Dallas commercial litigation shop Bailey Brauer expanded its capabilities this month by signing the firm’s first labor and employment expert.
John Bosco joined the six-lawyer boutique from Miami-based Leon Cosgrove. He says he was looking for a stronger support system for his clients – which include The Michaels Companies, Bose Corporation, Ruby Tuesday, Marriott and Community Health Systems – and he knew Bailey Brauer through working as co-counsel and referring work in the past.
“I reached out to my existing clients and a few had actually worked with Clayton, Alex and Ben,” says Bosco. “They thought highly of them and said joining them would increase the likelihood that the relationship would expand into new opportunities.”
Bosco – who has significant experience advising companies in the hospitality and retail sectors – focuses his practice on trade secrets, discrimination, retaliation, wage and hour claims, and regulatory agency investigations.
One hot area of Bosco’s labor and employment practice in the past year is Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disabilities in places of public accommodations. The act does not cover websites and technologies, and Bosco says plaintiff’s attorneys have been filing a number of cases in this area.
“Where there is not clear, detailed regulations it is very hard to strictly comply, particularly with websites, which are living and breathing things,” says Bosco, who advises The Michaels Companies on ADA matters. “You could be compliant one day and not the next.”
In addition to his experience in private practice – which has included stops at Morgan Lewis and Jones Day – Bosco worked for eight years in the legal department at JP Morgan Chase as vice president and assistant general counsel. His in-house tenure helped him develop a better understanding of client expectations.
“In-house counsel hate surprises,” he says. “You want to keep them apprised of any developments with frequent communication, while truly respecting their schedules.”