Tara L. Humma

Tara L. Humma is an associate in the Litigation Department who focuses on labor and employment matters. Tara defends clients in all phases of employment litigation, from initial pleadings, discovery, and motion practice to trial preparation and appeals. Her litigation experience includes cases brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (including accessibility cases), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), breach of contract cases related to employment contracts and restrictive covenants and various other state and federal employment laws. She represents employers in hearings before administrative agencies, arbitrators, and hearing officers appointed under contractual grievance procedures.

Tara also regularly counsels employers in the application of various state and federal employment laws, civil service regulations, and collective bargaining agreements. Her counseling experience includes providing advice to clients related to issues under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), whistleblower laws, restrictive covenant laws and other state and federal employment laws. Tara frequently assists clients in drafting and reviewing internal policies and employee handbooks to ensure compliance with both state and federal law including providing advice to clients with multi-state operations.

In addition to her experience in private practice, Tara worked in the Office of County Counsel for Camden County, where she represented the county in a variety of litigation matters and prosecuted civil service disciplinary actions before New Jersey's Office of Administrative Law.

Representative Matters

• Counsels a wide-range of clients on daily employment-related issues
• Drafts and reviews employment contracts and separation agreements
• Drafts group separation plans and agreements
• Provides training to employees of clients on various issues including harassment, discrimination and retaliation
• Successfully wrote and argued for partial summary judgment on plaintiff's retaliation claim
• Successfully wrote and argued for reconsideration of the partial denial of summary judgment for wrongful termination claim, and wrote and argued the underlying summary judgment motion
• Successfully wrote and argued motions for production of plaintiff's social media information
• Successfully settled multiple litigation matters for clients on favorable terms

Pro Bono Experience

Tara’s active pro bono practice includes drafting policies and handbooks for nonprofits and providing regular counseling to those organizations on a wide-range of employment issues.
Tara also volunteers for Wills for Heroes, an organization that provides wills to first responders on a pro bono basis.

Professional Activities

Pennsylvania Bar Association

New Jersey Bar Association

Sidney Reitman Employment Law American Inn of Court

Camden County Bar Association

Publications

Co-author, "The Pendulum Swings: Newly Appointed Acting General Counsel of the NLRB Rescinds 10 Trump-Era General Counsel Memos," Ballard Spahr alert, February 4, 2021

Co-author, "Businesses Face Risk Related to Mandatory Employee Masking Policies," Ballard Spahr alert, February 1, 2021

Co-author, "DOL Publishes Final Rule on Independent Contractor Classification," Ballard Spahr alert, January 11, 2021

Co-author, "New Stimulus Deal: Overview of Major Provisions Impacting Businesses and Individuals," Ballard Spahr alert, December 22, 2020

Co-author, "New Jersey Imposes COVID-19 Standards on Workplaces," Ballard Spahr alert, November 2, 2020

Co-author, "DOL Publishes Proposed ‘Independent Contractor’ Rule," Ballard Spahr alert, September 23, 2020

Co-author, "NJ Presumes Workers Comp Coverage for NJ Essential Workers Who Contract COVID-19," Ballard Spahr alert, September 16, 2020

Co-author, "FFCRA Updates," Ballard Spahr alert, September 14, 2020

Co-author, "FFCRA Updates," Ballard Spahr alert, September 2, 2020

Co-author, "Employers Beware: Unemployment Compensation Fraud Runs Rampant," Ballard Spahr alert, August 17, 2020

Co-author, "OSHA Issues COVID-19 Related FAQs," Ballard Spahr alert, July 10, 2020

Co-author, "FFCRA Updates," Ballard Spahr alert, July 2, 2020

Co-author, "Back to Work – OSHA Issues Guidance on Returning to Work," Ballard Spahr alert, June 22, 2020

Co-author, "D.C. District Court Holds That Portions of NLRB Rule Rolling Back ‘Ambush Election’ Rules are Unlawful, NLRB Implements Remaining Changes," Ballard Spahr alert, June 5, 2020

Co-author, "U.S. DOL Issues Warning Against Fraud and Misuse of Unemployment Benefits," Ballard Spahr alert, May 22, 2020

Co-author, "Delaware: Unemployment Compensation Update," Ballard Spahr alert, April 27, 2020

Co-author, "FFCRA Updates," Ballard Spahr alert, April 24, 2020

Co-author, "New Jersey: Unemployment Compensation Update," Ballard Spahr alert, April 21, 2020

Co-author, "COVID-19 Triggers New Jersey Employment Legislation," Ballard Spahr alert, April 6, 2020

Co-author, "FFCRA Updates," Ballard Spahr alert, April 6, 2020

Co-author, "NY Legislation Will Require Many Employers to Provide Paid Sick Leave Due to COVID-19 Quarantine," Ballard Spahr alert, March 20, 2020

Co-author, "New Jersey DOL Bills Uber $650 Million for Misclassified Drivers," Ballard Spahr alert, November 19, 2019

Co-author, "New Jersey Prohibits Particular Waiver and Non-Disclosure Provisions in Employee Contracts and Settlement Agreements," Ballard Spahr alert, March 19, 2019

Co-author, "OSHA Rolls Back Obama-Era Reporting Requirements to Protect Employee Privacy," Ballard Spahr alert, January 25, 2019

Co-author, "Federal Judge in N.J. Dismisses Employee's Claim of Failure to Accommodate Medical Marijuana Use," Ballard Spahr alert, August 15, 2018

Speaking Engagements

Speaker, "The Next Wave of Employer Liability," Ballard Spahr podcast, February 10, 2021

Speaker, "Blurred Lines Between Work and Play," PBI’s Employment Law Institute, July 23, 2020

Speaker, "Contingent Workers and COVID-19: A Crossroads," Ballard Spahr webinar, May 6, 2020

Speaker, "Nonprofit Update on CARES Act Forgiveness, Bond Financing, Employees, and Other Current Issues," Ballard Spahr webinar, April 15, 2020

Presenter, "COVID-19: The 10 Most Critical Questions Being Asked by Employers," Ballard Spahr webinar, March 19, 2020

"Impact of Pharmaceuticals in the Workplace: From Cannabis to Cognition Enhancement," Ballard Spahr webinar, November 13, 2019

"Employee Experience Focused Workplace," Ballard Spahr CLE, July 24, 2019

Panelist, "Medical Marijuana & Employment," Norristown, PA, May 14, 2019

"Rise of the Gig Economy: Legal Issues All Companies Should Know About Flexible and Contingent Staffing,"The Future of Human Resources: Cutting Edge Issues for Every Employer, Ballard Spahr webinar, November 8, 2018

"Impact of Pharmaceuticals in the Workplace: From Cannabis to Cognition Enhancement," The Future of Human Resources: Cutting Edge Issues for Every Employer, Ballard Spahr webinar, October 31, 2018

"Moving Beyond #MeToo: Harassment, Discrimination and Pay Equity in the Manufacturing Workplace," The Evolving Manufacturing Industry: Legal Developments, Challenges, and Opportunities, Ballard Spahr webinar, October 2018

Rutgers University School of Law – Camden (J.D. 2012)
Associate Notes Editor and Mentor, Rutgers Journal of Law and Religion, 2011-2012

Saint Joseph's University (B.S., magna cum laude, 2009)

Pennsylvania

New Jersey

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit