Dane Steffenson

Dane Steffenson is a nationally recognized employment litigator, trusted advisor, and skilled problem solver with unique insight into the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) enforcement strategies, policies and procedures. Dane spent more than 17 years litigating some of the DOL’s most complex, novel and high-profile cases. He served as lead counsel on hundreds of employment law cases, including more than 25 trials and many mediations involving complex matters under the:

• Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA)
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)
• Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)
• Service Contract Act (SCA)
• Executive Order 11246 (OFCCP)
• H1-B visa program for temporary specialty workers
• Various whistleblower statutes

In 2016, Dane’s peers and the Solicitor of Labor recognized him as the DOL’s top litigator.

Dane applies creative problem solving and sound business acumen to balance client objectives with effective strategies for minimizing legal risk. He effectively diffuses high-pressure situations and works collaboratively with adversaries to creatively expand available options, opportunities and solutions to resolve complex issues. When matters cannot be resolved early, Dane consistently and successfully crafts efficient litigation strategies to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses. His discovery methods are designed to win summary judgment, successfully limit or strike opposing experts, and obtain favorable trial verdicts.

Dane focuses his practice on the FLSA and other wage and hour litigation, ERISA, and OSHA. His unique insights and years of experience working with and training DOL investigators proves invaluable to clients successfully navigating DOL investigations. His FLSA and ERISA practice ranges from single plaintiff to large, complex class or collective actions, and he has particular experience with contingent workforces, independent contractor misclassification and Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). Dane manages OSHA inspections, including those resulting from fatalities and catastrophes, and any resulting litigation for small subcontractors to large multinationals in general industry and construction.  Dane’s practice involves employers in many industries, including:

• Airlines and aerospace
• Construction
• Cable and dish installers
• Healthcare
• Insurance
• Manufacturing
• Restaurant
• Retail
• Staffing agencies and PEOs
• Transportation

Dane is a regular speaker on wage and hour issues, OSHA, ERISA and DOL investigations. In addition to training many DOL attorneys and investigators, he co-produced training materials for the federal judiciary on the FLSA and appears in the current FLSA training video for federal law clerks. He is a co-chair of the American Bar Association’s Fair Labor Legislation Standards committee, editor for the Collective Actions and “Hybrid” Class Actions chapter of the Fair Labor Standards Act (BNA Third Edition), and regular contributor to FLSA and ERISA annual case updates.