Jeffrey S. Kopp

Jeffrey S. Kopp is a partner and litigation attorney with Foley & Lardner LLP. He is a trial attorney with a proven track record of success in labor and employment, and commercial litigation matters. He also handled a variety of noncompete emergency injunctive relief proceedings. Jeffrey is an experienced advocate, handling a wide variety of civil litigation matters in federal and state courts in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee, Missouri, Kentucky, and other jurisdictions and matters before state and federal agencies. He has successfully defended appeals before the U.S. Sixth Circuit and the Michigan Court of Appeals. He also has arbitrated numerous traditional labor grievances. Most recently, he successfully obtained a jury verdict for an automotive client in a multimillion-dollar recall litigation matter and prevailed in several employee noncompete disputes.

In addition to litigation, Jeffrey regularly provides employers with proactive employment counseling techniques to minimize the risk of litigation. He regularly advises corporate clients in labor and employment issues in merger and acquisition transactions and with complex FMLA, OFCCP, OSHA, and EEO compliance, unemployment, workers compensation leave, Service Contract Act and Davis Bacon Act compliance issues, and noncompete and trade secret matters. He is a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice, the Automotive Industry Team, AAP Compliance, and the Trade Secret/NonCompete Task Force.

Firm Leadership

Jeffrey Kopp is the Detroit Office hiring partner and is a member of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee.

Representative Experience

Jeffrey's notable recent engagements successfully representing: 

• Manufacturing clients in defending investigations before the Department of Labor regarding alleged FMLA violations. 
• An automotive supplier in the defense of litigation alleging claims for interference and retaliation under the FMLA. 
• A construction client in a Service Contract Act audit and investigation by the Department of Labor. 
• Automotive suppliers in obtaining numerous summary judgment victories in age, sex, disability and race discrimination lawsuits. 
• Various manufacturing and hospital clients concerning FMLA, ADA accommodation, and military leave and benefits issues under USERRA. 
• Federal contractors in obtaining favorable results in OFCCP desk and on-site audits, and Service Contract Act audits. 
• Manufacturing clients in numerous injunctive relief proceedings related to the enforcement of the company’s rights against departing employees who were alleged to have, among other things, violated their employment agreements and misappropriated trade secrets. 
• Manufacturer in prosecution of claims against former employees for breach of fiduciary duty and other torts related to the former employee’s start-up of a competing business. 
• Automotive suppliers in obtaining a favorable settlement and jury verdicts in multimillion-dollar warranty and recall disputes. 
• Lenders in in numerous commercial foreclosure matters resulting in obtaining receivers, foreclosing mortgages, and obtaining deeds-in-lieu of foreclosure. 
• Private equity companies in handling all aspects of labor and employment transitions in mergers and acquisitions and corporate transactions. 
• A defense contractor and manufacturer in obtaining successful results in numerous labor grievance discharge arbitrations.

Education

• University of Notre Dame Law School, (J.D., cum laude, 1996)
  • Symposium editor, Journal of College and University Law
• U.S. Army War College, (M.A., 2014)
  • Strategic studies
• U.S. Military Academy at West Point, (B.S., 1990)
  • Active duty U.S. Army, Germany, Oklahoma, Texas, and Iraq

Recognition

Jeffrey was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© in the fields of Employment Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment (2021 - 2023). He was selected for inclusion in the Michigan Super Lawyers^® lists (2013 - 2016). He was also recognized as the Barrister of the Year in 2007 and 2008 and received the State Bar of Michigan’s Unsung Hero Award in 2012 for his efforts in leading various pro bono initiatives.

Admissions and Affiliations

Jeffrey is admitted to practice in Michigan and California (inactive) and before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the Michigan Supreme Court. He is a member of the state bar of Michigan and has tried cases in jurisdictions across the United States. His professional affiliations include the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association, where he is a board member and former president of the Barristers Organization. He is also 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. He is a graduate of Leadership Detroit XXVIII. He previously served as a board member of the nonprofit organization, Arkay, which provides services to disabled individuals in Southeastern Michigan.

Jeffrey is a Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, where he currently serves as the International Law/Rule of Law Advisor to the Army’s Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute at the U.S. Army War College. He previously served as the Commander of the 91st Legal Operations Detachment (JAG) in Darien, Illinois. He deployed to Iraq in 2008 as the Detainee Operations Counsel at Camp Cropper in Baghdad. Among other awards, Jeffrey is a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal.

Representative Presentations and Publications

Jeffrey frequently writes and lectures about a variety of topics, including FMLA and ADA accommodation issues.

• Co-author, "ADA Website Accessibility: What Businesses Need to Know," Journal of Management Policy & Practice (October 5, 2020)
• Co-author, “Key employment issues facing employers in the automotive industry,” Thomson Reuters^® Westlaw^® Journal (April 2, 2020)
• Speaker, “FMLA Intermittent Leave Issues: Strategies for Preventing Abuse,” Clear Law Institute (January and June 2019)
• Speaker, “Joint Employer Issues,” 2015 State of the Law: Tools to Minimize Risks and Maximize Your Role, Association of Corporate Counsel (ACCA) – Michigan (November 18, 2015)
• Contributor, “Experts Give Their Solutions to Difficult Workplace Problems,” What’s Working in Human Resources (November, 2015)
• Presenter, “Tackling Difficult FMLA Intermittent Leave Issues: Strategies for Preventing Abuse,” (September 10, 2015)
• Speaker, “FMLA Intermittent Leave: Preventing Abuse While Mitigating Interference or Retaliation Claims,” Strafford Webinar (February 26, 2014)
• Speaker, “FMLA Abuse: How to Spot It - and Stop It,” BLR FMLA Abuse Webinar (March 2011)
• Co-author, “Implementing a Drug and Alcohol Testing Program — Things to Consider,” Employment Law Update - Foley & Lardner LLP Legal News (December 2010)
• Author, “The Expanding Reach of the OFCCP — Are You a Government Contractor?,” Employment Law Update - Foley & Lardner LLP Legal News (November 2010)
• Speaker, “When Johnny (or Joanna) Comes Marching Home Again: Are You on Top of USERRA,” Foley & Lardner LLP Web conference (June 2009)
• Speaker, “Labor and Employment Year in Review,” Fourth Annual State of the Law Update, Association of Corporate Counsel (ACCA) – Michigan (April 2009)
• Editor in chief, Teenagers and the Law Handbook (2008)