Raymond J. Carey is a highly respected and skilled advisor, trial lawyer, negotiator, and partner in the Labor and Employment Practice of Foley & Lardner LLP. He has over 30 years of experience wisely counseling employer representatives within all industries concerning the diversity of human resource and labor relations issues that affect the workplace. During his more than 30 years of practice, Mr. Carey has successfully defended employers and their management representatives against myriad individual plaintiff, multi-plaintiff and class action claims involving virtually all types of federal and state statutory and common law employment-related causes of action, including EEO, ERISA, FLSA, FMLA, USERRA, WARN, Section 301(a), whistle blowing, breach of non- compete agreements, breach of employment contracts, interference, breach of sales commission contracts and policies, and other federal and state statutory and common law causes of action.
Mr. Carey counsels employers concerning development and implementation of effective policies, practices and procedure pertaining to litigation avoidance, hiring, compensation, benefits, wage and hour compliance, FMLA and other leaves of absence, workplace accommodations, workplace investigations, promotion, discipline, layoff, reduction in force, workforce reorganization, discharge, equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, workplace diversity, and zero tolerance for workplace violence, discrimination, and harassment of any kind. He also advises employers with respect to labor/management relations issues, including effective union avoidance strategies, how to expeditiously defeat or avoid union facility specific and corporate-wide organizing campaigns, collective bargaining, grievance resolution, and other management/labor disputes, and he negotiates collective bargaining agreements on behalf of employers.
In addition to myriad pre-trial summary judgments and dismissals with prejudice among other pre-trial resolutions Mr. Carey has obtained for employers and their representatives consistent with their desired outcomes, he has successfully tried more than 100 cases in federal and state trial courts, before arbitrators, and in proceedings before federal and state administrative agencies, including the NLRB, DOL, OSHA/ MIOSHA, the EEOC, and the MDCR, among other federal and state administrative agencies. Mr. Carey also developed and implemented successful strategies that thwarted attempts by plaintiffs to certify class actions in over 20 employment cases throughout his career.
Mr. Carey is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1975 and his J.D. degree in 1981. He has served as a adjunct professor at the University of Detroit and is actively involved in a wide range of community service and cultural activities in the Detroit area.
Mr. Carey has received Martindale-Hubbell’s highest, AV Preeminent rating, and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America, DBusiness Top Lawyers, Who’s Who in American Law, Who’s Who, and International Who’s Who of Professionals.
Mr. Carey is admitted to the practice of law in Michigan in all Michigan trial and appellate courts, all federal district courts in Michigan, and various federal district courts (Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, California, Wisconsin, Florida) and Circuit Courts of Appeal (D.C., 6th, 9th ) around the country.
Mr. Carey has been a member of the State of Michigan Bar, Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, American Bar Association (“ABA”), and Federal Bar Association since 1981. He has served and continues to serve in various leadership or committee roles for each of these organizations.
Mr. Carey was president of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association during 2007 and 2008, a member of its board of directors from 2002-2008 and 1987-1988, a member of its Labor, Circuit Court and Civil Rights Sections since 1981, and is a former director (1984-1988), secretary-treasurer (1985-1986), vice-president (1986-1987), and president (1987-1988), of its Young Lawyers Association. He has been a trustee of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation since 2007. Mr. Carey also has served on the Social Justice Committee of the Federal Bar Association in Detroit since 2005.
Mr. Carey was vice-chairman, General Practice Section, Labor Law Committee of the ABA in 1985-1988, was a member of the Executive Committee of the ABA Human Rights Committee, Young Lawyers Division in 1985-1986, and has been a member of the Labor and Employment Law Section, General Practice Section and Litigation Section of the American Bar Association and Litigation Section Labor and Employment Committee of the Federal Bar Association since 1981. He also has been a member of the State Bar of Michigan Employment and Labor Law, Media Law, General Practice, Antitrust, Copyright and Trademark sections and of the ABA Labor, Labor and Employment Law, General Practice, Urban State and Municipal Law, Health Care, Litigation and Individual Rights and Responsibilities sections since 1981. Mr. Carey also is a former member of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Incorporated, Society of Irish-American Lawyers, and the Michigan Society of Hospital Attorneys.
Mr. Carey is a member of the board of directors of United Way for Southeast Michigan (2000-2005, 2008-present), its Executive Committee (2008-present), its Agenda Results Committee (2011-present), and Campaign Cabinet (2009-present); was chair of its Community Impact Council (2007-2012) and a member of the Community Impact Council (2005-2012), and was a member of (1995-2005) and chair (2000-2005) of the its Fund Distribution Committee, chair of its Growth Unit C of Education Accounts (1990-1993), a member and chair of its Allocations Committee for Community Service Organizations (1990-2005), and a member of the its Community Services Leaders Council (1998-2005); is a member and vice-chair of Casa Richard Academy Board of Directors (1991-present); is a graduate of Leadership Detroit XI, was a member of the board of directors for the Leadership Detroit Alumni Association (1990-93), a Leadership Detroit XII Session Coordinator (Cultivating Diversity & Combating Racism), and a Leadership Detroit Trustee (1993-2005); was a member (1990-1997, 2003-2009) and president (1992-1994) of the Northeast Guidance Center Board of Directors; was a trustee and vice-chairman of the Michigan Health Care Foundation (1992-1995); was a member of the American Heart Association of Southeastern Michigan Board of Directors (1993-1997); was a member of the Grosse Pointe-Harper Woods Community Task Force on Race Relations (1994); was a member (1991-2000) and chair (1995-1998) of Catholic Social Services of Wayne County Board of Directors; was a member of the Family Services of America Board of Directors (1994-2005); was a member of the board of directors and chair of Public Policy Committee for Alliance for Children and Families (1998-2005); was a member and Officer of Warren Conner Development Coalition (1992-2004); was a member of the Rose Hill Prospect Development Committee; is a member of the Detroit Athletic Club (1986-present) and Membership Committee (1990-1992) and Community Outreach Committee ( 2007-2009, 2012-present); was a member of the Grosse Pointe Hunt Club Membership Committee (1990-1992) and board of directors (1998-2001); was a member of the Detroit Institute of Arts Founders’ Society (1985-1990); was a member of the Volunteer Lawyers of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association (1985-present); and is a member of the Notre Dame Club of Detroit (1981-present) and was a club board member (1988-1996) and its president (1995-1996).
Mr. Carey regularly writes articles and speaks at seminars about labor and employment related topics. These include:
- Is It Time To Audit And Perhaps Change Your Payroll Practices?
- Sometime Statistics Do Not Lie
- FCRA Impact On Criminal History And Background Checks
- Factors That An Employer Should Consider Before Mandating Fitness For Duty Exams
- Mitigating Prospect For And Appropriately Responding To Workplace Violence
- Defense of FLSA Collective And Other Actions
- Defending Federal And State Wage And Hour Class And Collective Actions
- How To Effectively Defend Against Employment Related Class Actions
- How To Minimize Prospects For Employment Related Litigation
- How To Avoid Claims for Discrimination And Harassment Based On Protected Characteristics
- How To Create And Implement Effective Human Resource Policies, Practices And Procedures
- How To Defend Against Employment Discrimination And Other Employment Related Claims
- How To Deal With Problem Employees
- How To Remain Union Free
- Issues And Tactics Related To and Achievement of Management Objectives During Collective Bargaining