March 11, 2021
Mark Opara is a corporate shareholder and chairs the firm’s Mentors Committee. He has extensive experience in Employment Law and has assisted clients with a wide range of employment matters, including preparation of employee handbooks, personnel policies, and separation agreements, drafting and negotiating non-competition agreements, employee/contractor classification issues, wage and hour compliance, responding to EEOC and state agency discrimination charges, ADA/FMLA leave compliance, and issues related to social media. Mark is a frequent author on developments in employment law. His unique corporate practice encompasses a blend of Employment Law with the Health Care industry. He also counsels physicians, physician groups, and hospitals with a wide range of legal needs. Mark is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and also serves as a Board Member for Kansas City PBS.
Shannon Cohorst Johnson, a shareholder and member of the firm’s Executive Committee, practices primarily in Employment Law, Litigation, and the Transportation industry. She enjoys helping navigate clients through employee issues, investigations, contractual issues, and defending discrimination and wage and hour lawsuits, and is very experienced in class action defense. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Shannon has presented several webinars for employers and human resource professionals on the rapidly changing landscape of employment law. As president-elect for the Association of Women Lawyers and secretary of the board for Women Construction Owners and Executives, Shannon is passionate about supporting women in the legal profession and other traditionally male-dominated industries. She was recently honored by Missouri Lawyers Media as a Law Firm Leader, and part of a trial team honored in the Top 5 Plaintiffs Verdicts for 2020. She is also recognized as a Missouri/Kansas Super Lawyer.
“As co-chairs of the firm’s 16 member Employment Law practice group, Mark and Shannon will bring a dynamic compliance and litigation leadership team to our practice group and will continue our reputation for responsive, cost-effective and excellent service to our clients across the broad range of employment law issues faced by our clients,” said John Vering, the most senior member of the firm’s Employment Practice Group who has worked extensively with Mark and Shannon on defending discrimination and wage and hour claims and in complying with federal, state and local employment laws.
Learn more about Seigfreid Bingham’s Employment Law practice here.