Overview
Carmen N. Decot is a partner and litigation attorney with Foley & Lardner LLP and is a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice and Automotive, Food & Beverage, and Manufacturing Industry Teams. Ms. Decot represents and counsels employers in all aspects of the employer-employee relationship, including but not limited to, compliance with complex statutory and regulatory requirements under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Executive Order 11246 and other affirmative action laws and regulations; union grievances, National Labor Relations Board charges, and labor arbitrations; employment litigation before federal, state, and local courts and administrative agencies; reductions in force; and various matters related to employee recruitment, hiring, performance, discipline, and discharge. Ms. Decot also provides clients with practical guidance and proactive counseling regarding best practices designed to help employers avoid labor and employment disputes and comply with the law.
Representative Experience
- Provided strategic advice for a manufacturing client in all areas of labor and employment law, including labor arbitrations, wage and hour related issues, and employment litigation matters
- Obtained summary judgment victories for an automotive industry client in religious discrimination and multi-plaintiff gender discrimination and retaliation lawsuits
- Successfully defended a food and beverage industry client in numerous employment litigation and labor matters
- Played a key role in a major restructuring effort for a media client by advising on compliance with federal and state anti-discrimination laws, WARN Act notice requirements, contract compliance, and wage and hour issues and successfully defended the client in multiple post-restructuring employment discrimination lawsuits and administrative agency proceedings
- Provided proactive compliance counseling in the areas of employment discrimination, family and medical leave, and affirmative action compliance to an energy industry client
- Successfully represented a health care industry client in a variety of employment matters, including federal wage and hour litigation, federal and state employment discrimination matters, and a federal Section 1983 lawsuit and appeal
Recognition
Ms. Decot was recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business in the practice area of labor and employment law (2019-2022) and has been named to the Wisconsin Super Lawyers – Rising Stars® lists (2012 – 2016), as well as the Wisconsin Law Journal’s list of “Up and Coming Lawyers” (2012).
Education
Ms. Decot earned her law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law (with distinction, 2004), where she was awarded the College of Law’s Dean’s Achievement Award. While in law school, Ms. Decot served as a student writer and articles editor for the Journal of Corporation Law and held officer positions in various student organizations. Ms. Decot earned her Bachelor of Science degree in political science from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse (1999).
Admissions and Professional Memberships
Ms. Decot is licensed to practice in the state of Wisconsin and is admitted to the bars of the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin, the Northern and Southern Districts of Illinois, the Western District of Michigan, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. She is also a member of the Wisconsin Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Association for Women Lawyers, the Milwaukee Young Lawyers Association, the Hispanic National Bar Association, the Wisconsin Hispanic Lawyers Association, and the Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee. Ms. Decot currently serves on the board of the Labor & Employment Law Section for the State Bar of Wisconsin.
Community Engagement
Ms. Decot serves as volunteer legal counsel to the Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin, serves on the board of directors for the Wisconsin Equal Justice Fund, and is a volunteer for the Milwaukee Bar Association’s Milwaukee Justice Center project providing counseling to low income persons in need of basic legal services. She has also served as pro bono litigation counsel in domestic violence injunction hearings and court-appointed civil rights cases in addition to representing various pro bono clients in employment matters. Ms. Decot’s civic involvement includes membership in the United Way’s Emerging Leaders, the Brain Injury Association of Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse Alumni Association, and the University of Wisconsin-Richland Alumni Association.
Selected Publications and Presentations
Ms. Decot has written numerous articles and has presented on a variety of labor and employment topics. A sampling of Ms. Decot’s publications and presentations include:
- “Fair Labor Standards Act Update,” Milwaukee Area Compensation Association Meeting (March 20, 2014)
- Co-presenter, “Section 503/VEVRAA Final Rules: A Practical Primer For What You Need To Do To Comply And When,” Foley & Lardner LLP Inner Workings Web Conference (March 4, 2014)
- “Section 503/VEVRAA Final Rules: Your Questions Answered?,” The OFCCP Digest (February 27, 2014)
- Co-presenter, “What To Do When The OFCCP Comes Knocking,” The Local Job Network Web Conference (February 25, 2014; October 30, 2012)
- Co-presenter, “OFCCP Compliance 101,” The Local Job Network Web Conference (January 28, 2014; July 17, 2013)
- “Trick or Treat: Final Veterans/Disabled Rules Contains a Few Additional Surprises for Federal Contractors,” Labor & Employment Law Perspectives (October 28, 2013)
- Co-presenter, “Federal Contractors – Your Compliance Review Survival Guide,” Wisconsin State Society of Human Resources Management Conference, LaCrosse, WI (October 10, 2013)
- Panelist, “Fun (Yes, Fun) With The FMLA,” Foley & Lardner LLP Labor & Employment Summit (October 2, 2013)
- Co-presenter, “The Intersection of the ADA, FMLA, and Workers’ Compensation,” Foley & Lardner LLP Inner Workings Web Conference (March 21, 2013)
- “Employers Must Begin Using New FMLA Forms and Poster by March 8, 2013,” Labor & Employment Law Perspectives (March 4, 2013)
- “EEOC Issues Guidance on Employer Response to Victims of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, or Stalking,” Labor & Employment Law Perspectives (November 5, 2012)
- “EEOC Issues Updated Guidance on Consideration of Arrest and Conviction Records,” Labor & Employment Law Perspectives (May 7, 2012)
- “Revised Memorandum of Understanding Warns Employers About Coordinated Enforcement Efforts of the OFCCP and EEOC,” The OFCCP Digest (April 16, 2012)
- Co-presenter, “Deployment to Employment: Overview of Military Veterans' Employment Rights,” Foley & Lardner LLP Inner Workings Web Conference (February 23, 2012)
- Co-presenter, “Mission Re-employment: Employers' Legal Obligations to Military Veterans,” Avant Resources Web Conference (January 31, 2012)
- “OFCCP’s Proposed Scheduling Letter Expands the Scope of Data Requested and Increases the Burden on Contractors,” The OFCCP Digest (November 14, 2011)
- Co-author, “Growing Risk: FCPA Exposure for Foreign Companies”, Law360 (March 16, 2011)
- “Ames v. Home Depot and Employee Substance Abuse,” Employment Law360 (February 4, 2011)