Overview
Very strong knowledge of the law.
- Chambers USA 2017
Robert "Bob" S. Turk is a Shareholder in the Firm and the Chair of the Labor & Employment Department. He also serves as a member of the Firm's Board of Directors. He practices in the areas of employment litigation, wage and hour representation, supervisory training, employment audits, equal employment opportunity claims, affirmative action, union avoidance, wrongful discharge, employment and union contracts, trade secrets contracts, non-competition agreements, employment policies, drug-free workplace policies and representation of unionized employers in collective bargaining.
Bob is a past Chair of the Labor & Employment Law Section of The Florida Bar and a past President of the Academy of Florida Management Attorneys. He is actively involved with the South Florida Hospitality Human Resources Association. He also lectures regularly to various legal and business groups.
Representative Experience
- Partners with clients on innovative changes to the workplace and restructuring of workforce.
- Defends employers in federal and state court on claims including: race, sex, national origin, disability, religion, pregnancy, and other protected categories.
- Defends employers in federal and state courts on wage and hour claims (individual and “class action”).
- Defends employers in state and federal courts on breach of contract claims, state discrimination claims, whistleblower and workers’ compensation retaliation.
- Defends employers before federal, state and local administrative enforcement agencies on a full range of employment-related claims.
- Drafts handbook and workplace policies, counsels employers regarding policy implementation.
- Regularly trains supervisors and employees on labor and employment laws and harassment-free workplace issues.
- Advises employers on unions corporate campaigns and on obligations under the National Labor Relations Act, and represents employers before the National Labor Relations Board.
- Negotiates collective bargaining agreements on behalf of employers in the hospitality, healthcare and services industries.
- Song-writer: two “employment-related” song parodies (neither of which has made the pop charts).
Professional & Community Involvement
- Academy of Florida Management Attorneys (AFMA), Charter Member,
President 2011-2012 - The Dave and Mary Alper Jewish Community Center, President 2011-2014; Board of Directors 2003-2010, 2015, 2017-2019
- The Florida Bar, Labor and Employment Law Section: Member, 1978-Present; Chair, 2013-2014; Chair-Elect, 2012-2013; Secretary/Treasurer, 2011-2012; Legal Education Director 2010 - 2011; Executive Council, 1987-2001, 2008-2010, 2014-Present; Certification Committee, 2000-2003; Co-Chair, Wage and Hour Liaison Committee, 1994-1996; Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Liaison, Chair 1988-1991
- Employment Law Alliance, Founding Member
- American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Committee, Member 1978-2009, 2016-Present
- Florida International University, Council of 100, Member 1990-2001
- Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Drug and Crime Prevention Legislative Committee, Chair 1989-1995
- South Florida Hospitality Human Resources Association, Member 2001-Present
- Coconut Grove Playhouse, Member, Board of Trustees 2000-2006
Recognition
- Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business – Ranked # 1 in Employment Law, 2004-2019
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Miami Litigation - Labor & Employment Lawyer of the Year, 2012, 2016
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Miami Labor Law - Management Lawyer of the Year, 2015, 2018
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Miami Employment Law - Management Lawyer of the Year, 2014
- The Best Lawyers in America®, 2006-2019
- Florida Super Lawyers, 2006-2018
- The College of Labor & Employment Lawyers, Fellow, 2016-Present
- ALM – South Florida’s Top Rated Lawyer, Labor and Employment Law, 2013
- South Florida Legal Guide, "Top Lawyers in Labor and Employment," 2010-2012
- South Florida Legal Guide, "Top Lawyers in South Florida," 2005-2013
- Florida Trend's Florida Legal Elite, 2004-2006; 2010
- South Florida Business Journal Key Partners Awards, Finalist Labor and Employment, 2008
- South Florida Business Journal, "Heavy Hitter in Human Resources," 2004
- Award of Excellence presented by The Florida Bar, Labor and Employment Law Section 1992, 1993 and 2000
- Recipient of The Florida Bar Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Labor and Employment Law Section Continuing Legal Education Program, 1992 and 2001
- AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Publications & Presentations
Events:
The Applicant Dating Game
Stearns Weaver Miller's 29th Annual Labor and Employment Law Seminar|May 2019
Events:
Are You Sherlock Holmes or Inspector Clouseau? –Conducting Workplace Investigations
Stearns Weaver Miller's Annual Tampa Labor and Employment Law Seminar|May 2019
Events:
Meet the Gang – NLRB Workplace Rules, What’s Up at the EEOC, Immigration Update, Wage and Hour Hot Topics, Marijuana Update
Stearns Weaver Miller's Annual Tampa Labor and Employment Law Seminar|May 2019
Publications:
Our group is growing again – Tallahassee here we come!
BeLabor the Point Blog|January 2019
Events:
“Writing the Perfect Performance Improvement Plan”
Brightline Training Seminar|January 2019
Events:
HR Rubik’s Cube: Solving the ADA, FMLA and Worker’s Compensation Prize
Emerging Trends Seminar Series|November 2018
Publications:
Political Out Of The Box Thinking On “Ban The Box”
BeLabor The Point Blog|October 2018
Events:
NLRB Developments: A Year of Change
8th Annual South Florida's Premier Labor & Employment Law Conference|August 2018
Newsroom
Firm Announcements:
Stearns Weaver Miller Lawyers Recognized in Florida Super Lawyers 2018
June 2018
Firm Announcements:
23 Stearns Weaver Miller Lawyers in 10 Practice Areas Ranked In Chambers USA 2018
May 2018
Firm Announcements:
Our group is growing – Tampa here we come!
BeLabor The Point Blog|August 2017
Firm Announcements:
Stearns Weaver Miller Lawyers Recognized in Florida Super Lawyers 2017
June 2017
Firm Announcements:
19 Stearns Weaver Miller Lawyers, 8 Practice Areas Ranked In Chambers USA 2017
May 2017
Firm Announcements:
Bob Turk Inducted As Fellow of The College of Labor & Employment Lawyers
BeLabor The Point Blog|December 2016
In the Media:
BeLabor the Point Takes the Time and Informs (in Two Languages)
LXBN|December 2016
In the Media:
BeLabor The Point Listed Among ABA's10th Annual Blawg 100
American Bar Association |December 2016