Profile
John Richards is a Shareholder in Greenberg Traurig’s Labor & Employment and Retail Industry Practices. John is GT’s Global Co-Chair of the firm’s Retail Industry practice—ranked Band 1 by Chambers USA Nationwide every year since 2007.
From manufacturers and wholesalers to sellers of luxury fashion and accessories, clothing, and athletic apparel, to cosmetics, food and beverage items, and everyday household goods (collectively “Retail”), John is an established player in the Retail Industry and represents the full range of companies in the Retail supply chain. Companies turn to John and his industry knowledge to efficiently and seamlessly address their legal needs, meet business objectives, design and implement compliance programs, and manage their litigation leveraging GT’s wide-ranging industry experience and global platform.
John is appreciated and commended by Retail clients for his exceptional management skills—cross-border and across practice groups—from an industry perspective, including staffing client-matters to ensure the strongest substantive and culture fit. Further, John integrates his colleagues so they understand institutional-client information to ensure efficient service and holistic advice. He manages client deliverables and budgeting with precision and implements client-tailored service protocols.
Within GT’s Labor & Employment Practice, John co-chairs the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) group and the Workplace Compliance & Counseling group. He drives partnerships with clients to manage employment/HR compliance and mitigate legal risk by preparing employment-related agreements and workplace policies suitable for use across applicable jurisdictions; translating those policies into practice through audience-specific operating guides and job aides; auditing company policies, practices, and classifications; and presenting highly tailored, dynamic training sessions to virtually every type of employer audience. From the executive and leadership level to rank and file employees, John’s DEI and workplace compliance trainings consistently receive outstanding reviews.
John also plays an invaluable leadership role in furthering the visibility, voice, and advancement of LGBTQ+ lawyers within GT and the LGBTQ+ business community, including serving on the Out Leadership Council and for six years on the National Board of Directors for Lambda Legal. As a recognized thought leader, John is often entrusted to handle highly sensitive internal complaints and investigations involving LGBTQ+ issues. Companies and/or LGBTQ+ national and global organizations regularly enlist John as a panelist to make the legal and economic case for LGBTQ+ equity and inclusion at every level of the business community.
Concentrations
- Retail Industry relationship management
- Designing and implementing workplace compliance programs
- Employment/HR compliance and workplace counseling
- Wage & Hour compliance
- Talent and brand employment protection
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: training, auditing, and initiatives
- LGBTQ+ training, counseling, and litigation
- Workplace investigations
- Global mobility and compliance management
- Restaurant Industry
Capabilities
Experience
- Designed and conducted respectful workforce training, LGBTQ+ awareness and risk-mitigation training, wage and hour training, workplace investigation training, and other programs for upper- and mid-level management for employers ranging from global retailers and financial institutions to small employers operating at a single site.
- Acted as counsel to many employers, including global luxury brands and everyday goods retailers, to investigate and resolve claimed harassment of employees by high-level executives, supervisors, coworkers, residents, clients, and customers.
- Conducted sexual and racial harassment investigations, prepared or counseled employers on the preparation of investigation reports, and counseled on both specific and systemic measures to minimize the risk of lawsuits or liability.
- Worked closely with employers to design and implement improved, preventive human resources systems, including development of new employee-facing policies and HR/supervisor manuals, development and redevelopment of job descriptions, performance review systems, and disciplinary procedures and training of managers on all of the above—substantially diminishing cycles of administrative charges and/or employment litigation against these clients.
- Provided Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) classification status and job description recommendations to a health insurance company in the United States for approximately 1,500 employees in 268 job positions in 55 locations.
- Provided FLSA classification status and job description recommendations and analyzed timekeeping practices to a nationwide residential and commercial carpet cleaner for approximately 300 employees in 20 job positions nationwide.
- Provided FLSA classification status and job description recommendations to a nationwide shoe manufacturer and retailer for 130 positions nationwide.
- Obtained a creatively structured multi-step, claims made only, revisionary settlement of California and nationwide class and collective action on behalf of global retailer family of companies resulting in an extraordinarily low opt-in rate and payout per class member that was pennies on the dollar and unprecedented both in the retail industry and for uniform reimbursement cases.
- Obtained favorable settlement of California class and nationwide collective action on behalf of global retailer family of companies seeking unpaid wages under California law and the FLSA premised on the core contention that employees were not properly compensated for pre-shift activities involving determining whether the employee should report for work or for finding shift replacements; the settlement is the lowest known per capita settlement of such a case when compared to recent industry settlements.
- Trimmed putative class and nationwide collective action alleging failure to compensate properly for off-the-clock work, in violation of FLSA and the Illinois Minimum Wage Law, to only the branch in which the named plaintiff worked.
- Obtained settlement after taking over as counsel in putative California class action of global retailer alleging failure to compensate properly for off-the-clock work, meal and rest break violations, failure to pay wages at termination, and failure to issue compliant wage statements and maintain accurate records under California law; as well as individual state law claim for race discrimination and harassment.
- Obtained favorable settlements of putative class and collective action claims under the FLSA and state laws alleging that loan officers were misclassified as exempt from overtime and were subject to unlawful deductions from their wages.
- Obtained favorable settlement of Fortune 50 company in nationwide and state class action alleging violations of Title VII and Equal Pay Act for past denial of same-sex spousal benefits.
- Obtained favorable settlement of individual claim alleging discrimination based on sexual orientation and age for for-profit corporation that provides quality control and research for interest group.
- Favorably represented clients in numerous single-plaintiff cases alleging various forms of discrimination, harassment, failure to accommodate and/or retaliation under federal and state law.
- Secured dismissal in 2015 Title VII action alleging harassment, discrimination, and retaliation based on race and state law claim for intentional infliction of emotional distress against law firm.
- Obtained favorable settlement of alleged violation of Colorado’s Nursing Mother Act and separate EEOC charge for sex discrimination, retaliation, and constructive discharge.
- Secured Special Immigrant Juvenile Status on behalf of minor from Honduras; defeated motion to dismiss filed by state; obtained judgment from court ordering the state of Illinois to prosecute dependency petition.
- Equality Advocates Pennsylvania, 2005-2006
- The White House, Office of Political Affairs, Summer 2002
- Ohio Attorney General’s Office
- Capital Crimes, Summer 2001
- Policy/Constituent Services, Summer 2000
Recognition & Leadership
- Listed, Law360, “Rising Stars,” Employment, 2020
- Listed, Benchmark Litigation, “Labor & Employment Star,” 2019-2024
- Listed, “40 Best LGBT Attorneys Under 40,” National LGBT Bar Association
- Listed, ABA “On the Rise: Top 40 Young Lawyers,” 2017
- Listed, The Legal 500 United States
- Labor and Employment: Labor and Employment Disputes: Defense, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2021
- Labor and Employment: Workplace and Employment Counseling, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2024
- Team Member, The Daily Report’s “Georgia Labor & Employment Litigation Department of the Year,” 2017
- Team Member, The American Lawyer’s “Regional Litigation Department of the Year - Georgia,” 2018 and 2021
- Team Member, The National Law Journal, “Litigation Department of the Year,” Labor and Employment, 2014
- Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Georgia Super Lawyers, “Rising Stars,” 2017-2021
- Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Washington D.C. Super Lawyers, “Rising Stars,” 2013-2016
- Listed, Super Lawyers magazine, Illinois Super Lawyers, “Rising Stars,” 2009-2012
- Member, American Bar Association
- Firm Representative, Out Leadership Council, 2015-2023
- National Board Member, Lambda Legal, 2012-2018
- Member, National Leadership Council, 2009-2012
- Member, National LGBT Bar Association, 2010-Present
Credentials
- J.D., cum laude, University of Pennsylvania Law School
- B.S., summa cum laude, Vanderbilt University
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, 2006-2007
- Georgia
- District of Columbia
- Illinois
- Massachusetts
- Supreme Court of the United States
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
News, Insights & Events
John is a contributor to the GT L&E Blog 