Michael Shadiack

Practice Areas

Labor and Employment

Career

Michael Shadiack is the Chair of Connell Foley LLP’s Labor and Employment Practice Group. Representing a broad spectrum of employers and management personnel in the private and public sectors, he provides litigation defense and dispute resolution, as well as preventive compliance counseling and training.

“The ART of advocacy,” Michael’s motto, is a nod to his approachability, responsiveness and trustworthiness in the full range of employment services he provides. His diverse client base includes: privately owned and operated businesses; international, national and regional corporations; nonprofit organizations; higher education institutions; municipalities; public agencies; multi-employer trade associations; and commercial employment practice liability insurance firms.

Michael partners with management personnel to provide guidance and solutions on the many issues and challenges facing employers, including: employee hiring, disciplining, and discharging; wage and hour compliance; management of employee medical leaves of absence and workplace accommodations; implementation of strategies to avoid and respond to workplace harassment and discrimination; whistleblower retaliation; drug and alcohol testing; personnel file management and recordkeeping; reductions in force; performance evaluations; and preparation of separation and release agreements, and noncompetition agreements.

Michael has an outstanding track record of successful outcomes as lead counsel on behalf of employers in all aspects of litigation in state and federal courts, before state and federal administrative agencies and in arbitration and mediation proceedings.

Michael also provides employers with practical, comprehensive and preventive recommendations on substantive personnel and benefit issues to ensure compliance with current statutory and common law requirements. His services are customized to the client’s industry, locale, workforce and business practices. His cost-effective, on-site training programs on all aspects of employment law encompass workplace harassment prevention, managing employee leaves of absence, hiring and firing best practices and procedures, avoiding retaliation and discrimination in the workplace, employee discipline, performance evaluation best practices and social media in the workplace. He is a highly sought-after and featured presenter to human resources and management representatives, as well as in-house counsel, regarding these important human resources topics, and the steps employers can take to avoid or reduce the risks of litigation.

As a significant component of Michael’s preventative counseling, he drafts and updates employee handbooks to accomplish four primary objectives: (1) clear communication with employees; (2) administrative efficiency; (3) best employment practices to avoid or minimize workplace disputes; and (4) proactive measures addressing changes in laws, liability trends and business climate.

Michael also represents employers during contract and grievance arbitrations and collective bargaining negotiations, defends against unfair labor practice charges, prosecutes employee disciplinary appeal hearings, and assists employers with NLRA and New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission compliance to avoid administrative charges.

Professional Memberships

American Bar Association

New Jersey State Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section

Morris County Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section

USLAW Network, Employment practice group

Extended Member Advisor, USLAW Network Labor and Employment Practice Group

Publications

Changes in New Jersey Employment Law in 2025: What Employers Across the Country Need to Know

USLAW, 03.2025

Quoted, "Harassment and Discrimination in the Workplace"

New Jersey Business Magazine, 12.05.2024

NJ Business Magazine Quotes Shadiack on Legalities of Remote Work

New Jersey Business Magazine, February 2024

Michael Shadiack and Caitlin Dettmer's Labor and Employment Blog Featured in NJBIA Article

New Jersey Business and Industry Association (NJBIA), 03.02.2023

Featured, "Mandate mystery: Lawyers say companies thinking about COVID vaccination policies have a lot of factors to consider"

ROI-NJ, 01.26.2022

Quoted, "The Workplace Vaccination Equation"

New Jersey Business Magazine, August 2021

Featured, "Answers on Mandating Vaccines and Other Tricky COVID-19 Workplace Matters"

New Jersey Business Today, 03.23.2021

Quoted, "Employers Ponder Vaccine Challenges"

WorkersCompensation.com, 02.10.2021

Author, "Employment Law Implications of COVID-19 Vaccines"

New Jersey Business Magazine, 02.2021

Featured, "How Coronavirus Paid Leave Programs Work with Schools Reopening"

New Jersey Business Today, 09.01.2020

Quoted, "Workplace Policies All Employers Should Consider Before Reopening"

New Jersey Business Today, 05.20.2020

Featured, "Businesses Battle Through COVID-19"

New Jersey Business Magazine, 05.2020

Quoted, "Reminder: Use the New Form I-9 to Ensure Compliance"

New Jersey Business Today, 05.05.2020

Quoted, "What to Know about Wage & Hour Laws"

New Jersey Business Magazine, 04.30.2020

Quoted, "Making Sense of Medical Marijuana in the Workplace"

New Jersey Business Magazine, 03.12.2020

Quoted, "Defending the Unconscious: How to Guard Against Legal Claims of Implicit Bias"

New Jersey Business Magazine, 02.12.2020

Quoted, "Should Employers Prohibit Co-workers from Dating Each Other?"

New Jersey Business Magazine, 01.27.2020

Quoted, "Stay Woke: Avoid Unconscious Bias When Interviewing, or Risk Making Costly Hiring Errors"

ROI-NJ, 01.24.2020

Quoted, "Employers Prohibited from Asking Job Candidates about Salary History"

New Jersey Business and Industry Association, 01.02.2020

Expert in these Jurisdictions

New Jersey

United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

United States District Court for the District of New Jersey

Education

Awards