About George
George E. O'Brien represents and counsels employers on a wide variety of labor matters, including:Collective bargainingUnfair labor practice proceedingsLabor representation cases and electionsGrievancesInjunction proceedingsArbitrationsMediationUnion relationshipsWrongful dischargeBreach of contractDiscrimination claimsJury trialsHe appears in state and federal courts and represents management before the National Labor Relations Board and other administrative agencies, including the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, the Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations, and the Connecticut Board of Mediation and Arbitration. He has handled claims arising under:The National Labor Relations ActThe Connecticut Municipal Employee Relations ActState and Federal Anti-Discrimination LawsState and Federal Wage & Hour LawsGeorge recently argued at the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to have the court invalidate a controversial ruling of the National Labor Relations Board restricting the rights of employers to regulate employee conduct that is offensive to customers.George tried the first federal court case in Connecticut involving a claim of sexual orientation discrimination, obtaining a defendant's judgment for a major insurance company. He represented a large Connecticut municipality in connection with the privatization of the town golf course, defeating union attempts to obtain a court injunction against the transaction. On behalf of a regional transportation company, he obtained a precedent-setting decision by the National Labor Relations Board defeating a union's successorship claim, and on behalf of an acute care hospital in New York he obtained multi-million dollar contract concessions from a registered nurses' union.He won a defendant's verdict on behalf of a Connecticut acute care hospital in a jury trial involving discrimination and retaliation claims based on race and national origin. He has negotiated severance agreements with departing high-ranking officials for numerous major employers in Connecticut, and represented a Massachusetts acute care hospital in an NLRB representation case and election in which the union was soundly defeated.George's clients include:HospitalsManufacturersPhysician PracticesColleges and UniversitiesThe office managing shareholder and a founding member of Littler Mendelson's New Haven office, George is a core team member of the firm's Health Care Industry Practice Group and a member of the Good Business Practices Committee. Prior to working at Littler, he was a partner in a major Connecticut general practice firm, where he chaired its labor and employment practice. He was the law clerk for Chief Judge T. Emmet Clarie of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut after serving as editor-in-chief of the Connecticut Law Review while in law school.
George E. O'Brien represents and counsels employers on a wide variety of labor matters, including:
He appears in state and federal courts and represents management before the National Labor Relations Board and other administrative agencies, including the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities, the Connecticut State Board of Labor Relations, and the Connecticut Board of Mediation and Arbitration. He has handled claims arising under:
George recently argued at the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to have the court invalidate a controversial ruling of the National Labor Relations Board restricting the rights of employers to regulate employee conduct that is offensive to customers.
George tried the first federal court case in Connecticut involving a claim of sexual orientation discrimination, obtaining a defendant's judgment for a major insurance company. He represented a large Connecticut municipality in connection with the privatization of the town golf course, defeating union attempts to obtain a court injunction against the transaction. On behalf of a regional transportation company, he obtained a precedent-setting decision by the National Labor Relations Board defeating a union's successorship claim, and on behalf of an acute care hospital in New York he obtained multi-million dollar contract concessions from a registered nurses' union.
He won a defendant's verdict on behalf of a Connecticut acute care hospital in a jury trial involving discrimination and retaliation claims based on race and national origin. He has negotiated severance agreements with departing high-ranking officials for numerous major employers in Connecticut, and represented a Massachusetts acute care hospital in an NLRB representation case and election in which the union was soundly defeated.
George's clients include:
The office managing shareholder and a founding member of Littler Mendelson's New Haven office, George is a core team member of the firm's Health Care Industry Practice Group and a member of the Good Business Practices Committee. Prior to working at Littler, he was a partner in a major Connecticut general practice firm, where he chaired its labor and employment practice. He was the law clerk for Chief Judge T. Emmet Clarie of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut after serving as editor-in-chief of the Connecticut Law Review while in law school.
Case History
Education
Professional Affiliations
Awards & Recognition
- Lawyer of the Year: Employment Law - Management, New Haven (2025)
- Lawyer of the Year: Labor Law - Management, New Haven (2025)
- Lawyer of the Year: Litigation - Labor and Employment, New Haven (2024)
- Lawyer of the Year: Labor Law - Management, New Haven (2023)
- Lawyer of the Year: Employment Law - Management, New Haven (2021)
- Lawyer of the Year: Labor Law - Management, New Haven (2019)
- Lawyer of the Year: Litigation - Labor and Employment, New Haven (2019)
- Lawyer of the Year: Employment Law - Management, New Haven (2018)
- Lawyer of the Year: Labor Law - Management, New Haven (2017)
- Lawyer of the Year: Litigation - Labor and Employment, New Haven (2016)
- Lawyer of the Year: Labor Law - Management, New Haven (2015)
- Lawyer of the Year: Employment Law - Management, New Haven (2014)
- Lawyer of the Year: Litigation - Labor and Employment, New Haven (2013)
- Recognized: Employment Law - Management
- Recognized: Labor Law - Management
- Recognized: Litigation - Labor and Employment
- Special Focus: Arbitration and Mediation
- Special Focus: Class Actions
- Special Focus: Defense
- Special Focus: Health Care
- Special Focus: Labor
- Special Focus: Litigation
- Special Focus: Management
- Special Focus: National Labor Relations Board
- Special Focus: State and Federal
- Special Focus: Title VII Litigation
- Special Focus: Wrongful Discharge
- Awarded, Martindale-Hubbell AV® Peer Review Rating - Healthcare
- Named, Super Lawyer - Connecticut, Super Lawyers, 2006-2012
- Named, America's Leading Lawyers for Business - Chambers USA, 2003-2013