Representing Management in Labor & Employment Matters

Metzger Lazarek Employment Law

56 Arbor Street, Suite 202 | Hartford, CT 06106 | 860.549.5026

Learn More

About Our Firm

Metzger Lazarek

We joined forces to practice labor and employment law together because we share the same vision - a law practice that focuses on service to the client, and not on the billable hour. We pride ourselves on providing responsive and effective legal advice and personalized service to each and every client we represent.

Both of us have focused the majority of our legal careers on representing employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. We provide reliable and practical counsel on the following topics, among others:

  • Discipline and discharge determinations
  • FMLA, ADA, OSHA and workers' compensation compliance
  • Wrongful discharge and other employment-related torts
  • Personnel and pay evaluation
  • Non-competition and trade secret protection
  • Litigation strategy and defense
  • State and federal wage and hour compliance
  • Collective bargaining, contract negotiation and administration, and interest arbitration proceedings
  • Union election campaigns and NLRB proceedings
  • State and federal discrimination laws and affirmative action obligations
  • Personnel policy review and administration

Our clients include municipalities, quasi-governmental agencies, hospitals and other health care providers, non-profit agencies and privately owned companies large and small. We've both had big firm experience, giving us the knowledge and connections to help successfully resolve your employment concerns, and our decision to form a smaller firm gives us the opportunity to offer you that experience along with a special emphasis on client service.

We pride ourselves on our personalized approach, and take the time to fully listen and understand your workplace, your personnel and your unique challenges as an employer, allowing us to craft solutions that are specifically tailored to your needs. We maintain stellar reputations in the labor and employment community in Connecticut, enabling us to work effectively and credibly on your behalf with adversaries, government officials and third party decision makers such as judges and arbitrators, often resulting in settlement of claims without having to resort to costly litigation. In the unfortunate event that litigation becomes necessary, we zealously represent your interests, and make sure that you are fully involved in the process every step of the way.

We accomplish all of this at very reasonable hourly rates considering our years of experience. We are able to keep our rates down because we strive to keep our costs low. In this economic climate, we don't believe clients want to pay for the hefty overhead that comes with larger law firms.

About Us

David L. Metzger

David L. Metzger Attorney at Law

Attorney David L. Metzger has counseled and defended employers in labor and employment matters since 1986. He represents both public and private sector management clients against claims made in federal and state courts and administrative agencies under the full range of common law, statutory and constitutional causes of action.

Prior to entering private practice, Mr. Metzger served as Chief of Compliance, Monitoring and Enforcement for the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO), after previously holding non-legal positions at the agency. He has served on several agency and legislative committees related to the CHRO, including an appointment by Governor Rell to a committee dedicated to studying the CHRO and diversity in Connecticut. In addition, Mr. Metzger has served on two law revision committees, and on the Connecticut Advisory Committee to the United States Civil Rights Commission.

Mr. Metzger is active on the Executive Committee of the Connecticut Bar Association Labor and Employment Section, formerly served as co-chair of the Employment Discrimination Subcommittee, and has also co-chaired the Labor and Employment Committee of the Hartford County Bar Association. He works closely with the Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA), testifies on behalf of employers at the State Capitol on labor and employment legislation, and is a frequent speaker at seminars and trainings on employment law topics. He is a member of the bar of the State of Connecticut, the District of Connecticut, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.

Lisa S. Lazarek

Lisa S. Lazarek Attorney at Law

Attorney Lisa S. Lazarek has dedicated her legal career to representing management in labor and employment law matters since her graduation with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1994. She represents and counsels public and private sector employers on a wide range of labor and employment issues, but focuses her practice on labor relations, contract negotiation and administration, interest and grievance arbitration, and defense of claims before administrative tribunals such as the American Arbitration Association, the Connecticut State Board of Mediation and Arbitration, the state and federal Labor Relations Boards, and the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. She regularly counsels employers on compliance with labor and employment laws and regulations, with particular emphasis on resolving conflicting obligations between collective bargaining and anti-discrimination statutes.

Earlier in her career, Ms. Lazarek served as the Assistant General Counsel to the Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations for five years, providing her with a unique "insider's" perspective on the State's labor laws and how they are interpreted and applied.

Ms. Lazarek actively participates in professional labor and employment organizations, including the Connecticut Bar Association (Labor & Employment Section; Administrative Law Section); the Labor and Employment Relations Association, Connecticut Chapter; Connecticut Public Employer Labor Relations Association; Connecticut Association of Municipal Attorneys (Executive Board Member, 2003-present; President 2006-2008); and Connecticut Labor & Employment Women. She is a regular speaker on such topics as sexual harassment prevention and labor-management relations issues. She is admitted to practice in the State and Federal Courts of Connecticut.