Practice Expertise

  • Labor and Employment
  • Complex Employment Litigation
  • Labor Management Relations and Labor ...
  • Affirmative Action Counseling

Areas of Practice

  • Affirmative Action Counseling
  • Complex Employment Litigation
  • Labor and Employment
  • Labor Management Relations and Labor ...
  • Accounting Firm Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Affirmative Action and OFCCP Compliance
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Counseling
  • Labor-Management Relations and Labor ...
  • Pay Equity and Transparency
  • PeopleSmart
  • Regulatory Compliance and Affirmative Action ...
  • Wage and Hour Class Actions
  • View More

WSG Practice Industries

Profile

Ryan represents employers and executives in traditional labor matters and complex employment litigation and provides strategic labor and employment advice.

Ryan’s labor and employment litigation experience is both broad and deep, and he is particularly skilled in defending employers against wage and hour class and collective actions. Ryan’s litigation experience also includes whistleblower claims, Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) class actions, ERISA actions, H-2B and J-1 immigration litigation, and single- and multi-plaintiff discrimination and harassment litigation.

Ryan also routinely represents management in complex traditional labor matters in union elections, collective bargaining, strike contingency planning and execution, unfair labor practice proceedings, and arbitrations. Ryan has represented clients in dozens of union elections and has negotiated numerous collective bargaining agreements covering thousands of employees.

Ryan also provides strategic advice to clients on a full range of labor and employment issues. He advises clients in the retail, hospitality, coal and other natural resources, power, health care, food processing, manufacturing, consumer products, and service industries.

Ryan is admitted to practice in the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the US District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia. He has litigated cases in the state and federal courts of Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Ryan is a frequent speaker and author on labor and employment matters, and he is a contributing author to the Hunton Employment & Labor Perspectives blog.

Ryan also serves as Hiring Partner for the firm’s Richmond, Virginia office.

Relevant Experience

  • Wage & Hour Litigation: Litigated over thirty-five class and collective actions in federal and state courts under the Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage and hour laws, as well as numerous single-plaintiff wage and hour matters.
  • Labor-Management Relations: Litigates and counsels management on a variety of traditional labor issues, including pre-campaign advice, unit hearings, employer campaigns and elections, corporate campaigns, contract negotiations, unfair labor practice issues, strike contingency planning, plant/site shutdowns and closings, and grievance arbitrations.
  • Other Complex Employment Law Litigation: Substantial experience prosecuting and defending lawsuits in state and federal court, including cases involving whistleblower claims, Fair Credit Reporting Act violations, ERISA claims, H-2B and J-1 matters, breach of contract and restrictive covenant issues, RICO claims, and single- and multi-plaintiff discrimination and harassment claims.
  • Strategic Labor & Employment Advice: Provides day to day advice to employers on virtually every facet of the employer-employee relationship, including labor strategy, covenants not to compete, employment contracts, corporate restructurings, reductions in force and outsourcings, WARN Act compliance, and wage and hour issues.
  • Mergers and Acquisitions: Provides strategic labor and employment advice in connection with dozens of corporate transactions each year.

Bar Admissions

  • Virginia

Education
BA, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Legal Studies, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 2002

Areas of Practice

  • Affirmative Action Counseling
  • Complex Employment Litigation
  • Labor and Employment
  • Labor Management Relations and Labor Litigation
  • Accounting Firm Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Affirmative Action and OFCCP Compliance
  • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Counseling
  • Labor-Management Relations and Labor Litigation
  • Pay Equity and Transparency
  • PeopleSmart
  • Regulatory Compliance and Affirmative Action Counseling
  • Wage and Hour Class Actions

Professional Career

Significant Accomplishments
  • Wage & Hour Litigation & Advice: Substantial experience litigating class and collective actions in federal and state court under Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage and hour laws. Advises management regarding compliance with Fair Labor Standards Act and state wage and hour laws.
  • Labor-Management Relations Litigation & Advice: Litigates and counsels management on variety of traditional labor issues, including pre-campaign advice, unit hearings, employer campaigns and elections, contract negotiations, unfair labor practice issues, strike contingency planning, plant/site shutdowns and closings, and grievance arbitrations.
  • High-Profile Single-Plaintiff Litigation: Substantial experience prosecuting and defending lawsuits in state and federal court involving claims by or against upper-level executives and other key employees.
  • Affordable Care Act Compliance: Advises employers on Affordable Care Act compliance issues and related strategies.
  • Federal Contract Compliance/OFCCP Audits: Significant day to day advice to federal contractors with respect to their affirmative action obligations and defense of federal contractors in investigations by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.
  • Mergers and Acquisitions: Provides strategic labor and employment advice in connection with corporate transactions.


Professional Associations
  • Member, Virginia Bar Association, Labor Relations & Employment Section
  • Member, American Bar Association, Fair Labor Standards Legislation Committee
  • Board of Directors, Federal Bar Association, Richmond Chapter
  • Past Member, President’s Council, Metropolitan Richmond Sports Backers
  • Past Board of Directors and Executive Committee, Legal Information Network for Cancer (LINC)

Professional Activities and Experience
  • Benchmark Litigation “Under 40 Hot List,” 2016
  • Selected as a Rising Star for Employment and Labor Law, Virginia Super Lawyers magazine, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. A description of the selection methodology can be found on Super Lawyers’ webpage.
  • Named among the Legal Elite for Labor/Employment Law, Virginia Business magazine, 2013, 2014, and 2015. A description of the selection methodology can be found on Virginia Business’s webpage.
  • E. Randolph Williams Award For Pro Bono Service, 2008-2009, 2014-2015


Articles

Additional Articles
  • Quickie Union Elections With Less Supervision: Let the Games Begin, American Bar Association Health eSource, Vol. 8 No. 4
  • Case Study: Home Paramount v. Shaffer, Law360
  • Virginia, Too. New Virginia Law Restricts Use of Confidentiality and Non-Disparagement Agreements Related to Sexual Assault or Harassment, Virginia Lawyer
  • Furloughing Public Employees: Understanding the Risks and Avoiding Liability, Journal of Local Government Law, Vol. XXI No. 3
  • Arbitration Pact Rulings Shows Signature Snags for Employers, Law360
  • 4th Circ. Joint Employer Test Is Incredibly Broad, Law360
  • “Five Compliance Trends To Watch in 2014,” Human Resource Compliance Law Bulletin (Reuters)
  • The Differing Court Approaches To Pay Equity Questions, Law360
  • U.S. Issues Guidance to Companies Warning of Cybersecurity and Sanctions Risks Posed by IT Workers Directed by North Korea, The Banking Law Journal
  • Federal Court Rules EEO-1 Reports Not FOIA-Exempt, The National Law Review
  • Lessons We Learned In Winning A Union Election Under the NLRB’s New Rules, Corporate Counsel
  • If At First You Don’t Succeed: National Labor Relations Board Readopts Highly Controversial “Independent Contractor” Standard, Employee Benefit Plan Review
  • National Labor Relations Board’s Expanded Joint-Employer Rule Could Impact Third-Party Staffing and Outsourcing, Employee Benefit Plan Review

Blogs

Hunton Employment & Labor Law Perspectives

Providing innovative services and support to clients is a top priority at Hunton & Williams. We believe that delivering true value to our clients requires a multifaceted approach. Beyond traditional engagements, we look to provide tools and resources tailored to their specific needs.

Hunton Immigration and Nationality Law

The Hunton & Williams LLP Immigration practice, part of the firm's Labor and Employment Team, is concentrated in two major areas. First our work involves advising American and foreign businesses about obtaining the most appropriate temporary and permanent work visas for executives, professionals, and other skilled foreign workers. Careful planning and documentation are necessary to ensure the greatest chance of success. We also represent our clients in any negotiations or administrative...

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