EMPLOYMENT LAW ADVICE FROM EXPERIENCED ATTORNEYS*
Complying with employment law can be challenging. Regulations continuously change and evolve, and there’s no such thing as a simple legal question.
We know legal issues can be a headache. You want quick answers, but high fees make you think twice about calling your attorney.
Compliance is a time-consuming HR function that takes attention away from managing people. That’s why we supplement our HR advice with employment law advice from esteemed employment law attorneys at Ogletree Deakins.
Your HR Safety Net
From Education to Counsel
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Get timely notifications and alerts about critical employment law changes.
Tools & Resources
Access a library of HR tools and templates, and chat live with an HR Advisor.
Call with HR Advisor
We’ll help assess your situation and determine the best next step.
Legal Backup
If needed, we will connect you with employment attorneys*.
What’s Covered?
Catapult HR Advisors will refer you to an Ogletree Deakins employment law attorney in the following situations:
High-Risk Terminations
Government Agency Employment-Related Charges
Foundational Federal and Multi-State Employment Law
Employment Contract Review and Advice
Frequently Asked Questions About The Catapult Legal Advice Plan
It is a method authorized by the NC State Bar to provide Catapult member organizations with pre-paid legal services on foundational employment law questions and needs. Legal services are provided by a third-party law firm not related to Catapult, but paid for by Catapult through this Plan. The Plan is registered with the NC State Bar.*
Plan attorneys supplement our HR Advice team by providing employment law advice related to high-risk terminations, government agency employment-related charges (e.g., EEOC, DOL), and employment contracts (e.g., non-competes, separation agreements, etc.). See Catapult’s Employment Law Advice Plan Terms below for full details.
Matters that require extended custom work, such as representing your business in an EEOC charge, drafting original agreements or substantive revisions to existing documents, resolving an NLRB or DOL investigation, or handling litigation. The Plan also excludes non-employment-related advice and review, including business contracts, leases, master services agreements, purchasing contracts, etc.
You must be referred to a plan attorney by a member of Catapult’s HR Advice team. Prior to your first conversation, plan attorneys will need to go through a short client onboarding process – this may take up to 24 business hours. During this process, a plan attorney will contact you to schedule a consultation. The plan attorney will send you an email explaining the Firm’s relationship with Catapult and seeking your permission and agreement to engage the Firm to provide legal services to you. The plan attorney must have your written response to this email before moving forward with a consultation. After this initial onboarding process, you will not need to go through this process again. For subsequent consultations, you still must access plan attorneys through a referral from the HR Advice team.
Yes, they will provide additional employment law services at a reduced hourly rate as a benefit of your Catapult membership. You must request the work directly from a Plan attorney and the Firm must agree and be able to provide the specific work requested. Plan attorneys also will provide you with an estimate of the legal hours that your project may require before performing any work for you. Catapult is not involved in billing for the work and will not share in any part of the revenue. Catapult’s role is to set the maximum hourly rate for the work to an agreed, member-friendly, below-market rate.
Yes, like any lawyer-client conversation, if the conversation meets the standard for that privilege and the client maintains its confidentiality. If you, however, request that a Catapult HR Advice team member or third-party contractor, like a contract HR professional, engage in communications with you and/or a Plan attorney on your behalf, then the communications may not be protected. A Plan attorney will advise you when this may occur to allow you to determine who you want to be involved in the communications.
- Catapult’s Employment Law Advice Plan provides all eligible Plan Members the following Plan Services as part of the membership dues fee in Catapult (“Covered Plan Services”):
- Telephone, email and other forms of consultations on foundational federal, NC and SC employment law questions affecting the Plan Member. Limited reading and research to augment or confirm an effective response. Education of the Plan Member in the laws, rules and options relative to their question.
- Initial review and discussion of workplace-related challenges, charges, claims, subpoenas, agency letters, lawyer demand letters and similar issues to assist the Plan Member in understanding the context and to guide them in selecting counsel or a course of action.
- Reviewing employment agreements, issue spotting for enforcement concerns and high-risk issues, and spending reasonable time to make any minor revisions.
- Explanation of Catapult templates and spending reasonable time to complete minor revisions required to finalize and execute those templates for use in a specific situation.
- Review of portions of an employee handbook where legal advice is sought by the Plan Member.
- Catapult’s Employment Law Advice Plan has the right to prospectively limit a Plan Member’s free use of the Plan where their use is deemed excessive by the Plan Administrator after a review of usage statistics from Plan Attorneys. The Plan Administrator will not do so in a manner that the involved Participating Plan Attorney believes violates an existing professional obligation to that Plan Member.
- Catapult’s Employment Law Advice Plan may prospectively adjust the scope of Plan services for all Plan Members based on actual experience of the Plan.
- Plan Services do not include performing substantive revisions to an existing employment agreement or Catapult template; drafting original employment agreements, documents and workplace policies; ERISA and employee benefit matters; tax matters; obtaining or advising on obtaining immigration visas; tribal law; conducting or defending union representation campaigns; conducting or defending R (Elections) and C (Unfair Labor Practice) cases before the NLRB; court-based litigation and appeals; reviewing lengthy files and documents; Plan member on-site visits and travel; administrative hearings; workers’ compensation defense matters; representation in any specific case, matter or conflict; or privileged investigations of workplace conduct and events.
- Participating Plan attorneys serving Plan Members may use their discretion to accept for-fee projects in workplace law matters requested by Plan members at a discounted rate (Discounted Plan Services). All billing for legal services will be handled directly between the Plan member and the Participating Plan attorney and no portion of that fee will be shared with Catapult. Participating Plan attorneys will provide a quarterly report to Catapult on Discounted Legal Services performed for Plan members including the broad type of service, and the billing calculation of hours- times- rate (without any client identification or matter information).
- Plan attorneys will carry malpractice insurance coverage.
- Participating Plan attorneys and law firms who serve Plan Members through the Plan are not employees of Catapult. These attorneys must use their own independent professional judgment in serving Plan Members and may not (without express written permission from that Plan Member) reveal a privileged communication with that member to any member of the Catapult staff.
- Prior to providing legal services to a Plan Member, Plan attorneys will reasonably confirm that there are no actual or potential conflicts of interest with other clients of their Firm, including but not limited to other Plan Members, that would prevent the Plan attorneys from representing the Plan Member. In the event the Plan attorneys determine, in their sole discretion, that a conflict of interest or other professional obligation exists that prevents the Plan attorneys from providing services to the Plan Member, the Plan Member will be responsible for engaging other legal counsel at the Plan Member’s own expense.
- At all times it is the intention of the parties to remain in compliance with North Carolina statutes and rules of the North Carolina State Bar and South Carolina Bar. Any concern about compliance with laws or professional standards is welcomed by Catapult and Plan attorneys for prompt resolution.
- This Plan is not intended to establish a plan of insurance.
- The Plan provides advice on behalf of Catapult member organizations, not on behalf of individuals employed by these organizations.
- Catapult will periodically monitor Plan member usage statistics, service reports, general topic areas, and other indicators of services provided (such as Plan Member surveys) to ensure quality, future resource needs and effective/efficient service. No information about a specific matter will be shared with Catapult by any lawyer without the Plan Member’s prior written consent.
* Legal advice is provided to active Catapult member organizations under a pre-paid legal services plan. Participating plan attorneys are licensed to provide guidance under federal and NC law, are employed by Ogletree Deakins, and are not employees of Catapult. This Plan is registered with the NC State Bar. Registration does not constitute approval of the Plan by the NC State Bar.
