Do you love employment law? I’ll confess something: I do.

That’s not to say that I don’t love other areas of the law. Indeed, my practice at Shipman & Goodwin isn’t limited to employment law, and I enjoy all types of litigation helping out companies big and small in Connecticut and New York.

But employment law will always remain near and dear to my heart. Why?

Because to be involved in employment law, is to be involved in human dynamics. Each case and each situation is based on relationships that supervisors have with their subordinates or on the split-second decisions that a human resources professional makes that will dictate whether an employer will face a lawsuit or a yawn.

I started the Connecticut Employment Law Blog way back in 2007.  Facebook was still mostly something that college kids used. And we were still years away from our first Facebook firing case too.  But there were still lots of employment law topics back then and, if anything, the area has gotten more interesting with time.  The pandemic created a whole host of other issues as well.

Ultimately, it is the love of employment law—the nuances, the uniqueness, the changes—that keeps me going.

My goal — along with those of my Shipman & Goodwin colleagues — remains a simple one: Share new and noteworthy items relating to employment law to employers, human resources personnel, and executives in Connecticut. And in doing so, hopefully explain those details in plain English. In fact, what you’ll see in many of my posts is an answer to this simple question: “What’s the takeaway for employers?”

I’ve been grateful to have this blog recognized by others, including the ABA Journal — the flagship publication of the American Bar Association. Indeed, in December 2013, the blog was one of ten named to the “Blog Hall of Fame” in recognition of the blog’s contributions and consistency over the years.

So, there’s obviously much more to me than a few paragraphs can provide. Here are some more details about my background and experience. If you want to learn more, please don’t hesitate to contact me at dschwartz@goodwin.com.

  • Dan has decades of experience solving complex, employment law problems for companies, including financial services and hedge funds, technology companies, and fortune 500 companies; public and private schools; and non-profits to help them avoid litigation and remain successful. He has brought his substantial experience to hundreds of federal and state cases nationwide, litigating in a variety of areas, including employment discrimination and FMLA, retaliation and whistleblowing restrictive covenants and trade secrets, wage and hour class actions, and commercial litigation.  He also serves as a mediator in cases in Connecticut, reflecting both his deep knowledge and the respect of his legal peers. During the pandemic, Dan has been a leading and steady voice on providing advice regarding ever-changing guidance for employers from workplace safety to mandatory vaccination policies.

    Lauded by clients and peers for being a “go-to source” with “substantial knowledge of employment issues,” Dan brings a practical approach and warm demeanor to sensitive and difficult situations. For large multi-national companies, family-owned businesses, home healthcare employers, religious institutions, non-profits, independent schools, manufacturers and more, Dan helps clients solve problems and manage issues such as voluntary and involuntary reductions in force, employee investigations, pandemic-related leave and absences, hiring and termination, employment handbooks and policies, and responding to government audits on wage & hour and misclassification issues.

    In litigation, Dan brings the same practical approach by zealously advocating for clients while highlighting the risks and benefits specific to each case. He has successfully defended employers in wrongful termination lawsuits, both at the trial and appellate courts, and has argued cases at the Second and Sixth Circuit Courts of Appeals and the Connecticut Supreme and Appellate Courts.

    For over 13 years, Dan has published the “Connecticut Employment Law Blog”, one of the most widely read and respected law blogs in the nation. From 2009-2014, the ABA Journal named it one of the top 100 blogs produced by lawyers (the “Blawg 100“) and in 2014, also named the blog to its “Blawg 100 Hall of Fame” where it remains today, noting that Dan “consistently impresses us with concise and incisive analysis of the latest cases and issues to arise in employment law.”  In 2013, the United States Library of Congress selected the website for inclusion in the historic collection of internet materials related to “Legal Blawgs.” Dan is highly sought after nationwide as a presenter on employment law and technology-related issues to groups, including the National Retail Federation, the Society of Human Resources and Management, the American Bar Association, and the Connecticut Bar Association.

    Beyond lawyering, Dan is a leader in the American and Connecticut bars and the community. Starting in August 2022, he will serve a three-year term on the Board of Governors for the American Bar Association. For over 15 years prior to that, he served in the ABA House of Delegates, before becoming the Connecticut State Delegate and serving on the ABA Nominating Committee from 2015-2022. In 2022, Dan received the John Eldred Shields Distinguished Professional Service Award from the Connecticut Bar Association, for his outstanding service through or on behalf of the CBA, for the benefit of the legal community and the community at large. He is Past-Chair of the Connecticut Bar Foundation’s James W. Coopers Fellows, after two years of leading that group in programs related to the opioid epidemic, systemic racism, rule of law, and other leading-edge issues in society. He is the past President of the Golf Club of Avon, after two years of leading that organization through a new playground, a new website and mobile app, renovations to the course, and a strategic initiative for the next five years. Dan also volunteers on the Board of Directors for the Farmington Valley Jewish Congregation and is the former Chair of Corporate Sponsorship Programs for the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford.

    When not working or thinking about the law, Dan enjoys trivia, participating in “Learned League” and once appearing on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire with Regis Philbin. He is a devoted husband and proud parent to three teenagers. Dan also enjoys spending time grilling, skiing and golfing, though he confesses that he is mediocre at best with all.