Jeffrey S. Kopp is a partner with Foley & Lardner LLP and is a member of the Litigation Department, the Labor & Employment Practice, the Automotive Industry Team and the Trade Secret/Non-Compete Task Force.
Mr. Kopp is an experienced litigator, handling a wide variety of civil litigation matters in federal and state courts in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and California. He has successfully defended clients before the Sixth Circuit and the Michigan Court of Appeals. Mr. Kopp has represented and counseled clients in various labor and employment, FMLA, OFCCP and EEO compliance, unemployment, workers compensation leave, and non-compete and trade secret matters. He has arbitrated traditional labor grievances and regularly provides employers with proactive employment counseling techniques to minimize the risk of litigation. Mr. Kopp has served as counsel and provided legal advice to corporate clients in mergers and acquisitions transactions. He also represents lenders in commercial foreclosure cases in Michigan.
Representative matters include:
- Obtained numerous summary judgment victories for clients in age, sex, disability and race discrimination lawsuits
- Advises clients regarding FMLA, military leave and benefits issues under USERRA
- Obtained favorable results in OFCCP desk and on-site audits, and Service Contract Act audits
- Successfully obtained and defeated restraining orders to enjoin employees from breaching non-competition obligations and disclosing trade secrets
- Obtained a favorable settlement in a multi-million dollar warranty dispute for an automotive supplier
- Successfully represented lenders in numerous commercial foreclosure matters resulting in obtaining receivers, foreclosing mortgages, and obtaining deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure
- Handles all aspects of labor and employment transition in mergers and acquisition and corporate transactions
Mr. Kopp received his J.D., cum laude, in 1996 from the University of Notre Dame Law School, where he was symposium editor of the Journal of College and University Law. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1990 and served on active duty in the U.S. Army in Germany, Oklahoma, Texas and Iraq.
Mr. Kopp is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, where he currently serves as the director of legal services in the JAG Corps. He is responsible for a team of attorneys that provide legal services for soldiers and their families in Michigan and Ohio. Mr. Kopp served in Iraq in 2008 as the detainee operations counsel at Camp Cropper in Bagdad. Among other awards, Mr. Kopp is a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal.
Mr. Kopp is a member of the state bars of Michigan and California. His professional affiliations include the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, where he is the president of the Barristers Organization. Mr. Kopp also is on the board of governors of the West Point Society of Michigan. He also provides pro bono volunteer services for the Detroit Legal Services Clinic and Project Salute. Mr. Kopp is a recent graduate of Leadership Detroit XXVIII.
Mr. Kopp’s representative presentations and publications include:
- "FMLA Abuse: How to Spot It - and Stop It," BLR FMLA Abuse Webinar, March 2011
- "Implementing a Drug and Alcohol Testing Program — Things to Consider," Employment Law Update - Foley & Lardner LLP Legal News, December 2010
- "The Expanding Reach of the OFCCP — Are You a Government Contractor?" Employment Law Update - Foley & Lardner LLP Legal News, November 2010
- "When Johnny (or Joanna) Comes Marching Home Again: Are You on Top of USERRA," Foley & Lardner LLP Web conference, June 2009
- "Labor and Employment Year in Review," Fourth Annual State of the Law Update, Association of Corporate Counsel (ACCA) – Michigan, April 2009
- "Teenagers and the Law Handbook," (editor in chief) 2008