Stephen E. Baumann II

Steve Baumann partners with employers of all sizes, from small startups to Fortune 500 companies, to address and resolve employment and traditional labor issues throughout the employment lifecycle, from hiring through performance management, corrective action, and separation of employment. Among other things, Steve advises employers about employment agreements, employment policies, protection of trade secrets, restrictive covenant agreements, and other issues confronting employers in a constantly evolving legal landscape.

Steve also has a robust litigation practice in federal and state courts nationwide, including complex litigation involving trade secrets, noncompete agreements, nonsolicit agreements, discrimination, retaliation, harassment, failure-to-accommodate, and wrongful termination.

For example, Steve has:

• Obtained a federal jury verdict following a five-day trial on Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) case for a large publicly traded employer
• Obtained temporary restraining orders (TROs) and preliminary injunctions following hotly contested evidentiary proceedings to protect the trade secrets, confidential information, and competitive advantages of energy companies, advertising companies, mid-size distributing companies, medical device companies, industrial maintenance and repair companies, and others
• Obtained Rule 12 dismissal of putative Rule 23 class action claims against construction industry client on claims of failure to pay wages under the Colorado Wage Claim Act, RICO, and the Colorado Organized Crime and Control Act (COCCA)
• Obtained dismissal of claims for familial-status discrimination under the Colorado Anti-Discrimination Act (CADA) against small business, affirmed by the Colorado Court of Appeals, when, on an issue of apparent first impression, the court concluded that CADA does not protect familial status
• Obtained voluntary dismissal of claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) against a multinational financial services company following discovery sanctions entered against plaintiff and her counsel
• Obtained Rule 12 dismissal of allegations seeking a declaratory judgment on enforceability of a non-compete agreement, as well as damages for outrageous conduct, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and invasion of privacy, on behalf of alternative energy company, including an award of fees and costs against plaintiff
• Obtained Rule 12 dismissal, affirmed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, on ERISA-related RICO claims, on behalf of Fortune 500 financial services company
• Obtained summary judgment for small energy company in a case brought by its former founder and CEO alleging breach of contract, wrongful termination, and shareholder derivative claims
• Obtained summary judgment in Title VII race discrimination arbitration for aerospace and defense contractor
• Successfully defended charges of discrimination in state and federal agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Colorado Civil Rights Division (CCRD), and the Department of Labor (DOL)

Steve further helps employers remain union-free and manage their union-represented workplaces. When traditional labor concerns arise, Steve has:

• Conducted positive employee relations training
• Conducted successful union-organizing campaigns and defeated representation petitions
• Successfully bargained first contracts and successor agreements in collective bargaining negotiations
• Successfully litigated employee grievances
• Successfully defended unfair labor practice charges before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and its state-level counterparts
• Advised clients in avoiding potential strike activity

As a volunteer with the Center for Legal Inclusiveness, Steve participates in high school, university, and post-graduate level programs to promote inclusiveness in the legal profession. 

Prior to joining Littler, Steve's practice included employment law, governmental liability defense, and complex commercial litigation in a wide variety of practice areas at a regional firm in Denver. During law school, Steve co-taught the first-year legal writing and advocacy program as a legal writing and advocacy fellow. He was a content editor for the Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal. He previously served as a judicial extern for the Hon. Manuel L. Real in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.