Farrah N.W. Rifelj

Farrah has served Michael Best in many capacities, currently as a partner in the Labor and Employment Relations Practice Group and as Lead for the group’s Affirmative Action sub-practice. She also served as a member of the firm’s Management Committee for six years, Co-Chair of the Access & Engagement Committee for four years, and as Associate General Counsel for three years. Her practice focuses on employment counseling and employment litigation, with a particular emphasis on discrimination, noncompetition, and Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP).

Farrah provides management with astute advice on employment topics such as:

• Affirmative action
• Disability accommodation
• Discrimination
• Employment contracts
• Family and medical leave laws
• Federal contractor/OFCCP regulations
• Harassment
• Hiring and termination practices
• Non-competition and non-solicitation agreements
• Unemployment compensation
• Wage and hour law

Ever mindful of the best outcome for her clients, Farrah has successfully litigated discrimination, contract, family and medical leave, wage and hour, noncompetition and trade secret, and dealership issues in both state and federal courts. She also acts as a persuasive advocate before various administrative agencies.

Farrah is a 2015 recipient of InBusiness magazine’s “40 Under 40 Award.” She is a regular speaker at industry seminars and has written numerous articles on employment-related topics.

Solutions in action

• Federal jury trials and summary judgment proceedings defending against claims of employment discrimination, harassment, and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) violations
• Litigating contracts where interpretation is at issue. For instance, one successful case dealt with enforcing a confidentiality provision and another involved the interpretation of ambiguous language using the canons of contract construction.
• State and federal court proceedings, including temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions regarding restrictive covenants, employee’s duty of loyalty, and the theft of trade secrets and proprietary information
• Administrative proceedings before the State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Equal Rights Division, the City of Madison Equal Opportunities Commission, and the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• Unemployment actions and appeals
• Employment contract drafting and review, including restrictive covenants
• Daily advising of employees regarding compliance with shifting federal and state employment laws
• Reviewing employee handbook and employment policies