Overview

Alicia H. Koepke is a shareholder of the firm and serves as co-leader of the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group and its Hospitality Industry Team. Alicia focuses her practice on employment and business law and related litigation.  She regularly advises companies of all sizes on business and employee management issues, including protecting confidential, proprietary and trade secret information; preparing and enforcing non-disclosure, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements; preparing and implementing workplace policies and handbooks; obtaining background checks and drug testing; complying with wage-and-hour obligations; making religious, disability and other accommodations; fulfilling leave of absence obligations; avoiding and responding to complaints of unlawful conduct, such as discrimination, harassment and retaliation; implementing terminations and layoffs; and assessing other rights and responsibilities of companies, officers, directors, supervisors, employees and applicants.  In addition to advising her clients, Alicia represents clients in business and employment disputes before government agencies, in arbitration and mediation and in state and federal courts.

Representative Matters

Business Litigation

• Prevailed at jury trial and obtained final judgment (affirmed on appeal) in favor of investor clients on claims of breach of fiduciary duty, fraud and violation of franchise and securities statutes.
• Prevailed at non-jury trials and obtained judgments in favor of clients on breach of contract and other business litigation claims.
• Secured summary final judgments in favor of business clients on breach of contract and related claims.
• Obtained dismissal (affirmed on appeal) of shareholder derivative claims against clients. 

Employment Litigation

• Prevailed at arbitration in favor of medical practice on disability discrimination and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) claims.
• Secured summary final judgments in favor of business clients on discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims.
• Prevailed on summary judgment in favor of manufacturer on misappropriation of trade secrets and related claims.
• Obtained dismissal of misappropriation of trade secrets, conspiracy and tortious interference claims against restaurant client.
• Secured dismissal of discrimination, failure-to-accommodate and Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) claims against client.
• Obtained dismissal of unpaid wage (tip credit) claims against country club client.

Honors and Distinctions

• AV Preeminent Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
• Tampa Magazine's Top Lawyers List, 2018-2020
• Florida Trend Legal Elite, 2020
  • Florida Trend Legal Elite, Up & Comer, 2016-2019
• Florida Super Lawyers, Rising Star, 2009-2010, 2013-2020
• Business Leader, Tampa Top 50 Entrepreneurs Award, 2012
• Tampa Bay Business Journal, Up & Comer, 2008

Professional Involvement

• American Bar Association
  • Section of Labor and Employment Law
    • Employment Rights and Responsibilities Committee
• The Florida Bar
  • Labor and Employment Law Section
    • Wage and Hour Administration Liaison Subcommittee
  • Business Law Section
• Hillsborough County Bar Association

Community Involvement

• The University of Tampa
  • Board of Fellows, 2015-present
  • Co-Chair of Membership & Engagement Committee, 2019-present
  • Steering Committee, 2019-present
• A Brighter Community, Inc.
  • Advisory Board, 2014-present
  • Board of Directors, 2007-2014
  • Executive Committee, 2010-2012
• The Tampa Connection
  • Alumni Committee, 2012-2018
  • Executive Board of Alumni Committee, 2013-2014
  • Class of 2012
• Leadership Tampa Bay
  • Class of 2010

News

• Alicia Koepke Quoted on Landmark Supreme Court Ruling Regarding LGBTQ Employee Rights in Tampa Bay Business & Wealth Magazine
• Loss in the Time of Coronavirus: Evaluating WARN Obligations During a Pandemic
• Trenam Law Attorneys Recognized in Florida Trend Magazine’s “Legal Elite” 2020
• Forty Seven Attorneys Recognized in Florida Super Lawyers 2020
• Alicia Koepke Discusses FFCRA Impact on Employers in Business Observer
• Trenam Law Attorneys Recognized as Top Lawyers 2020 by Tampa Magazine
• DOL Issues First Guidance on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
• Fair Credit Reporting Act Obligations for Businesses Using Background Checks for Employment Purposes
• Alicia Koepke Unpacks How Employers Can Comply With the DOL’s Final Overtime Rule in Law360
• Alicia Koepke Authors Article on Department of Labor’s New Final Overtime Rule

Thought Leadership

• "Three things your company should do in response to landmark Supreme Court ruling on LGBTQ employees’ rights," Interview for Tampa Bay Business & Wealth Magazine, June 2020.
• "Loss in the Time of Coronavirus: Evaluating WARN Obligations During a Pandemic," The Florida Bar Journal, Vol. 94, No. 4, July/August 2020.
• "Alicia Koepke Discusses FFCRA Impact on Employers in Business Observer," Interview for Business Observer, April 2020. 
• "DOL Issues First Guidance on the Families First Coronavirus Response Act," Employment Law Update, March 2020.
• "Fair Credit Reporting Act Obligations for Businesses Using Background Checks for Employment Purposes," The Florida Bar Journal, Vol. 94, No. 2, March/April 2020.
• "Employers Face Time Crunch As New OT Rule Looms," Interview for Law360, September 2019.
• "The DOL Has a New Overtime Rule (Again)," September 2019.
• "Best Practices for Progressive Discipline and Employment Law," FSASC Annual Conference, Orlando, FL, July 2019.
• "Recent and Anticipated Changes to Wage-and-Hour Laws," Daily Business Review, February 28, 2019
• "Adverse Employment Actions Based on Associational Disability Discrimination," The Florida Bar Journal, September/October 2018 Issue.
• "Where’s the Witness? Preserving Witness Testimony Through Trial," The Florida Bar Labor and Employment Law Section CLE, Palm Beach, FL, September 2018.
• "Combating Harassment and Bullying in the Workplace," Modern Restaurant Management, August 2018.
• "Where Tip-Pooling Stands Now, and How it Affects Your Restaurant," FSR Magazine, April 2018.
• "DOL’s New PAID Program Offers Employers Incentives, But May Not Outweigh the Risks," Daily Business Review, March 2018.
• "Protecting Your Organization During The #MeToo Movement," Chief Executive, March 2018.
• "Protecting the Secrecy of Trade Secrets," Manufacturing Today, February 2018.
• "Hot Topics in Employment Law," Vistage Tampa Bay, Tampa, FL, October 2017.
• "Lay Witness Depositions," The Florida Bar Business Law Section CLE Deposition Boot Camp: Basics to Advanced, Orlando, FL, May 2017.
• "When is it OK for Employers to Deduct from Employee Pay?", Full-Service Restaurant magazine, December 2016.
• "Preparing for the DOL's OT Exemption Changes", Today's Restaurant News - Florida Edition, October 2016, pg. 7.
• "Wage and Hour Update: Preparing for the DOL Rule Changes," Vistage Tampa Bay, Tampa, FL, October 2016.
• "Employment Issues Arising During & After Hurricanes," Duke Energy South Coastal Storm Forum, Clearwater, FL, June 2016.
• "Employment Law Update," co-presenter with Richard Hanchett, Matthews Benefit Group 16th Annual Tax & Business Update, St. Petersburg, FL, June 2016.
• "How Employment Law Changes Will Affect Your Business", Tampa Bay Business Journal, March 11, 2016,  pg. 13.
• "Prep Now for Overtime Pay Rule Changes", Interview for HealthLeaders Media, November 23, 2015.
• "Labor & Employment Digest: April 2015", InsideCounsel Magazine.
• "Employees May Be Entitled to Use Company Email for Statutorily Protected, Non-Business Reasons on Nonworking Time", Trenam Legal Update, March 2015.
• "Trends in Employment Law," co-presenter with Richard Hanchett, Vistage Tampa Bay, Tampa, FL, December 2014.
• “Wage and Hour Time Bomb: How to Avoid the Explosion,” co-presenter with Laura Prather, Work Net Pinellas, Clearwater, FL, October 2007.