Judge, Ohio Twelfth District Court of Appeals
Judge Matthew R. Byrne was elected to the Ohio Court of Appeals for the Twelfth District in 2020, and his first term began on January 1, 2021. He is currently serving as the court's elected Administrative Judge. The Twelfth District Court of Appeals hears civil and criminal appeals from the trial courts in eight counties in southwest Ohio. Judge Byrne is active in the Ohio Judicial Conference and the Ohio Court of Appeals Judges Association. He also currently serves as a member and vice chair of the Ohio Supreme Court's Commission on the Rules of Practice and Procedure (where he previously chaired the Appellate Rules Committee). He previously served as a member of the Ohio Supreme Court's Commission on Character and Fitness.
From January 2010 to December 2020, Judge Byrne practiced law at the national law firm of Jackson Lewis P.C. He was a member of the firm's General Employment Litigation Practice Group and the Wage and Hour Practice Group. From 2007 to 2010 he practiced at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP. At both firms, Judge Byrne represented clients ranging from small businesses to international corporations in state and federal trial and appellate litigation, including multiple class and collective actions. He also represented clients in arbitration and before numerous administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, and the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.
Judge Byrne earned his law degree, cum laude, from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. During law school he was symposium editor of the Ohio State Law Journal and the winner of the Donald S. Teller Memorial Award for student writing contributing most significantly to the Ohio State Law Journal. During law school he clerked for the Acting General Counsel of the United States Department of the Treasury. Judge Byrne earned his bachelor's degree, magna cum laude, from Xavier University, where he majored in International Affairs (Business) and Political Science.
Prior to entering law school Judge Byrne served in President George W. Bush's Administration as a member of the White House staff in the Office of Presidential Personnel, the office responsible for selecting candidates to recommend to the President for appointment or nomination to high-level government positions, and for coordinating with the Offices of White House Counsel, Press Secretary, and Executive Clerk regarding candidate background clearances, press announcements, and the status of appointments/nominations.
Judge Byrne has been a member of the Federalist Society since law school and he served for five years as president of the Federalist Society's Cincinnati Lawyers Chapter. He is a member of a number of other community and civic organizations, including the Ohio State Bar Association and the bar associations of Butler, Clermont, and Warren Counties. Judge Byrne previously was a member of the Advisory Board of Pregnancy Center East and a board member and president of the St. Thomas More Lawyers Guild of Greater Cincinnati.
Judge Byrne is an active parishioner at his church, where he is a lector, a former member and president of the Education Commission, and a former member of the Finance and Administration Commission.
Judge Byrne resides in Deerfield Township, Warren County, Ohio with his wife Julie and their three children.
Attorney General, State of Ohio
Dave Yost was re-elected as Ohio’s 51st attorney general on Nov. 8, 2022, receiving more votes than any other attorney general in the state’s history.
During his first term as the state’s chief legal officer, he quickly gained a national reputation as a fearless advocate for the rule of law — or, as he puts it, “the same rules for everybody.”
Yost’s goal is to “do big good” for the people of Ohio by protecting consumers, rooting out corruption, defending the environment, ensuring an open and competitive marketplace, and fulfilling the many other duties of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
Yost began his public-service career as Delaware County auditor, later winning election as that county’s prosecutor. From 2011 through 2018, he served as Ohio’s auditor of state and, in January 2019, began his first term as attorney general.
Yost earned his bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University and law degree from Capital University. He and his wife, Darlene, live in Franklin County; they have three grown children and five grandchildren.
Shareholder, Jackson Lewis PC
Paul DeCamp is a Shareholder in the Washington, D.C. Region office of Jackson Lewis P.C. and leader of the firm’s Wage and Hour Practice Group. His practice focuses exclusively on management-side wage and hour law.
Mr. DeCamp devotes much of his practice to complex litigation, including class, collective, and hybrid actions. He has served as lead or co-counsel in scores of class and putative class cases around the country involving such industries as restaurants, pharmaceutical sales, financial services, retail, medical supplies, security, health care, information technology, and aerospace. Mr. DeCamp also defends federal and state agency investigations, conducts preventive compliance reviews, and provides day-to-day advice and counsel regarding such issues as exempt/non-exempt classification, permissible pay deductions, measuring working time, regular rate calculations for premium overtime pay, determining proper pay and duties for tipped employees, complying with state laws concerning meal and rest periods, and independent contractor status. He has provided extensive wage and hour guidance in a variety of industries including restaurants and hospitality, retail, wholesale distribution, health care, financial services, oil and gas, and government contracting.
Before joining Jackson Lewis, Mr. DeCamp served as Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, the chief federal officer responsible for interpreting and enforcing the Nation’s wage and hour laws on behalf of roughly 135 million workers in 7.3 million workplaces around the country. Appointed by the President, he was in charge of a federal agency with close to 1,300 employees in more than 220 offices nationwide, operating on an annual budget of more than $170 million.
Mr. DeCamp has testified in Congress on a variety of wage and hour topics, most recently in 2014. He is a frequent speaker at seminars and conferences across the country, as well as an author of numerous articles and book chapters regarding wage and hour law and litigation. He is a member of the American Employment Law Council and the editorial advisory board for Thompson Publishing Group’s four Fair Labor Standards Act publications. Since 2011, Mr. DeCamp has been listed as one of the country's leading labor and employment lawyers in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business. He has also been selected for inclusion in Virginia Super Lawyers since 2013, after having been listed twice in Virginia Super Lawyers Rising Stars. OS Restaurant Partners (now Bloomin’ Brands), which operates Outback Steakhouse and Carrabba’s Italian Grill, among other restaurant concepts, has twice recognized Mr. DeCamp’s team at Jackson Lewis as “Purveyor of the Year.”
Mr. DeCamp received his A.B. in Government, magna cum laude, from Harvard College in 1992. In 1995, he earned his J.D. from the Columbia University School of Law, where he was a Notes Editor for the Columbia Law Review and the Director of the First-Year Moot Court Program. After law school, he clerked for the Honorable Alan E. Norris of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Shareholder, Jackson Lewis PC
Paul DeCamp is a Shareholder in the Washington, D.C. Region office of Jackson Lewis P.C. and leader of the firm’s Wage and Hour Practice Group. His practice focuses exclusively on management-side wage and hour law.
Mr. DeCamp devotes much of his practice to complex litigation, including class, collective, and hybrid actions. He has served as lead or co-counsel in scores of class and putative class cases around the country involving such industries as restaurants, pharmaceutical sales, financial services, retail, medical supplies, security, health care, information technology, and aerospace. Mr. DeCamp also defends federal and state agency investigations, conducts preventive compliance reviews, and provides day-to-day advice and counsel regarding such issues as exempt/non-exempt classification, permissible pay deductions, measuring working time, regular rate calculations for premium overtime pay, determining proper pay and duties for tipped employees, complying with state laws concerning meal and rest periods, and independent contractor status. He has provided extensive wage and hour guidance in a variety of industries including restaurants and hospitality, retail, wholesale distribution, health care, financial services, oil and gas, and government contracting.
Before joining Jackson Lewis, Mr. DeCamp served as Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, the chief federal officer responsible for interpreting and enforcing the Nation’s wage and hour laws on behalf of roughly 135 million workers in 7.3 million workplaces around the country. Appointed by the President, he was in charge of a federal agency with close to 1,300 employees in more than 220 offices nationwide, operating on an annual budget of more than $170 million.
Mr. DeCamp has testified in Congress on a variety of wage and hour topics, most recently in 2014. He is a frequent speaker at seminars and conferences across the country, as well as an author of numerous articles and book chapters regarding wage and hour law and litigation. He is a member of the American Employment Law Council and the editorial advisory board for Thompson Publishing Group’s four Fair Labor Standards Act publications. Since 2011, Mr. DeCamp has been listed as one of the country's leading labor and employment lawyers in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business. He has also been selected for inclusion in Virginia Super Lawyers since 2013, after having been listed twice in Virginia Super Lawyers Rising Stars. OS Restaurant Partners (now Bloomin’ Brands), which operates Outback Steakhouse and Carrabba’s Italian Grill, among other restaurant concepts, has twice recognized Mr. DeCamp’s team at Jackson Lewis as “Purveyor of the Year.”
Mr. DeCamp received his A.B. in Government, magna cum laude, from Harvard College in 1992. In 1995, he earned his J.D. from the Columbia University School of Law, where he was a Notes Editor for the Columbia Law Review and the Director of the First-Year Moot Court Program. After law school, he clerked for the Honorable Alan E. Norris of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Partner, Seyfarth & Shaw LLP
Mr. Passantino is a Co-Chair for Seyfarth & Shaw LLP’s Wage and Hour Litigation Practice Group. Mr. Passantino, the former Acting Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, focuses his practice on all aspects of wage and hour law, including advising employers on federal and state wage and hour compliance issues, auditing payroll and employee classification practices, representing employers before the U.S. Department of Labor, and defending class and collective action litigation.
In his national practice, Mr. Passantino provides day-to-day advice and assistance to employers in their efforts to comply with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the state laws that require employers to pay overtime and minimum wages to their employees. In addition, Mr. Passantino provides guidance and counseling to government contractors who are subject to the Service Contract Act and the Davis-Bacon Act. He advises clients on implementing compliance programs, auditing and correcting wage and hour issues, and responding to the ever-changing wage and hour legal landscape. Mr. Passantino has also defended numerous wage and hour lawsuits, including both individual claims and class and collective actions.
Mr. Passantino is active in the hospitality, construction, retail, financial services, and energy industries, and regularly assists trade associations and individual employers in those industries with public policy, legislative, regulatory, and administrative issues. He has testified before a number of congressional committees, including the House Committee on Education and Workforce and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He is a frequent speaker on wage and hour issues, at conferences, webinars, and client-specific training sessions.
Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Passantino served as the Deputy and Acting Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (WHD) from 2006 until 2009. In this role, he led the WHD in its interpretation and enforcement of the FLSA, the FMLA, the Davis-Bacon Act, the Service Contract Act, and numerous other federal statutes. Nominated by the President, Mr. Passantino was responsible for enforcement policy, field operations, strategic planning, budgeting, media relations, legislation, regulations, opinion letters, compliance assistance, and personnel matters.
Mr. Passantino joined the Department of Labor in 2005 as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Honorable Victoria A. Lipnic, former Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment Standards. In that capacity, Mr. Passantino was a member of the WHD’s Executive Team and provided legal and policy advice on a range of wage and hour matters, with emphasis on the FLSA and the FMLA.
Before his work at the Department of Labor, Mr. Passantino served as a law clerk to the Honorable John F. Nangle in the Southern District of Georgia, after which he practiced law for eight years in Atlanta and Nashville, focusing on FLSA, employment discrimination, First Amendment, and consumer and financial services litigation. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law, where he served as an Honor Court Justice and Notes Editor on the Georgia Law Review.
Shareholder, Jackson Lewis PC
Paul DeCamp is a Shareholder in the Washington, D.C. Region office of Jackson Lewis P.C. and leader of the firm’s Wage and Hour Practice Group. His practice focuses exclusively on management-side wage and hour law.
Mr. DeCamp devotes much of his practice to complex litigation, including class, collective, and hybrid actions. He has served as lead or co-counsel in scores of class and putative class cases around the country involving such industries as restaurants, pharmaceutical sales, financial services, retail, medical supplies, security, health care, information technology, and aerospace. Mr. DeCamp also defends federal and state agency investigations, conducts preventive compliance reviews, and provides day-to-day advice and counsel regarding such issues as exempt/non-exempt classification, permissible pay deductions, measuring working time, regular rate calculations for premium overtime pay, determining proper pay and duties for tipped employees, complying with state laws concerning meal and rest periods, and independent contractor status. He has provided extensive wage and hour guidance in a variety of industries including restaurants and hospitality, retail, wholesale distribution, health care, financial services, oil and gas, and government contracting.
Before joining Jackson Lewis, Mr. DeCamp served as Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, the chief federal officer responsible for interpreting and enforcing the Nation’s wage and hour laws on behalf of roughly 135 million workers in 7.3 million workplaces around the country. Appointed by the President, he was in charge of a federal agency with close to 1,300 employees in more than 220 offices nationwide, operating on an annual budget of more than $170 million.
Mr. DeCamp has testified in Congress on a variety of wage and hour topics, most recently in 2014. He is a frequent speaker at seminars and conferences across the country, as well as an author of numerous articles and book chapters regarding wage and hour law and litigation. He is a member of the American Employment Law Council and the editorial advisory board for Thompson Publishing Group’s four Fair Labor Standards Act publications. Since 2011, Mr. DeCamp has been listed as one of the country's leading labor and employment lawyers in Chambers USA: America's Leading Lawyers for Business. He has also been selected for inclusion in Virginia Super Lawyers since 2013, after having been listed twice in Virginia Super Lawyers Rising Stars. OS Restaurant Partners (now Bloomin’ Brands), which operates Outback Steakhouse and Carrabba’s Italian Grill, among other restaurant concepts, has twice recognized Mr. DeCamp’s team at Jackson Lewis as “Purveyor of the Year.”
Mr. DeCamp received his A.B. in Government, magna cum laude, from Harvard College in 1992. In 1995, he earned his J.D. from the Columbia University School of Law, where he was a Notes Editor for the Columbia Law Review and the Director of the First-Year Moot Court Program. After law school, he clerked for the Honorable Alan E. Norris of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Partner, Seyfarth & Shaw LLP
Mr. Passantino is a Co-Chair for Seyfarth & Shaw LLP’s Wage and Hour Litigation Practice Group. Mr. Passantino, the former Acting Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, focuses his practice on all aspects of wage and hour law, including advising employers on federal and state wage and hour compliance issues, auditing payroll and employee classification practices, representing employers before the U.S. Department of Labor, and defending class and collective action litigation.
In his national practice, Mr. Passantino provides day-to-day advice and assistance to employers in their efforts to comply with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the state laws that require employers to pay overtime and minimum wages to their employees. In addition, Mr. Passantino provides guidance and counseling to government contractors who are subject to the Service Contract Act and the Davis-Bacon Act. He advises clients on implementing compliance programs, auditing and correcting wage and hour issues, and responding to the ever-changing wage and hour legal landscape. Mr. Passantino has also defended numerous wage and hour lawsuits, including both individual claims and class and collective actions.
Mr. Passantino is active in the hospitality, construction, retail, financial services, and energy industries, and regularly assists trade associations and individual employers in those industries with public policy, legislative, regulatory, and administrative issues. He has testified before a number of congressional committees, including the House Committee on Education and Workforce and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He is a frequent speaker on wage and hour issues, at conferences, webinars, and client-specific training sessions.
Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Passantino served as the Deputy and Acting Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (WHD) from 2006 until 2009. In this role, he led the WHD in its interpretation and enforcement of the FLSA, the FMLA, the Davis-Bacon Act, the Service Contract Act, and numerous other federal statutes. Nominated by the President, Mr. Passantino was responsible for enforcement policy, field operations, strategic planning, budgeting, media relations, legislation, regulations, opinion letters, compliance assistance, and personnel matters.
Mr. Passantino joined the Department of Labor in 2005 as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Honorable Victoria A. Lipnic, former Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment Standards. In that capacity, Mr. Passantino was a member of the WHD’s Executive Team and provided legal and policy advice on a range of wage and hour matters, with emphasis on the FLSA and the FMLA.
Before his work at the Department of Labor, Mr. Passantino served as a law clerk to the Honorable John F. Nangle in the Southern District of Georgia, after which he practiced law for eight years in Atlanta and Nashville, focusing on FLSA, employment discrimination, First Amendment, and consumer and financial services litigation. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia School of Law, where he served as an Honor Court Justice and Notes Editor on the Georgia Law Review.
Opening Remarks from Hon. Dave Yost
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July has been a busy month for the Department of Labor (DOL). On July 6th,...
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