Claudia Orr

An attorney in the firm’s Detroit office, Claudia D. Orr exclusively represents and advises employers and management in employment and labor law matters. Ms. Orr's clients include Fortune 500 companies, local governments, tier-one automotive suppliers, nationwide distributors of pharmaceutical products, numerous nonprofit agencies, healthcare providers, restaurants, and wholesale food distributors. She also has extensive litigation and appellate experience, and regularly practices before state and federal courts as an advocate. As a counselor, Ms. Orr regularly advises clients on employment/labor matters, including hiring, discipline/discharge, complex ADA/Family and Medical Leave Act/STD-LTD/Workers' Disability Compensation issues, and labor grievances/arbitration matters. Ms. Orr regularly defends clients in litigation and arbitration matters involving allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, FMLA violations, wage/benefit issues, retaliation against whistleblowers, public policy discharge, unpaid commissions, and pension, severance and other ERISA claims, etc. Ms. Orr routinely represents clients in administrative proceedings before government agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Michigan Department of Civil Rights, state and federal Departments of Labor (including their Wage and Hour Divisions ), and the Michigan Employment Security Commission. In addition, Ms. Orr has an ever-growing practice in Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”). In this regard, she serves as defense case evaluator for the special employment panels of the Wayne, Macomb and Oakland Counties’ Case Evaluation Tribunals, is an appointee to the American Arbitration Association’s Roster of Neutrals for its Employment Panel, and serves as a mediator for the American Arbitration Association and others. She has been listed in Best Lawyers in America® for Employment Law - Management and Top Lawyers in Detroit for several years.

Michigan

6th Circuit

U.S. Supreme Court

Since 2004

Senior Attorney

Plunkett Cooney

2005 - Current

Employment/Labor - Employer Side, ADR (Mediator/Arbitrator)

Partner

Williams Mullin ("sold to" Howard & Howard)

2003 - 2005

Employment/Labor (Employer Side), ADR (mediator/arbitrator)

Partner

Clark Hill

2001 - 2003

Employment/Labor Attorney (Employer side)

Partner

Barris Sott Denn & Driker

1996 - 2001

Employment/Labor Attorney (Employer side)

Associate Attorney

Honigman Miller Schwartz and Cohn LLP

1991 - 1996

Employment Attorney (Employer side)

University of Detroit Law School

J.D. (1991) | Law

1988 - 1991

Honors: 3rd in Class, Summa Cum Laude

Activities: Law Review

University of Michigan - Dearborn

BGS (1986) | (Soc/Psyc/AmHist)

1980 - 1986

Honors: PSY CHI, Top 10%, with High Honors

American Arbitration Association

Mediator / Arbitrator

2003 - Current

Activities: Panel of Neutrals (Employment Arbitrator), Mediator

Detroit SHRM

Legal Affairs Committee Chair

2001 - Current

Activities: Served as chair of Legal Affairs Committee (approx. 2004-2008), VP of Legal Affairs/Member of Bd of Directors (approx. 2008-20012), Chair of Legal Affairs Committee (2012- present)

Michigan State Bar  # 45402

Member

1991 - Current

Activities: Employment/Labor Section

Oakland County Bar Association

Chair

1997 - 2001

Activities: Was Associate Chair, then Chair (final year)