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Tessa L. Castner
Partner
Cincinnati, OH
Partner
Cincinnati, OH
Tessa serves as a trusted advisor and litigator representing employers and management in three primary areas of employment law: (1) discrimination and harassment issues, (2) wage and hour matters, and (3) noncompetes and trade secrets.
As an advisor, Tessa proactively assists clients with navigating disciplinary matters, terminations, policy implementation, wage and hour compliance, noncompete disputes, and other employment issues. She writes multi-state compliant personnel policies, represents companies in administrative investigations, and offers real-time counsel for navigating personnel concerns. Tessa lends unique insight from her significant experience serving as external general counsel for a client.
As a litigator, Tessa regularly defends clients against administrative charges and lawsuits alleging claims of discrimination, harassment, and even fair housing violations. Tessa also has significant experience defending against class and collective wage and hour claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act and state laws. She assists companies with both defending and prosecuting non-competition and trade secret claims.
Tessa is a member of the firm’s Wage and Hour and Noncompete Teams. Her clients range from nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies and from local family businesses to large international companies.
Washington University School of Law, J.D., 2015, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif
Chief Notes Editor, Washington University Law Review
Staff Editor, Washington University Law Review
The Ohio State University, B.A., Political Science & Spanish, 2012, magna cum laude
Legal Intern for the Honorable Audrey G. Fleissig, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.
U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit
U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio
U.S. District Court, Northern District of Ohio
Ohio Supreme Court
PLEDGE (Promoting Lawyer Excellence & Driving Gender Equality) 2021 Honoree, John W. Peck Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky Chapter of the Federal Bar Association
Selected to Ohio Rising Stars, 2021-2025
YWCA Rising Star, Class of 2020
United Way Board Orientation & Leadership Development (“BOLD”) Program, Class of 2016
American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
Ohio State Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
Cincinnati Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
Ohio Women’s Bar Association
Girls on the Run of Greater Cincinnati, Inc., Board Member
ArtsWave Young Professionals Committee, Member
Board Orientation and Leadership Development Program, United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Spring 2016
June 23, 2025 | Blogs
Most multifamily owners and managers are aware that discrimination against disabled tenants can resu...
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May 30, 2023 | Publications
The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), recently signed into law by President Biden and effective ...
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
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July 19, 2021 | Publications
On June 9, President Joe Biden issued his Executive Order on Promoting American Competition in the E...
March 19, 2021 | Coronavirus Response Team
President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) into law at the beginning of March. At...
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
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March 4, 2021 | Coronavirus Response Team
The Department of Labor (DOL), under President Joe Biden’s administration, recently issued new gui...
February 12, 2021 | Publications
During the past several presidential transitions, it has become a trend for the incoming administrat...
December 23, 2020 | Publications
On December 22, 2020, the Department of Labor (DOL) announced a final rule amending the Fair Labor S...
April 16, 2020 | Coronavirus Response Team
The Department of Labor (“DOL”) recently released two advisories providing further information, ...
April 2, 2020 | Coronavirus Response Team
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, National Guardsmen are and will be called to service to suppor...
March 27, 2020 | Blogs
The House gave final passage to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).Â...
March 27, 2020 | Blogs
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), a sweeping third-wave relief pac...
March 21, 2019 | Publications
The city of Cincinnati adopted an ordinance prohibiting employers from asking about or relying on th...
March 8, 2019 | Publications
On March 7, 2019, the Department of Labor (“DOL”) announced that it is proposing an increase to ...
December 22, 2017 | Publications
After years of writing cogent dissents in a series of union-friendly decisions, former National Labo...
October 11, 2017 | Publications
Effective January 1, 2018, the Ohio minimum wage will increase to $8.30 per hour for non-tipped empl...
June 12, 2017 | Publications
Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta announced that the Department of Labor (DOL) has withdrawn its 2015...
November 8, 2016 | Publications
As we previously reported, on May 12, 2016, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)...
May 4, 2016 | Publications
The Department of Labor (DOL) just issued a new Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) poster that summ...
December 7, 2015 | Publications
White Collar Exemption Revisions Delayed Until At Least July 2016 Just before Thanksgiving, the Depa...