, including race, national origin, sex, religious, and reverse discrimination.

Ms. Metzler also counsels clients on age discrimination cases and sexual harassment investigations and issues. On a regular basis, she handles proceedings before the NLRB and Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board, labor arbitrators, the EEOC, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, and other similar government agencies. Her advice covers issues related to the FMLA, FLSA, ADA, and other personnel-related matters. She also conducts training on a variety of employment issues, including workplace privacy issues (electronic technology), EEO, hiring, and discipline practices.

Before entering private practice, Ms. Metzler worked for nine years as an attorney at the Pittsburgh office of the National Labor Relations Board. After leaving the NLRB, she was in-house counsel at Duquesne Light Co.

Professional Activities

American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section

Pennsylvania Bar Association

Philadelphia Bar Association, Business Law Section

Labor and Employment Relations Association (LERA), Philadelphia Chapter, President-elect

Recognition & Accomplishments

AV Peer Review Rating, Martindale-Hubbell

Publications

Contributing editor, The Developing Labor Law, 2007 and 2008

"We Never Talk Anymore: Evaluating Confidentiality Rules and No-Fraternization Policies—Exactly Who Are the Carthusian Monks?" Paper presented to American Bar Association, Section of Labor and Employment Law, Committee on Development of the Law under the NLRA, Mid-Winter Meeting, February 2008

Speaking Engagements

Frequent lecturer on various labor and employment topics, including e-mail and privacy issues, wage and hour laws, FMLA, and hiring and discipline practices:

"Social Media Nightmares," Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities, PELRAS Annual Training Conference, March 21, 2012

"Social Media – What's an Employer To Do?" The Philadelphia SHRM Symposium, March 2012

"Healthcare Focused Legislative Update," Philadelphia & Suburban Healthcare Human Resources Association, May 16, 2008

Faculty member, "Labor Advocacy II (Advanced)," AAA Labor Arbitration Advocacy Training Program, April 2007

"Legal Update: What Happened in the Last Year that I Need to Know," Labor and Employment Relations Association (Phila. Chapter), April 2007

Speaker and planner, "Stop Harassing Me (EEO and Sexual Harassment Issues)," Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities, Annual PELRAS Conference, March 2007

Speaker and planner, "Back to Basics - Public Sector Checklist," Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities, Annual PELRAS Conference, March 2007

Speaker and planner, "Everything You Wanted to Know About Unions But Were Afraid to Ask," Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities, Annual PELRAS Conference, March 2006

Speaker and Planner, "Doing it Right: Evaluating and Documenting Employee Performance," Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities, Annual PELRAS Conference, March 2006

Speaker and planner, "Hiring and Firing: How to Do it Right," Sterling Education Services, Inc., Allentown, Pennsylvania, November 2005

"Laws or Legal Relationships Affecting the Employment Relationship," County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP), May 2005

Speaker and planner, "How to Prepare for and Win Grievance Arbitrations," Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities, Annual PELRAS Conference, State College, Pennsylvania, April 2005

Speaker and course planner, "Workplace Violence, Protect Your Employees; Protect Your Company," Ballard Spahr, Philadelphia and Voorhees, April 2005

Speaker and planner, "Privacy and Electronic Communication Issues," Women's Way Seminar, May 2004

Speaker and planner, "Avoiding Liability through Diversity and EEO Training," Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities, Annual PELRAS Conference, April 2004

Speaker and planner, "Privacy and Electronic Communications," Ballard Spahr, February 2004

University of Pittsburgh School of Law (J.D. 1979, cum laude)
Member, Order of the Coif

University of Pennsylvania (B.A. 1976)

Pennsylvania

U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Pennsylvania

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

U.S. Supreme Court