Attorney Profile
Jean E. Novak
Education:, University of Pittsburgh, J.D., 1993
Admissions: 1993, Pennsylvania and U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania; 1998, U.S. Court of Appeals, Third Circuit
Practice Areas: Labor and Employment Defense
Jean E. Novak is a senior associate with the Pittsburgh office of Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky. With many years as in-house counsel, she understands the need for legal advisors to provide practical, affordable solutions for clients. She focuses her practice on labor and employment defense, advising clients on prevention of problems, and litigating cases when necessary.
Ms. Novak counsels employers on a myriad of issues that arise in the workplace context. She has represented a range of employers from steelmakers, coal companies, hospitals and retailers to quasi-public organizations such as school districts and government agencies.
As in-house counsel to a closely-held clothing retailer, Ms. Novak trained the owners and managers on discrimination issues and advised on substantive trends and case law changes. She substantially rewrote the company's employee handbook and handled disputes before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, among other government bodies. From a business perspective she oversaw company contracts and real estate sales and leases, and in litigation matters supervised the work of outside counsel, involving some of Pittsburgh's largest firms.
While with a boutique law firm, she handled labor and employment issues as well as workers' and unemployment compensation defense for clients from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. For one non-profit client facing financial crisis and downsizing, Ms. Novak helped structure separation packages that were fair and equitable.
In her current practice, Ms. Novak has represented both businesses and executives in a variety of employment matters. She has successfully represented clients in the mediation of discrimination and overtime disputes. She has also successfully negotiated severance agreements and executive contracts. Ms. Novak is developing a small business practice aimed at preventing employment disputes before litigation becomes necessary.
Public Speaking
Ms. Novak frequently is asked to serve as a speaker on employment issues, including ethics in employment matters. Since 2003 she has been a guest lecturer in the business schools at the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University and Chatham University. She also serves as an instructor in Business Ethics at Duquesne University.
Professional Activities
Active in the legal profession, Ms. Novak has served the Allegheny County Bar Association as chair of the Arts and the Law Section and as a member of both the Workers' Compensation Section and the Bench-Bar Committee. She also is a past member of the board of directors of ProArts, which promotes the arts in the Pittsburgh region. Ms. Novak served as a legal advisor for a panel of PowerLink, an organization devoted providing professional advice to businesses owned by women, and she currently serves as a legal volunteer at the Bayer Center for Non-Profit Management, Robert Morris University.
Community Leadership
Ms. Novak has a high profile in community service activities. She is a past president of the Junior League of Pittsburgh, where she had earlier served as Community Assessment and Development Director and Projects Director. She serves on the Admissions Council of Carnegie-Mellon University, and she serves as secretary on the board of directors of the Unseam'd Shakespeare Theatre Company. In 1999, Ms. Novak was named one of Pittsburgh's "Fifty Finest".
