Jennifer Walwyn Colvin

Practice Areas

Labor and Employment

Labor and Employment Litigation

Commercial Contracts

Workers' Compensation and OSHA

Career

Jennifer Walwyn Colvin is an Ohio State Bar Association Certified Specialist in Labor and Employment law. She partners with clients to understand and attain their goals with respect to all aspects of employment law and personnel management, with a focus on supporting clients during corporate transactions.

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 financial, strategic, onboarding and integration goals. She also assists buy-side 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 strategic goals.

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

Jennifer counsels employers on issues and best practices 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 illness in the workplace, and compliance with state and federal fair employment and fair credit statutes. She also frequently conducts onsite or online workplace training for clients of various sizes.

Jennifer 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.

Jennifer previously worked as the Assistant Corporate Secretary for The Midland Company/American Modern Insurance group (publicly traded on the NASDAQ exchange). 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.

Jennifer is an Ohio State Bar Association Certified Specialist in Labor & Employment Law (2020-present). She was elected Partner in 2026.

Professional Memberships

American Heart Association/Stroke Association, 2025 Cincinnati CycleNation Executive Leadership Team

Cincinnati Bar Association, Member

Publications

Cincinnati Business Courier HR Forum Panelist (May 15, 2025)

“Wage & Hour Issues: Where Employers Misstep,” (October 26, 2023)

Cincinnati Business Courier HR Forum Panelist (April 19, 2023)

"Wage and Hour Pitfalls," Oswald HR Roundtable (December 13, 2022)

“Recurring Issues Managing COVID-19 in the Workplace,” (October 29, 2020)

“Legal Aspects of Returning to Work,” (June 3,2020)

“Effective Strategies for Workforce Reductions,” (May 14, 2020)

“Wage and Hour Update: New OT Regulations and More” (June 6, 2019)

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Ohio

California

Experience

Represented a registered investment advisor firm client in the enforcement of contractual rights against a departing employee and recovery of unearned compensation. Calfee counseled the client regarding misappropriation of confidential information and trade secrets and assisted the client in pursuing the departing employee for return of unearned compensation. (2024)

Represented a private equity firm client in a buy-side transaction involving the client's acquisition of an additional entity for one of its platform entities.

Calfee provided counsel on all employment-related matters (e.g., wage and hour, state and federal law compliance, hiring, and employee disputes) including development of a strategic plan for employment law compliance across multiple states. (2025)

Defended a privately owned manufacturing company client against a lawsuit filed in federal court by an independent contractor sales representative with claims of unpaid commissions. Calfee negotiated a favorable settlement for the client. (2024)

Defending a private equity fund client against claims of disability discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation alleged by an employee placed through a staffing agency at one of the client-owned entities. Calfee is engaged in defending the client and individual managers in the Ohio Civil Rights Commission proceedings and negotiating with the claimant's counsel with respect to potential settlement of the dispute. (2025)

Represented an Illinois manufacturing company client in a matter involving the allegation of eight claims by a former employee, including disability discrimination for termination under both state and federal law, disability discrimination for failure to accommodate under both state and federal law, retaliation under both state and federal law, and disability discrimination for hostile work environment under both state and federal law. Calfee negotiated a favorable settlement for the client, without the need to engage in formal written discovery or depositions. (2024)

Serving as outside employment counsel for a start-up registered investment advisor firm client in all aspects of employment matters, including the advice and drafting of employment agreements for multiple new employees in two states employed as registered investment advisors, non-registered support team members, and executive management positions. (2025)

Served as outside employment law counsel for a manufacturing company client in its implementation of executive employment agreements for its Executive Leadership Team (ELT), which includes employees in three states. Calfee developed state-law-compliant forms of agreement with appropriate provisions for severance, change in control, and restrictive covenants for each member of the client’s ELT. (2024)

Advised a client, a historic recreation venue, regarding employment matters resulting from its high-profile permanent closure, from the start of the consideration to close through the execution process, including employment notice, separation of employees, and the transition matters.

Advised a publicly traded, Fortune Global 500 food company client on employment-related matters in Master Services Agreement and applicable appendices for contract between the client and a cloud-based talent sourcing contractor, which involved a months-long negotiation with the contractor and the international client company.

Represented a private equity firm client in seeking and successfully negotiating a waiver of non-solicitation restrictions related to executive solicitation and hiring.

Education