George E. O'Brien Jr.

George E. O'Brien Jr.


Littler

Recognized since 2001

New Haven, Connecticut

Practice Areas

Employment Law - Management

Labor Law - Management

Litigation - Labor and Employment

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2024 - Litigation - Labor and Employment
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George E. O'Brien represents and counsels employers on a wide variety of labor matters, including:

  • Collective bargaining
  • Unfair labor practice proceedings
  • Labor representation cases and elections
  • Grievances
  • Injunction proceedings
  • Arbitrations
  • Mediation
  • Union relationships
  • Wrongful discharge
  • Breach of contract
  • Discrimination claims
  • Jury trials

    He appears in state and federal courts and represents management before the National Labor Relations Board and other administrative agencies, including the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, the Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations, and the Connecticut Board of Mediation and Arbitration. He has handled claims arising under:

    • The National Labor Relations Act
    • The Connecticut Municipal Employee Relations Act
    • State and Federal Anti-Discrimination Laws
    • State and Federal Wage & Hour Laws

      George recently argued at the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to have the court invalidate a controversial ruling of the National Labor Relations Board restricting the rights of employers to regulate employee conduct that is offensive to customers.

      George tried the first federal court case in Connecticut involving a claim of sexual orientation discrimination, obtaining a defendant's judgment for a major insurance company. He represented a large Connecticut municipality in connection with the privatization of the town golf course, defeating union attempts to obtain a court injunction against the transaction. On behalf of a regional transportation company, he obtained a precedent-setting decision by the National Labor Relations Board defeating a union's successorship claim, and on behalf of an acute care hospital in New York he obtained multi-million dollar contract concessions from a registered nurses' union.

      He won a defendant's verdict on behalf of a Connecticut acute care hospital in a jury trial involving discrimination and retaliation claims based on race and national origin. He has negotiated severance agreements with departing high-ranking officials for numerous major employers in Connecticut, and represented a Massachusetts acute care hospital in an NLRB representation case and election in which the union was soundly defeated.

      George's clients include:

      • Hospitals
      • Manufacturers
      • Physician Practices
      • Colleges and Universities

        The office managing shareholder and a founding member of Littler Mendelson's New Haven office, George is a core team member of the firm's Health Care Industry Practice Group and a member of the Good Business Practices Committee. Prior to working at Littler, he was a partner in a major Connecticut general practice firm, where he chaired its labor and employment practice. He was the law clerk for Chief Judge T. Emmet Clarie of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut after serving as editor-in-chief of the Connecticut Law Review while in law school.

Location
  • One Century Tower
    265 Church Street, Suite 300
    New Haven, CT 06510
Education
  • University of Connecticut, J.D., graduated 1975
Bar Admissions
  • Connecticut, Connecticut Bar Association
Affiliations
  • Board of Directors - Friends of New Haven Legal Services - Member
  • Executive Committee, Labor and Employment Section - Connecticut Bar Association - Member
  • New Haven Inn of Court - Member

Littler
Headquarters: San Francisco, California

234 The Best Lawyers in America® awards

192 Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America awards

Best Law Firms Badge Visit Website View Firm Profile

Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2024 - Litigation - Labor and Employment Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2023 - Labor Law - Management Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2021 - Employment Law - Management Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2019 - Labor Law - Management Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2019 - Litigation - Labor and Employment Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2018 - Employment Law - Management Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2017 - Labor Law - Management Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2016 - Litigation - Labor and Employment Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2015 - Labor Law - Management Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2014 - Employment Law - Management Lawyer of the Year Badge - 2013 - Litigation - Labor and Employment
Named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers® for:
  • Litigation - Labor and Employment, New Haven (2024)
  • Labor Law - Management, New Haven (2023)
  • Employment Law - Management, New Haven (2021)
  • Labor Law - Management, New Haven (2019)
  • Litigation - Labor and Employment, New Haven (2019)
  • Employment Law - Management, New Haven (2018)
  • Labor Law - Management, New Haven (2017)
  • Litigation - Labor and Employment, New Haven (2016)
  • Labor Law - Management, New Haven (2015)
  • Employment Law - Management, New Haven (2014)
  • Litigation - Labor and Employment, New Haven (2013)
Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America® 2024 for work in:
  • Employment Law - Management
  • Labor Law - Management
  • Litigation - Labor and Employment
Special Focus:
  • Arbitration and Mediation
  • Class Actions
  • Defense
  • Health Care
  • Labor
  • Litigation
  • Management
  • National Labor Relations Board
  • State and Federal
  • Title VII Litigation
  • Wrongful Discharge
Awards:
  • Awarded, Martindale-Hubbell AV® Peer Review Rating - Healthcare
  • Named, Super Lawyer - Connecticut, Super Lawyers, 2006-2012
  • Named, America's Leading Lawyers for Business - Chambers USA, 2003-2013

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Publications

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