Eric W. Iskra

Eric W. Iskra

Chair, Labor and Employment
Member in Charge of Client Relations

Expertise

  • Labor & Employment Law
  • ERISA & Managed Care
  • Energy Law
  • Appellate Litigation

WSG Practice Industries

Activity

Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC
West Virginia, U.S.A.

WSG Leadership

Labor & Employment
Co-Chair
WSG Boad of Directors
Director 2013/ 2014
WSG Boad of Directors
Director 2012/ 2013
WSG Boad of Directors
Director 2011/ 2012
WSG Boad of Directors
Director 2010/ 2011
WSG Boad of Directors
Director 2009/ 2010
WSG Regional Council
Past Member
WSG in North America Group
Member
WSG Main Group
Member
ABA Group
Member
Employment and Labor Group
Member
WSG Coronavirus Task Force Group
Member
Profile
Mr. Iskra's practice encompasses trial work and litigation, with an emphasis on labor and employment, employment class action, wage and hour class/collective action, and other high-stakes litigation. He is Chair of the Labor and Employment Practice Group. Mr. Iskra is also on the firm's Management Committee and is in charge of client relations.



“Eric is a fantastic lawyer and client partner. He did a great job of deeply understanding our case, coming up with a sound strategic approach, and implementing it." "He's a very talented lawyer.” —As quoted in Chambers USA, 2021

Bar Admissions

Admissions

  • West Virginia State Bar
  • West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals
  • United States Supreme Court
  • United States District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia
  • United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

Education

  • The College of William & Mary, B.A., 1991
  • Wake Forest University School of Law, J.D., 1994
Areas of Practice

Appellate Litigation | Battle Group - Litigation | Battle Group-Litigation | Energy Law | ERISA & Managed Care | Health Care Law | Labor & Employment Law | Litigation | Litigation - The Battle Group | Shale Gas Law

Professional Career

Significant Accomplishments


Representative Experience

  • Serving as lead trial counsel on multi-party federal and state claims of race, sex, religion, age and disability discrimination, class actions, breach of contract, wrongful termination, retaliation, defamation, unlawful harassment, whistleblower, state and federal wage claims, FMLA claims, USERRA claims, duty of loyalty and non-compete claims
  • Serving as lead counsel in employment and wage and hour class/collective actions
  • Serving as lead trial counsel on high-stakes litigation matters, including employee benefits, product liability, managed care liability, and commercial litigation matters
  • Extensive experience in federal and state appellate matters
  • Providing strategic advice and counseling to companies dealing with the full array of employment and labor issues
  • Performing equal employment opportunity audits and due diligence investigations for multi-national corporations
  • Developing strategies and providing guidance and advice to employers on labor issues, campaigns and collective bargaining agreements
  • Speaking at national and international programs such as the American Bar Association Annual Meeting, the National CLE Conference, Southern Methodist University School of Law's National Employment and Labor Law Conference, Tulane University School of Law's National Employment and Labor Law Conference, the State Society of Human Resources Conference, and the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce Human Resources Conference

    • Professional Affiliations

  • American Bar Association, Labor & Employment Section: Council Member (Section governance) (2016 – ), Management Chair, Employment Rights & Responsibilities Committee, (2014-2016); Co-Chair, 6th Annual Labor & Employment Conference (2012); Past Chair, YLD Labor & Employment Committee; Member, Commission on Mental & Physical Disability Law (2001 – 2005)
  • National CLE Conference, Labor & Employment Section, Program Co-Chair (2013 – )
  • American Employment Law Council, Member
  • World Services Group, Member

    • Distinctions

  • Fellow, The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
  • AV® Preeminent™ Peer-Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
  • Nominated by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America for Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor & Employment
  • Recognized by Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business in Labor & Employment law
  • Listed in West Virginia Super Lawyers and Corporate Counsel Super Lawyers
  • Selected as 1 of 12 "Young Gun" executives in West Virginia by West Virginia Executive Magazine

    • Reported Cases

  • Salem International University, LLC v. Bates, 793 S.E.2d 879, 238 W.Va. 229 (2016) (upheld class action waiver provision in arbitration agreement) 
  • Caudill v. CCBCC, Inc., 2010 WL 2640466 (4th Cir. 2010) Kuthy v. Mansheim, Slip Copy, 2004 WL 2757437 (4th Cir. (W.Va.)), 34 Employee Benefits Cas. 1074 (4th Cir. (W. Va.), Dec. 3, 2004)
  • Gardner v. E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., Inc., Slip Copy, 7 Fed. Appx. 241, 2001 WL 378276 (4th Cir. (W. Va.)), 25 Employee Benefits Cas. 2696 (4th Cir. (W. Va.), Apr. 16, 2001) (No. 00-1834)
  • Marks v. West Virginia Dept. of Health & Human Resources, 181 F. Supp. 2d 639, 27 Employee Benefits Cas. 1593 (S.D. W. Va., Jan. 25, 2002)
  • McCutcheon v. Valley Rich Dairy, 81 F. Supp. 2d 657 (S.D. W. Va., Jan. 21, 2000) (No. Civ. A. 2:99-0926)
  • Gardner v. E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., Inc., 978 F. Supp. 667 (S.D. W. Va., Sept. 23, 1997) (No. Civ. A. 2:960423)

    • Publications

  • Co-Editor-in-Chief, Age Discrimination in Employment Law, Bloomberg/BNA, Second Edition (ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law, 2015)
  • Contributing Author, The Family and Medical Leave Act, Bloomberg/BNA, 2015 Cumulative Supplement
  • Editorial Advisory Board, Mental & Physical Disability Law Reporter, 2001-2005
  • Co-author, Employment Law, West Virginia Continuing Legal Publication, 1998

    • Community Affiliations

  • Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences, Member, Board of Trustees
  • Hospice Care, Inc., Former Board President


    • Blogs
    Articles

    Publications & Presentations

    • Co-Editor-in-Chief, Trial Techniques for the Labor and Employment Law Practitioner, Bloomberg/BNA, 2019
    • Co-Editor-in-Chief, Age Discrimination in Employment Law, Bloomberg/BNA, Second Edition (ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law, 2015)
    • Contributing Author, The Family and Medical Leave Act, Bloomberg/BNA, 2015 Cumulative Supplement
    • Editorial Advisory Board, Mental & Physical Disability Law Reporter, 2001-2005
    • Co-author, Employment Law, West Virginia Continuing Legal Publication, 1998
    • Speaking at national and international programs such as the American Bar Association Annual Meeting, the National CLE Conference, Southern Methodist University School of Law's National Employment and Labor Law Conference, Tulane University School of Law's National Employment and Labor Law Conference, the State Society of Human Resources Conference, and the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce Human Resources Conference


    © Spilman Thomas & Battle, PLLC, 2021