Maria Dwyer litigates employment and business cases and advises senior management in employment and business considerations. She also conducts workplace investigations and investigates and serves as a certified Hearing Officer in Title IX claims and counsels educational organizations in Title IX issues.
Maria represents clients in the food industry including growers and distributors. Maria regularly advises clients in labor issues, including H2A and farm labor contractor relationships. Maria navigates agency inspections and audits and advises clients regarding federal compliance issues including Title VII, OSHA, FLSA and PACA matters.
Maria advises clients across a wide range of industries including public and private employers and works with her clients to conduct workforce and senior management training, and to develop policies and strategies for workforce optimization.
Maria is the Member-In-Charge of Clark Hill’s, Detroit Office, is the Co-Practice Leader of the Food, Beverage and Hospitality Team, and a Co-Chair of Clark Hill BOLD – Detroit, the firm’s strategy to promote women within the firm, the legal profession, and the business community.
Maria is a member of the faculty of ICLE and is a frequent speaker on EEO and employment issues before various groups, including the State Bar of Michigan. She also advocates for prevention through education and specializes in training her clients’ workforces.
Industries
Practice Areas
- Labor & Employment
- Litigation
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Class Action Litigation
- ERISA Litigation
- Employee Handbooks/Personnel Policy Manuals
- Employment Counseling
- Employment Litigation
- Equal Employment Opportunity Law
- Unfair Labor Practice Charges
- Wage & Hour Matters
- Workplace Health & Safety
- Title IX
Education
Recognitions
Listed as a Thomson Reuters Stand-out Lawyer (2024)
Named a Leading Lawyer in Detroit by Leading Lawyers℠ (2020-2025)
Selected by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a Leader in Law (2023)
Named among The Best Lawyers in America® for Employment Law-Management (2021-2025); Labor Law – Management (2025)
Michigan Lawyers Weekly, Women In The Law, Class of 2020
Selected to the Michigan Super Lawyers list, 2013 – Present
Selected to the Michigan Rising Stars list, 2012
Top Women Attorneys In Michigan, 2013 – Present
DBusiness Top Lawyer, 2017 and 2020
Named a Notable Leader in Labor & Employment Law by Crain’s Detroit Business (2023)
Memberships
American Bar Association
State of Michigan, Labor and Employment and Litigation Sections
United Way Southeastern Michigan, Board of Directors
Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
Served as Member of the Michigan State Bar Diversity and Inclusion Committee, Two Terms
Dearborn Public Schools Education Foundation
Women Celebrating Life Downriver
Michigan Business and Professional Association
Women and Leadership in the Workplace
Michigan Food and Beverage Association
Leadership Detroit Class XXXV
Council Member for the Michigan State Bar Labor and Employment Section
State Bar Licenses
Court Admissions
2024 Title IX Regulations Struck Down - What’s Next for Higher Education?
Explore moreWebinar: Post Chevron Landscape for Business Leaders
The recent United States Supreme Court decisions in Loper Bright Enterprises, overruling Chevron, as well as Jarkesy and Corner Post will have a significant impact on how regulated industries will conduct business going forward. Clark Hill’s Administrative Law Action Team will discuss what businesses need to know about how these decisions impact their operations and ongoing compliance with current regulations and what future regulatory expectations may be.
Wage and Hour Update: Salary Basis Increase Now in Effect
Explore moreWage and Hour Audit: Spring Cleaning for Job Classifications
Explore moreOur Working Theory: Creating a Respectful Workplace Is the Antidote to Sexual Harassment in the Workplace
Explore moreWebinar: Understanding Michigan’s New Employer Wage Obligations Under Federal and State Law
Explore moreMichigan Legislature’s Adopt-and-Amend Strategy Struck Down – Employers Must Prepare for Higher Minimum Wage and Expanded Paid Leave in 2025
Explore moreVIRTUAL TRAINING: Understanding the New Title IX Regulation and Preparing for the 2024/2025 School Year and Beyond
Join Clark Hill attorneys Vanessa Kelly and Maria Dwyer for a half-day training program that will provide an in-depth training on the 2024 final rule and its impact on colleges and universities. This training is created by Title IX legal specialists for higher education professionals and is designed to aid in developing compliant solutions to help prepare you and your institution for the new Title IX requirements. Two separate 4-hour sessions available.
Department of Education Makes Significant Changes to the Title IX Regulations Governing Disciplinary Processes Addressing Sexual Misconduct
Explore moreTop Takeaways From “Going Global: Employment Solutions in Retail and Hospitality”
Explore moreMaria defends employers in employment-related claims. Her experience includes:
- Title VII, ADEA, ADA, FMLA, FLSA, and state law harassment, discrimination, whistleblower and retaliation claims
- Extensive class action litigation
- Breach of contract, wrongful discharge, defamation, non-compete, and trade secret cases
- Complex business litigation
- Trying discharge and contract interpretation arbitrations
- Drafting high level executive employment and severance agreements and employment contracts
- Advising and training clients on personnel policies, documentation and supervisory relations
- “The Century Club,” feature by DBusiness Magazine
- Contributing Author, Chapter 26 “Exhaustion and Agency Investigation” (Part IX. “Title IX and OCR Investigation”) and Chapter 27 “Handling the Title IX Employment Case: Litigation Overview,” Workplace Harassment Law 2d ed. (Bloomberg 2020 and 2021)
- Maria Fracassa Dwyer Featured in Legal News: Food for Thought, Attorney Draws On Her Work In Restaurant Field, July 2016
- Title IX Regulations: The Final Rule, Kappa Alpha Psi, November 2020
- Detroit Regional Chamber, presentation, Transitioning Employees Back to the Office During COVID, May 2020
- Mich Business, COVID-19 National Town Hall, April 2020
- WEBINAR: Updated Guidance on Families First Coronavirus Response Act and CARES Act Debrief
- WEBINAR: “Families First Coronavirus Response Act”
- Families First Coronavirus Response Act, Two Part Webinar Series, March and April 2020
- Detroit Regional Chamber, “Your Company’s Crisis: What You Need to Know Now” November 2019
- State Bar of Michigan, Labor and Employment Section, Midwinter Meetings, EEO Annual Update of Annual Cases (2016-Present)
- 2017 EEO Case Law Update for ICLE
- WEBINAR: 2016 Legal Opinions Which Impact Human Resources
- WEBINAR: 2016 Employment Law: Hot Topics To Watch
- 2016 EEO Update for ICLE
- How the New NLRB Election and Handbook Rules Challenge Employers
- Hot Button EEOC Issues (Webinar)
- ICLE Labor and Employment Conference, Equal Employment Opportunity Annual Update of Caselaw (2015-Present); Human Resources Year In Review (2015-2018)
- Webinar: Moving People and Material: Understanding core US employment, immigration, and importation issues when moving foreign nationals