Ralph A. Peterson, Partner/Shareholder

Ralph A. Peterson is a Florida Bar Board Certified Labor and Employment Lawyer and is AV  peer-review rated for high ethical standards and preeminent legal ability in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory.  He also serves as an arbitrator with the National Arbitration Forum.  He has been recognized and selected by Florida attorneys as one of Florida's top 1.7% legal leaders as a member of Florida Trend magazine's Florida Legal Elite.  Mr. Peterson is also listed as one of the top practitioners in the field of Employment Law in the Chambers USA Client Guide to America's Leading Lawyers for Business (2004-2009), the Best Lawyers in America (2004-2009), and Florida Super Lawyers (2006-2009).  He recently received recognition in An International Who's Who of Management, Labor and Employment Lawyers and as one of The Florida Monthly's Florida's Top Lawyers (2008).
 
Mr. Peterson has practiced primarily in the area of labor and employment law and civil rights law for more than 28 years, while also engaging in a general civil trial practice and providing representation both in judicial and administrative proceedings.  He represents private and public sector management clients in all facets of labor and employment law, including traditional labor law and collective bargaining, employment discrimination law, wage and hour law, occupational safety and health law, sexual harassment, wrongful termination, unemployment compensation, executive employment contracts, personnel policies and manuals, discipline issues, corporate downsizing, trade secret and non-compete agreements and disputes, drug and alcohol testing, and government contractor obligations.  Mr. Peterson represents employers and management in a wide variety of labor and employment litigation matters, including arbitrations, hearings, and trials in state and federal trial courts and appellate courts, and before governmental agencies, including the EEOC, NLRB, DOL, OSHA, OFCCP, and various state agencies such as the Florida Commission on Human Relations, the Florida DOL, the Florida Department of Professional Regulation, and the Florida Attorney General's Office.  In addition, he devotes significant time to client counseling and litigation avoidance, focusing on preventive measures and the creation of strategies designed to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations with minimum business disruption.
 
Mr. Peterson is honored to be a charter member and an officer of the Academy of Florida Management Attorneys and also serves as a charter member of the Management Labor & Employment Roundtable (MLER), a national association of labor and employment lawyers recognized for their experience, expertise, and professionalism.  He is active as a Master in the Pensacola American Inns of Court, which is dedicated to the education of young attorneys and promotes the practice of law with ethics, integrity, and professionalism.  He served as a charter editor on the Editorial Review Board of THE FLORIDA LABOR LETTER and is currently the Editor of the HR SPECIALIST: FLORIDA EMPLOYMENT LAW, published by the National Institute of Business Management (NIBM).  As an important part of his practice, Mr. Peterson continues to lecture and present written papers on labor and employment law for seminars for attorneys, management, and human resources groups, and is a regular speaker and panel member for the Labor and Employment Law Advanced Practices Symposium, sponsored by the MLER and NIBM and held annually at various national sites.