Dean E. Westman
Dean grew up in the Chicago suburbs and then ventured down to North Carolina to attend college at Duke University. Upon graduating from Duke with Magna Cum Laude honors in 1975, Dean headed west to Nashville, Tennessee for law school at Vanderbilt University. From the time he graduated from law school in 1978 until his retirement in 2013, Dean focused his law practice on management side labor law.
For 35 years, Dean enjoyed the challenge of negotiating labor contracts in such a way as to preserve management’s prerogatives while always cognizant of the client’s fiscal goals. In addition to contract negotiations, Dean gained significant experience in assisting clients with wage and hour challenges, all types of employment discrimination proceedings, grievance arbitration cases, and the full array of NLRB unfair labor practice and election proceedings.
Along the way, Dean consistently attempted to convey to clients the importance of preventing labor and employment law complications, whenever possible, through management training and the review of personnel actions in advance of their implementation.
When disputes could not be prevented, Dean effectively provided representation to clients in administrative proceedings before federal government agencies such as the EEOC, NLRB, and DOL, as well as corresponding state government agencies, and federal and state courts.
Other Personal Background Information and Interests
Now that he has retired from the practice of law, Dean’s personal interests fill his time. They include woodworking, target shooting, taking walks in the woods with his spouse Ann, and visiting with family members.