Terese M. Connolly

A trusted adviser with nearly two decades of experience, Terese (Terri) Connolly gives world-class employment counsel to in-house lawyers, CHROs, and C-suite executives, giving them the tools they need to thrive in their businesses. Terri is skilled at building compliant workforces in a budget-smart way and resolving issues that amplify their performance.

Terri understands her clients inside out. Her deep-seated understanding, coupled with her commitment to acting in their best interests, helps her to sidestep unnecessary costs and streamline their path to success. With Terri on their team, clients can focus on excelling in what they do best. A standout in her field, Terri focuses on working in sync with her clients to achieve a positive outcome, no matter the budget.

Terri has played a key role in guiding Fortune 50 and Fortune 100 companies through global employment audits that span 50 countries and multiple business lines. She has also been the go-to advisor for a major labor audit across all 50 states. Terri was instrumental in helping a security service firm strategize and roll out non-compete and non-solicit agreements across almost every state in the US. Through her client engagements, Terri aims to provide creative solutions that push the industry forward.

Terri is a seasoned navigator in the turbulent sea of compliance, steering companies clear of high-stakes violations that can trigger million-dollar lawsuits. She’s also a guru at tackling everyday issues, from leave laws and performance management to termination procedures and disability accommodations. Her insightful advice and counsel makes the difference.

Keeping her clients ahead of the curve is a top priority for Terri. She’s an early-warning system, scanning the horizon to identify potential threats and opportunities before they emerge. Beyond helping clients stay compliant, she also equips them to excel in their business and supercharge their corporate roles. In essence, with Terri in your corner, compliance becomes a strategic asset propelling a business towards its goals and driving individual success in every role.

Terri’s practice includes advising and counseling multinational companies; conducting enterprise risk assessments, compliance audits, and internal investigations; and providing training for management and employees on employment law, leave laws, anti-discrimination and harassment, diversity, and domestic and international labor and employment law compliance. She routinely advises on best practices involving hiring processes, employee discipline and dismissals, reductions in force and other expense-reduction measures, accommodations, sexual harassment, wrongful discharge, employee privacy, drug testing and employee searches. Additionally, Terri regularly represents companies in matters that arise under the ADA, ADEA, ERISA, FCRA, FCPA, FLSA, FMLA, NLRA, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, USERRA, WARN, and various state wage and hour, and discrimination laws.

Terri also helps clients with employee applications, offer letters, employment and executive contracts, handbooks and policies, as well as at-will, non-compete, confidentiality and proprietary information, separation and release, secondment, key employee retention, and services agreements, along with other employment-related documents.

Further, Terri provides tailored guidance on domestic and cross-border labor and employment issues involved in mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, outsourcing, and privacy transactions, as well as post-acquisition integration, global audits, and global codes of conduct.