Jennifer W. Colvin

In her employment law practice, Jennifer spends a significant amount of her time counseling corporate clients on both the buy and sell side of M&A transactions, providing labor and employment-related diligence, compliance, and transition guidance to support the financial, strategic, onboarding and integration goals. She also assists corporate clients post-transaction with organizing and structuring their workforces, including a specific focus on alignment of policies and safeguards (i.e., restrictive covenants) to optimize efficiency and serve the strategic goals of the buyers.

Jennifer also has extensive experience assisting clients in all stages of workplace disputes involving discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, enforcement of restrictive covenants, and breach of contract in both state and federal court as well as through binding arbitration.  She also regularly counsels clients pre-dispute related to managing employee complaints, investigations, requests for accommodation, or other personnel requests.

Jennifer has appeared before trial and appellate courts in numerous jurisdictions across the United States, including the Sixth and Ninth U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeal. She also conducts onsite workplace training for clients of various sizes and counsels employers on issues related to all facets of employment and personnel management, including termination, severance terms, reductions in force, wage and hour, reorganization, harassment, retaliation, Title VII, pre-employment procedures, disability accommodation, leave procedures, management of COVID-19 and other illness in the workplace, and compliance with state and federal fair employment and fair credit statutes. 

She regularly assists clients by drafting and reviewing various employment-related documents, including employee handbooks, executive compensation contracts, employment agreements, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, settlement and release agreements and policy materials for clients.

Jennifer previously worked as the Assistant Corporate Secretary for The Midland Company/American Modern Insurance group. She was integrally involved in the $1.3 billion sale of the company to Munich Re Group in 2008. From 2003 to 2004, Jennifer served as a judicial clerk to the Honorable Harry Lee Hudspeth, Senior United States District Court Judge for the Western District of Texas.

Before joining Calfee in 2018, Jennifer was an attorney in the Employment Practice Group of a Cincinnati-based law firm.

Honors & Recognitions

• Ohio Super Lawyers, Employment and Labor (2023)
• Ohio Super Lawyers, Ohio Rising Stars, Employment & Labor (2012-2018)
• Cincy Magazine, "Cincy Leading Lawyers," Labor and Employment Law (2018-2023)

Education

Ohio State Bar Association Certified Specialist in Labor & Employment Law, 2020

J.D., UCLA School of Law, Law Review Symposium Editor, 2003

B.S., Cornell University, 2000

Experience

• Successfully resolved wage and hour collective action for client in the hospitality industry with alleged improper tip pool.
• Represented engineering manufacturing client in U.S. Department of Labor wage and hour audit resulting in finding of no violation.
• Successfully defended employer against declaratory judgment action filed by former company president seeking to invalidate restrictive covenant agreement, securing compliance with restrictive covenants as written.
• Successfully defended company against claims of sexual harassment and retaliation by company executive.
• Secured favorable resolution of age discrimination allegations made by separated employee and secured return of company property and confidential information.
• Advised client with respect to WARN-Act compliance and other considerations associated with closure of a portion of client’s operations.
• Negotiated and later successfully enforced separation agreement with former company president.
• Negotiated resolutions for various clients related to claims arising out of termination as part of reduction in force related to COVID-19 pandemic.
• Successfully defended client against EEOC charge filed by former employee who alleged race and disability discrimination.
• Successfully defended company against claims of breach of restrictive covenant and misappropriation of trade secrets by new employee’s former employer.
• Advised client regarding transfer of company headquarters from California to Ohio.
• Represented client in a Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals matter, resulting in court affirming lower court’s grant of summary judgment in client’s favor and dismissing former employee’s claims of disability discrimination and retaliation, failure to accommodate, worker's compensation retaliation and tortuous injury.
• Secured summary judgment in client’s favor on plaintiff's age discrimination claim.
• Secured summary judgment in client’s favor on plaintiff's age, race and national origin discrimination and harassment claims.

Professional & Community

• American Heart Association, CycleNation, Calfee Team Leader
• Cincinnati Bar Association, Member

Publications

• Targeting Gang Crime: An Analysis of California Penal Code Section 12022.53 and Vicarious Liability for Gang Members, 50 UCLA L. Rev. 685 (2002)
• Co-author, The Perversity of Sexual Harassment Law: Effects of Recent Court Ruling, 42 Cornell Hotel and Rest. Admin. Quarterly 1265 (2001)