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Overview

After more than 30 years, Terry is rarely surprised by employers’ questions. Knowing there are no cookie-cutter responses, he works to find solutions that perfectly fit each client.

Terry concentrates his practice on labor and management relations. As a former field attorney with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), he brings invaluable insight to clients. This wisdom results in solutions that are not only legally sound but also advance business goals.

Frequently working with healthcare and education clients, Terry exhibits a depth and breadth of industry understanding that enable him to turn obstacles into opportunities. Employment contracts, regulatory issues, worker safety, and wage and hour disputes are all within Terry’s scope. He is adept at union avoidance techniques, and he represents employers in collective bargaining, arbitration and complaints in front of the NLRB. He also assists national companies with state-by-state regulatory landscapes.

Much of Terry’s experience was earned inside state and federal courtrooms across the country, including appellate courts. Terry is frequently sought by clients and outside organizations for speaking engagements and training. He's also the editor and leading contributor to the firm's Labor Relations Law Insider blog. Terry is approachable and realistic, and he gives employers the information they need quickly and concisely.

Industries

Services

Recognition

  • The Best Lawyers in America®
    • Employment Law - Management, 2012-2025
    • Labor Law - Management, 2012-2025
    • Labor Law - Union, 2014-2025
    • Litigation - Labor & Employment, 2012-2025
  • Missouri Lawyers Media, POWER List for Employment Law, 2021-2024
  • Missouri Lawyers Media POWER List: POWER 30 Employment Law, 2020
  • Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent
  • Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers, Employment & Labor, 2006, 2016-2022
  • Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer, 2023 and 2024

Education

  • J.D., University of Missouri School of Law
  • B.A., University of Missouri

Admissions

  • Missouri
  • Illinois
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit

Professional Memberships and Certifications

  • American Bar Association
  • The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
  • Eighth Circuit Bar Association, Charter Member
  • Illinois State Bar Association
  • Certified Mediator, Eastern District of Missouri
  • Industrial Relations Research Association, Gateway Chapter
  • The Missouri Bar
  • Society for Human Resource Management Certification Institute, Faculty, 2008-present
Featured Experience

Savvy Negotiations Avert Picketing at Construction Site

A hospitality client was expanding its operations by building a major addition to its existing footprint. The work was performed by a number of different union contractors whose efforts all had to be coordinated to ensure completion of the project on schedule. Time was of the essence, as a significant portion of the client’s operations was shut down due to the expansion.

One of the on-site unions threatened picketing, which would have brought the entire construction project to an abrupt stop. Millions of dollars was at stake. However, Terry and the Husch Blackwell team successfully negotiated a resolution in short order, without any work interruption.


Additional Experience
  • Represented clients and developed strategies for collective bargaining at local and national level for clients across many industries.
  • Led collective bargaining efforts to obtain concessionary agreements without strikes, expedite implemented terms post-impasse, and develop strike and lock-out contingencies.
  • Represented clients during negotiation process in defending unfair labor practices, responding to corporate campaigns and obtaining relief for strike misconduct.
  • Won favorable decisions from district and appellate courts for metropolitan newspaper over union's attempt to arbitrate modification of retirement benefits.
  • Assisted Fortune 500 company in merging its operations with another major concern, which included issues regarding union successorship liability and Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN).
  • Negotiated settlement with Department of Labor regarding Davis-Bacon dispute, which resulted in de minimis payment rather than six-figure amount.
  • Resolved multiunion labor dispute in Chicago metropolitan area over multimillion-dollar construction project.
  • Defended Midwestern city in lawsuit filed by former police officer who claimed hostile work environment, sexual harassment, retaliation and constructive discharge. After weeklong trial, jury decided in favor of city on all claims.
Articles | October 31, 2024
Legal Insights for Manufacturing: Labor & Employment

Employment-related issues continue to rate among the greatest concerns for manufacturers, who are under pressure to maintain high-functioning workforces while complying with an ever-larger body of law that regulates the workplace.

White Papers | October 24, 2024
Legal Insights for Manufacturing: Outlook for 2025

Intensifying geopolitical crises, increasing regulatory burdens, and uncertain macroeconomic conditions have led to an era of caution for manufacturers.

White Papers | November 01, 2023
Legal Insights for Manufacturing: Outlook for 2024

With each passing day it becomes more apparent the world that entered the COVID-19 pandemic is not the world that emerged from it.

Blog | September 06, 2022
NLRB Mandates National Dress Code
Blog | February 22, 2021
The Nine Lives of Scabby the Rat
Legal Updates | February 27, 2020
NLRB Announces Final Rule on Joint Employer Standard
Outside the Office

Terry enjoys spending time in nature whenever he is able, especially to fly-fish.

Community Leadership
  • Old Newsboys, 2016 and 2017 Business Leaders Teams
  • World Bird Sanctuary, Board of Directors, 2011-present
  • Gateway Trout Unlimited, Board