William E. O'Gara - Johnston, RI

Overview

Awards and Honors

Super Lawyers® Selectees

Super Lawyers® is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The patented selection process includes independent research, peer nominations, and peer evaluations. The number provided represents the number of attorneys at the firm that have been selected to the Super Lawyers or Rising Stars lists.

William E. O'Gara included in a Super Lawyers® list

Education

• Legal Education

  • Northeastern University School of Law, Boston, Massachusetts, 1989
    J.D.

• Non Legal Education

  • University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island, 1984
    M.A.
    Major: Industrial Relations

Current Employment Position(s)

• Managing Principal

Past Positions

• Bingham, Dana & Gould and Holland & Knight

Classes and Seminars

• Frequent Lecturer, Human Resources Management Topics

Pro Bono Activities

• Goodwill Industries of Rhode Island
• Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce
• Nickerson Community Center
• East Greenwich Chamber of Commerce
• Northern RI Chamber of Commerce

Representative Clients

• Successfully tried numerous employment discrimination cases arising under the Family and Medical Leave Act, state and federal civil rights laws, wage and overtime laws, whistleblower protection acts, and state and federal labor laws.

• Handled various matters involving complex directors and officers (D&O) coverage issues, including a current case arising in the context of an insolvency proceeding; wrongful termination and retaliation cases; and a major product liability case arising out of a tragic nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island.

• Successfully represented clients in federal court on breach of contract claims arising out of multimillion-dollar property damage claims.

• Successfully defended a manufacturer of machinery in connection with a multimillion-dollar fire loss claim.

• Represented the Employees' Retirement System of Rhode Island, a legal entity subordinate to the Rhode Island General Treasurer's Office, on numerous matters that have been litigated before the Rhode Island Supreme Court and Rhode Island Superior Court.

Published Works

Articles

• Judge faults retirement panel in accidental disability case
  
• New Rhode Island Law Requires Employers To Provide Paid Sick Leave
  
• Business Matters (Oct 2019)
  
• PLDO Employment Advisory (Sept 2019)
  
• NLRB retreat on aggressive posting rule favors business
  
• Labor and employment law update 2020: What is next?

Bar Admissions

• Massachusetts, 1989
• Rhode Island, 1990
• U.S. Court of Appeals 1st Circuit

Other Affiliations

• Rhode Island Bar Association
• Massachusetts Bar Association
• New York Bar Association, Fourth District Bar Association Ethics Committee
• Society of Human Resources Management
• RI Society for Human Resource Management State Chapter