Your Firm

 On February 16, 2009, Engelmeier & Umanah opened its doors.  The Firm’s work is primarily in the broad categories of employment law, early childhood education law, business and corporate law, estates and trust law, tax disputes and litigation.

In the area of estates and trust, we assist clients who are in need of wills or trusts.  We also assist in administering estates following a loved one's death, dealing with incapacities of adults and children, taxation of estates and trusts, litigating disputes involving estates or trusts, creating succession planning for business owners, protecting and transferring assets to children or charity.

In the area of tax (income or sales) dispute resolution, we assist taxpayers with a wide array of Internal Revenue Service problems ranging from tax audits to preparation of Offers in Compromise.

In the area of business and corporate work, we assist companies manage their corporate records, understand and negotiate contracts, transition assets or ownership, manage their day-to-day business operations and avoid litigation.

Englemeier & Umanah professionals have also focused their practice in the last two+ decades on employment law issues, executive compensation, noncompetition, shareholder matters and early childhood education issues.  We often assist both companies and executives in negotiating employment agreements.  We handle the full panoply of employment litigation matters from non-competes to discrimination or sexual harassment cases.  In addition to our experience both in administrative tribunals and in court handling disputes about everything from hiring or firing to employee theft, we assist companies in developing effective selection and performance management programs.

We have developed and facilitated numerous training programs on a variety of workplace issues such as diversity, avoiding harassment and discrimination, hiring, firing and performance management, avoiding workplace violence and dealing with the disabled worker.  Employers regularly ask us to train both managers and employees, including providing individual boundary/respectful workplace coaching for executives.

We assist employers with, among other things, effectively managing leaves of absence, reasonable accommodation, discipline and discharge, as well as investigating employee complaints.  We also work with businesses to develop policies, handbooks and standard employment agreements to include such things as protecting employers' intellectual property.

At Engelmeier & Umanah, we train using the firm's premier training product relating to enhancing respect and avoiding harassment, discrimination and retaliation in the workplace - RESPECT EFFECT^TM.

In the early childhood education industry, we assist providers with responding to actual and threatened litigation, addressing employment-related compliance issues, handling the challenges incident to providing services to children in families dealing with divorce/separation or other child-custody scenarios, avoiding allegations of abuse or neglect, effectively managing parent relationships, training on Maltreatment of Minors Act reporting obligations, addressing licensing issues and ensuring compliance with other federal, state and local regulations.

Over the past decade, firm co-founder, Sheila Engelmeier, has also developed a successful ADR practice.  Others have described her approach as creative, persistent, insightful, and flexible.  Sheila applies her extensive employment law knowledge, common sense, business savvy, persistence and humor to help settle cases.  Sheila believes each case requires hard work and its own approach, ranging from gentle cajoling to a firm hand.