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Chuck Poplstein

Partner

St. Louis
314 552 6095 314 552 6095 direct
314 552 7095 fax


Chuck is a creative and highly efficient employment litigator and advisor to private and public sector employers across a wide spectrum of industries.

As the co-chair of Thompson Coburn's Human Resource practice, he draws on his 35-plus years of experience to help clients solve personnel problems, conduct investigations, manage exposure to liability, effectively defend their interests in litigation, and receive an early and realistic assessment of their risk.

Chuck has extensive experience counseling clients through all phases of non-compete and trade secret litigation across the country, from Massachusetts, Illinois, and Missouri to Texas and California. He has pioneered creative approaches to these matters, including replevin and long-arm statutes, that help companies protect their proprietary information.

Chuck represents employers in high-stakes collective and class action litigation involving claims related to wage and hour, wage payment, background checks, and independent contractors. He has successfully defended or settled such matters in Missouri, Illinois, California, and Washington, D.C.

Employers frequently look to Chuck for targeted advice on major executive employment disputes. He has designed, negotiated, and litigated executive employment agreements and helped employers win favorable resolutions in arbitrations and before state and federal courts. He also advises and arbitrates ERISA and multi-employer withdrawal liability issues. His experience extends to litigating SOX whistleblower claims and conducting SOX and harassment investigations. In his decades-long experience in traditional labor and collective bargaining, Chuck has successfully negotiated contracts in the areas of health care, social services, and public sector services.

Among other national honors, Chuck is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, and has been twice named to Human Resource Executive magazine's list of the country's "Most Powerful Employment Attorneys" (2013-2014).

Thompson Coburn Publications

RED ALERT: FTC issues a new nationwide rule invalidating the use of employee noncompete agreements by most private employers!

Employers, Beware: Recent NLRB Decision Makes it Significantly Easier for Employees to Achieve Union Representation Without an Election

Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Expands Title VII Coverage in a Reversal of Longstanding Precedent

Pay transparency may be coming to Illinois job postings sooner than we thought

New NLRB ruling changes what terms private sector employers can include in many severance agreements

Missouri’s new marijuana law: What employers need to know

U.S. Supreme Court sides with employers over arbitration of PAGA claims

The City of Chicago amends sexual harassment laws, including new training, policy, and notice requirements

Illinois Department of Labor issues first guidance on the state’s Equal Pay Act

New law to bar mandatory arbitration of sexual harassment and assault claims

Sixth Circuit dissolves stay of OSHA vax or test mandate for large employers paving way for enforcement

Be prepared for the new Illinois equal pay reporting and certification requirements

Missouri legislature passes new protections for businesses from COVID-19 suits

Illinois adds additional restrictions on use of background checks and new EEO requirements

How will the landmark Title VII decision in Bostock affect employer liability standards for LGBTQ+ employees?

What employers need to know about the Families First Coronavirus Response Act

How the St. Louis City and County Orders may affect your business

Coronavirus legislation may impact your paid leave and FMLA obligations

Missouri to join Right to Work ranks: Is the fight over or just warming up?

TCLEs

Blurred lines: The Recent Rulings Changing the Game for Both Union and Non-Union Employers

New Vaccine Mandates

Re-Opening Issues and Employer Liability Concerns In The Era Of COVID-19

Blogs

Blog Browse: Coronavirus legislation may impact your paid leave and FMLA obligations

Publications

Contributing Editor, Treatises on Covenants Not To Compete, Employee Duty of Loyalty, Tortious Interference in the Employment Context, and Trade Secrets;
ABA Labor and Employment Law Section