Mathew A. Parker

Mathew may not be one of those table-pounding attorneys, but make no mistake, he is a fierce litigator. His ability to speak calmly and reasonably as well as to ask questions and actually listen to the answers makes him an especially strong negotiator and effective in advocating for his clients’ best interests.

Mathew’s employment law practice is multidimensional. He defends employers against a wide range of employment claims ranging from unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation to wrongful discharge and wage-and-hour violations. He litigates these claims throughout the country in both federal and state courts, as well as before administrative agencies, like the Department of Labor, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission. Some of Mathew’s favorite successes on behalf of his clients over just the past year include obtaining:

• A Plaintiff’s agreement to voluntary dismiss his public policy wrongful discharge claim following the close of discovery and summary judgment briefing;
• The dismissal of a Plaintiff’s workers’ compensation retaliation claim through summary judgment; and
• Multiple dismissals of administrative charges of discrimination determinations through determinations of “no probable cause.”

In addition to defending employers against single-plaintiff claims, Mathew also has years of experience litigating multi-plaintiff and complex class and collective action wage-and-hour and FCRA claims, often involving hundreds or even thousands of potential plaintiffs. Since he began practicing law in 2010, Mathew has been counsel in more than 20 class and collective action wage-and-hour cases involving national hospitality, restaurant, and retail employers, amongst others. These cases involved some of the most common wage-and-hour “traps” like misclassification of exempt employees or independent contractors; failure to properly calculate the regular rate of pay; tips, service charges, and tip pools; and improper recordkeeping.

While Mathew is a litigator at heart, he also frequently counsels employers about avoiding litigation. In this regard, Mathew educates executives, human resource teams, and other corporate groups on how to fairly and effectively manage their workforces through things like:

• Creating and implementing employee handbooks and policies;
• Advising regarding hiring, performance evaluation, documentation, and discharge decisions;
• Managing leave issues and developing strategies to prevent leave abuse;
• Auditing for compliance with various wage-and-hour laws; and
• Training HR and management.

Mathew is a frequent writer and speaker offering his insights on various employment law and HR-related topics. He also represents employers’ interests as a member of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce’s Labor & Employment Law Committee and he is a member of the Columbus Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Law Committee. Mathew is licensed to practice in both Ohio and New York.

Mathew resides in Columbus’ vibrant Clintonville neighborhood with his wife and their young twins. They enjoy doing what folks in Clintonville do best – shopping the local farmer’s markets and exploring the many breweries on the Columbus Ale Trail. Mathew is an avid runner, and if he does not return your email or phone call immediately, you can probably find him running up and down High Street or along the Olentangy River Trail.

Mathew has been selected for inclusion Ohio Super Lawyers Rising Stars since 2018.