Jacob M. Sitman

For  the past 15 years, I have devoted my practice to representing employers and counseling human resource professionals in labor and employment law matters. For 11 years, I worked as an attorney in the labor and employment department of a major Philadelphia-based law firm.  I now lead the Employment Law group at Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba, P.C., serving as a trusted advisor for clients in the areas of labor and employment law compliance and risk management, defending them against claims, and protecting them against unfair competition by current and former employees.

Much of my practice is devoted to defending employers against administrative charges and lawsuits filed in federal and state courts by employees and applicants for employment.  I have successfully defended employers against whistleblower and retaliation claims, wage and hour claims, and claims of age, sex, race, religious, national origin and disability discrimination.  In addition, I have defended employers against government audits and enforcement actions alleging workplace safety violations and alleged misclassification of independent contractors.  I have also successfully enforced non-compete and restrictive covenants and obtained injunctive relief in court to protect employers' confidential information, customer relationships and goodwill.

I am proud to be a mediator approved by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to facilitate resolution of federal employment claims of alleged discrimination, including claims of alleged disparate treatment, adverse impact, harassment and reasonable accommodation.

In the labor context, I have represented employers in union grievance arbitrations and alleged unfair labor practice charges, and secured injunctions to prevent unions from engaging in mass picketing,   trespass and fraud.

In addition to answering client questions on a day-today basis, I work on an ongoing basis with clients in a proactive manner to reduce the risk of employment litigation and develop and best practices in managing human resources.  In this role, I draft personnel policies, advise employers on personnel, employee leave, privacy, reductions in force, and benefits issues, as well as guide and conduct internal investigations.  I also routinely draft employment, separation, retention, independent contractor, non-competition and confidentiality agreements.

I frequently speak to clients and industry groups large and small, publish articles, and train executives, managers and employees on labor and employment law compliance and personnel issues.