L2S Legal was founded by William C. Berger, Esq. Bill has been practicing both employment and labor (union-related) law for over 25 years. For 20 years, Bill practiced at the prestigious Denver based labor and employment law firm, Stettner Miller, P.C. For over 6 years he practiced at the large Denver-based firm, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP. In both firms he was a shareholder. Prior to Stettner Miller, Bill litigated cases and practiced general law in the town of Salida, Colorado, with the Law Office of Pete Cordova, now the Cordova Law Firm, LLP , for more than 3 years. Through nearly 30 years of experience, Bill has tried cases, resolved disputes and counseled clients.
Since 1991, Bill’s practice has focused on labor and employment law. In that time he has represented small companies to large publicly traded companies. His practice has included all aspects of labor and employment law, from preventive counseling to litigation. Bill has represented clients before federal and state courts, administrative agencies and in arbitration (both industrial-union and private employment arbitrations).
His experience includes counseling clients on issues relating to wrongful discharge, equal employment opportunities, disability and religious accommodation, trade secret and non-competes, wage-hour compliance, employment agreements, separation agreements, I-9 issues and background check processes. Bill has successfully navigated a full range of labor relations (union-related issues), including union organizing campaigns, grievances, and end-of-relationship processes, such as decertifications, disclaimers and withdrawals of recognition. He has represented clients in wage-hour matters, audits and occupational safety and health (OSHA) inspections and cases.
For 10 years, while engaged in the active practice of law, Bill was an adjunct law professor at the University of Denver, Sturm College of Law. For roughly 15 years, Bill also authored the regular column, “Labor Law,” in the Denver Business Journal. He currently appears as an occasional legal commentator on 850 KOA radio.
Representative cases include the following published decisions:
- IBEW, Local #111 v. Public Serv. Co. of Colo., 773 F.3D 1100 (10th Cir. 2014) (Motion to compel arbitration granted and union’s motion to stay proceedings denied).
- Churchill v. Univ. of Colo. at Boulder, 285 P.3d 986 (Colo. 2012) (Successful amicus entry, suspension pending investigation with pay, held not actionable, claim for bad faith investigation rejected).
- Tuckel v. Grover, 660 F.3d 1249 (10th Cir. 2011) (Successful prisoner rights, pro bono appeal, held: plaintiff need not exhaust administrative remedies under fear of physical retaliation).
- Consulting Eng’rs Corp. v. Geometric Ltd., 561 F.3d 273 (4th Cir. 2009) (Electronic email traffic through state did not constitute sufficient minimum contacts for jurisdiction in that state).
- Cisneros v. ABC Rail Corp., 217 F.3d 1299 (10th Cir. 2000) (Hybrid LMRA sec. 301 and Title VII litigation, and exhaustion requirements regarding same).
- Shankle v. B-G Maintenance Mgmt. of Colorado, Inc., 163 F.3d 1230 (1999) (Fee-splitting provision of arbitration agreement analyzed under Title VII).
- Coleman v. B-G Maint. Mgmt., 108 F.3d 1199 (10th Cir. 1997) (Title VII claims dismissed in sex-plus claim).
Recognitions:
- 5280 Top Lawyers, Employment, from 2015
- Law Week Colorado, Barrister’s Best “Best Employment Lawyer for Defendants”, 2015
- Top Rated Lawyer in Labor & Employment, American Lawyer Media and Martindale-Hubbell™, 2013
- AV® Preeminent™, Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Rating
- Chambers USA, from 2013
- Best Lawyers in America, Employment Law, from 2008
- The American Lawyer and Corporate Counsel’s Top Rated Lawyers Guide to Labor & Employment Law, 2012
Admissions:
- Colorado
- U.S. Supreme Court
- U.S. District Court, District of Colorado
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Tenth Circuit
Education:
- J.D., 1988, University of Colorado Law School
- B.A., 1985, cum laude, Colorado College
- Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
