Steve Bernstein is a member of the firm’s COVID-19 Taskforce, a cross-disciplinary team of attorneys dedicated to advising employers on the many workplace law aspects of the global coronavirus pandemic.

Steve Bernstein is the managing partner in the firm's Tampa office, and co-chairs the firm’s Labor Relations practice group.

Steve maintains a traditional labor practice in which he represents employers throughout the United States in both state and federal courts, as well as before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and other state and federal agencies.

In the process, Steve has played a primary role in advising clients on union-related matters. Steve has also acquired a sophisticated level of experience with regard to advising clients on compliance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA), the Family and Medical Leave (FMLA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

A significant portion of his practice is devoted to the implementation of preventive employee relations programs that include supervisory training as well as the development and administration of effective human resources policies and practices.

Previously, Steve worked for the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and with the Minority Staff of the U.S. Senate Labor Committee.

Representative Work

Honors & Awards

• Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America (2020 - 2021)
• Named, Best Lawyers"Lawyer of the Year", Trade Secrets Law (2021)
• Named, Best Lawyers"Lawyer of the Year", Employment Law - Management (2020)
• Named, Best Lawyers"Lawyer of the Year", Labor Law-Management (2017 and 2019)
• Named, Best Lawyers"Lawyer of the Year", Labor and Employment Litigation (2018)
• Named one of the "People to Know" in Tampa/Hillsborough County by Florida Trend in 2014
• Florida Super Lawyers since 2012
• Selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America since 2012
• Listed in Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business since 2011
• Listed by the Labor Relations Institute (LRI) as one of the "Top 100 Labor Attorneys" in the U.S. since 2006
• "AV" Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
• Named Outstanding Labor and Employment Law School Student by the Labor and Employment Law Section of the Florida Bar

Professional Activities

• Fellow of the American Bar Foundation
• Vice-Chair, Pepin Academies Foundation Board of Directors
• Member, Quest, Inc. Advisory Board
• Member, Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission
• Member, American Heart Association Circle of Red
• Past Chair, Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce
• Past President, Academy of Florida Management Attorneys
• Former Co-Chair, Labor & Employment Section of the Hillsborough Bar Association
• Member ABA Committee on Federal Labor Standards Legislation, Subcommittee on USERRA
• Former Chief Editor, Florida Employment Law Manual

News

Seminars & Speaking Engagements

• Independent Schools Association of the Southwest 
  5.2019
• National Association of Episcopal Schools Biennial Conference
  11.2018
• "Labor Law Developments" - The American Forest & Paper Association 
  3.7.14
• Co-Chair – South Florida’s Premier Labor & Employment Conference – The Seminar Group -  Ft. Lauderdale, FL 
  9.20.12 - 9.21.12 
• “Update on Recent NLRB Developments - National Association of Professional Employer Organizations -Washington, D.C. 
  5.22.12 
• “Dealing with the Latest Developments at the NLRB - Webinar - Associated Builders & Contractors, Florida East Coast Chapter   
  4.19.12 
• “Winning Unemployment Compensation Cases” - Florida Beer Wholesalers Association - Orlando, FL 
  4.18.12 
• “New Regulatory Developments Impacting Union Organizing, Social Media and Background Checks” - National Association of Convenience Stores H.R. Forum - Orlando, FL  
  3.6.12 
• “What Every Employer Needs to Know About the NLRB “ - Association of Corporate Counsel, Orlando Chapter- Orlando, FL
  2.16.12 
• “Keeping Your Company One Step Ahead with HR Regulations” -  National Association of Convenience Stores Annual Meeting - Chicago, IL 
  10.1.11 
• “Implementing a Strategy to Maintain an Independent Workforce” - Inside Counsel 3rd Annual Labor Symposium - Chicago, IL 
  10.5.11
• Co-Chair - South Florida's Premier Labor & Employment Conference - The Seminar Group -  Miami, FL 
  9.20.11 - 9.21.11 
• “Containing the Cost of Workers' Compensation” - HR Florida 
  8.28.11
• “FLSA Overtime Exemption for Service Writers: Fact vs. Fiction” - Suncoast Automotive Accountants Association - Tampa, FL 
  5.23.11
• “A Proactive Strategy for Lawful But Effective Discipline and Discharge” - Association of Legal Administrators - Tampa, FL 
  5.11.11
• “Legislative Update, Unions and the New NLRB” - National Association of Convenience Stores H.R. Forum - Atlanta, GA 
  3.8.11

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