Jay Lechner
Jay Lechner
Partner
Education
- University of Florida, J.D., cum laude, 2001
- University of Florida, B.A., 1991
Awards
- Selected to Franchise Times Legal Eagle list, 2025
- Florida Bar Board Certified Labor & Employment Attorney, 2009-2024
- Selected to Florida Super Lawyers list for Employment Litigation, 2014-2024
- Selected to Florida Best Lawyers list for Litigation – Labor and Employment, 2013-2024
- Named Tampa Bay “Lawyer of the Year” for Employment Law – Management, Best Lawyers (St. Petersburg), 2018 & 2020
Admissions
- Florida, 2001
- U.S. Court of Appeals – Eleventh Circuit
- U.S. District Court – Middle District of Florida
- U.S. District Court – Northern District of Florida
- U.S. District Court – Southern District of Florida
Jay Lechner has been representing clients in employment law and business disputes for over 25 years. Jay represents clients in all aspects of employment law matters, specializing in employment litigation, including class actions, wrongful termination, harassment, discrimination, wage and hour violations, retaliation and whistleblower claims. Jay also represents clients in business disputes involving restrictive covenants, non-compete agreements, contract disputes, unfair business practices, business fraud, and other business torts.
Jay has twice been awarded “Lawyer of the Year” in Employment Law by Best Lawyers (St. Petersburg, FL, 2018 and 2020). For more than a decade, he has been continually recognized by U.S. News and World Report and Super Lawyers as a preeminent practitioner of Labor and Employment Law. Jay has been a Florida Bar Board-Certified Labor and Employment Attorney from 2009 – 2024. From 2021 to 2022, he was an Adjunct Professor at USF’s MCOB School of Information Systems & Management, teaching Employment Law. He was a member of the Executive Council of the Florida Bar Labor & Employment Section, where he was Chair of the Publications Subcommittee and was selected as “Volunteer of the Year” in 2017.
Jay is former Chair of the Florida Bar Journal/News Editorial Board and a former member of the Florida Bar Committee on Judicial Independence. For many years, he was a Chapter Editor of the Fair Labor Standards Act treatise published annually by Bloomberg Law. He served for many years on the Federal Labor Standards Legislation Committee of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the American Bar Association, where he was an active contributor to the Sarbanes-Oxley and Fair Labor Standards Act subcommittees.
Prior to becoming a Partner at Cantrell Schuette, Jay was a Partner in the employment practice of one of the world’s largest law firms and later ran his own firm that was recognized by US News & World Report as a 2021-24 “Best Law Firm” in Tampa (Employment Law). He was Treasurer of the Jesuit High School Dads’ Club from 2020-2022. Jay resides in Tampa.
Representative Matters
- Successfully obtained a $7,000,000 settlement against a major social media company on behalf of content moderators who were exposed to harmful material while performing their work.
- Negotiated a favorable settlement in a reverse discrimination federal lawsuit arising from a company’s overzealous DEI policies.
- Successfully dissolved a non-compete injunction in a lawsuit brought by Next Science, LLC in Florida.
- Obtained summary judgment on behalf of small business sued for alleged unpaid overtime and minimum wage.
Professional & Community Involvement
- Adjunct Professor of Employment Law, University of South Florida, Aug 2021-May 2022
- Treasurer, Jesuit High School Dads’ Club, 2020-2022
Executive Council, Labor and Employment Law Section of The Florida Bar, 2013-2021 - Former Chair, The Florida Bar Journal/News Editorial Board
- Former Member, The Florida Bar Committee on Judicial Independence
- Former Chapter Editor, ABA Treatise: The Fair Labor Standards Act treatise, Bloomberg Law
- Former Member, Federal Labor Standards Legislation Committee of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the American Bar Association
Speaking Engagements
- “Drug Testing,” 24th Labor and Employment Law Annual Update and Certification Review, 2024
- “Drug Testing,” 22nd Labor and Employment Law Annual Update and Certification Review, 2022
- Employment Law, Adjunct Professor, University of South Florida, MCOB School of Information Systems & Management, 2020-2021
- “Annual Update on the Whistleblower Provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002,” Midwinter Meeting of the American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section, 2005
Published Works
- “FTC’s Non-Compete Clause Rule – Not So Fast,” Lawyer, Hillsborough County Bar Association, 2024
- Chapter Editor/Author, “The Fair Labor Standards Act,” BNA/Bloomberg Law, 2008-2019
- “Eleventh Circuit: Failure to Follow Progressive Discipline Policy Is Circumstantial Evidence of Discrimination,” Checkoff, Florida Bar Labor & Employment Section, 2016
- “Recent Employment Decisions Regarding Package Delivery Workers,” Checkoff, Florida Bar Labor & Employment Section, 2015
- “U.S. Supreme Court: Donning and Doffing of Protective Gear is ‘Changing Clothes’ Under FLSA,” Checkoff, Florida Bar Labor & Employment Section, 2014
- “Eleventh Circuit: First Amendment Does Not Protect Speech That Implicitly Encourages Retaliatory Harassment By Coworkers,” E-Newsletter, Florida Bar Labor & Employment Section, 2014
- “Class Action Waivers in FLSA Cases Upheld by Eighth Circuit,” E-Newsletter, Florida Bar Labor & Employment Section, 2013
- “Eleventh Circuit Further Undermines Defense Strategy of Avoiding Attorneys’ Fees in FLSA Cases by Tendering Full Relief,” E-Newsletter, Florida Bar Labor & Employment Section, 2013
- “DOL, Courts Interpretations of SOX Grow More Divergent,” National Law Review, 2012
- “Why You Should Check With Legal Before Searching Employee’s Emails,” National Law Review, 2012
- “‘Illegal’ job interview questions?,” National Law Review, 2012
- “Arrest and Conviction Records in Employment Decisions: EEOC Issues Enforcement Guidance and Best Practices,” National Law Review, 2012
- “May Employers Require Job Applicants To Provide Home Addresses?,” National Law Review, 2012
- “USSC: Validity Of Noncompetition Agreement Containing Arbitration Provision Cannot, Under The Supremacy Clause, Be Addressed By State Supreme Court,” National Law Review, 2012
- “Yes, Employees May (Sometimes) be Fired for Incriminating Facebook Posts,” Checkoff, Florida Bar Labor & Employment Section, 2012
- “Written Policy for Reporting Time Saves Employer From FLSA Liability,” Checkoff, Florida Bar Labor & Employment Section, 2012
- “EEOC Publishes Final ADAAA Regulations,” National Law Review, 2011
- “Proposed Cybersecurity Legislation Would Protect Employers From Information Theft By Departing Employees, If A Policy Prohibits Such Conduct,” National Law Review, 2011
- “Eleventh Circuit Rejects Overreaching DOL Regulation,” National Law Review, 2011
- “FMLA for Pets,” National Law Review, 2011
- “Looking for Love in One of the Wrong Places- Your Employer’s Computer,” Lexology, 2010
- “Obesity – Physical Characteristic or Physical Impairment under the ADA?,” Lexology, 2010
- “Dodd-Frank Amends Sarbanes-Oxley and Creates New Whistleblower Protections,” Lexology, 2010
- “Fear of Disparate Impact Liability Does Not Justify Race-Based Employment Decisions After Ricci v. DeStefano,” Lexology, 2009
- Co-Author, “New Florida Law Requires Employers To Provide Domestic Violence Leave,” Checkoff, Florida Bar Labor & Employment Section, 2008
- “Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblower Provisions: A Study in Statutory Construction,” Engage: The Journal of the Federalist Society Practice Groups, 2006
- Co-Author, “Sarbanes-Oxley Criminal Whistleblower Provisions & the Workplace: More Than Just Securities Fraud,” Florida Bar Journal, 2006
- “New Regulations Issued Regarding ‘No Match’ Letters, Lawyer,” Hillsborough County Bar Association, 2006
- Co-Author, “Annual Update on the Whistleblower Provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002,” American Bar Association L&E Section, 2005
- Contributing Author, “Employment Discrimination Law,” BNA Books, 2005
- Cover Feature: “The New FLSA White-Collar Regulations – Analysis of Changes,” Florida Bar Journal, 2006
- “Florida Outflanks Federalism, USERRA Suits Against the State,” Lawyer, Hillsborough County Bar Association, 2004
- “Recent Trends in the Eleventh Circuit: Removal Jurisdiction and Procedures in Employment Law Litigation,” Nova Law Review, 2003
- “Corporate Misdeeds And Their Impact Upon Enforceability Of Executive Employment Agreement Indemnification Provisions,” Florida Bar Journal, 2003
- “Learning form Experience: Why Racial Diversity Cannot Be a Legally Compelling Interest in Elementary and Secondary Education,” Southwestern University Law Review, 2003
- “2003 Amendments to the Florida Civil Rights Act,” Checkoff, Florida Bar Labor & Employment Section
- “ADA ‘Threat to Self’ Defense – Let the Doctors Decide,” Lawyer, Hillsborough County Bar Association, 2003
- “What Remains of Government Employees’ Due Process Rights After Cotton v. Jackson,” The Agenda, Florida Bar City, County and Local Government Law Section, 2000
- Note: The 1999 Amendments to the Jimmy Ryce Involuntary Civil Commitment for Sexually Violent Predators’ Treatment and Care Act; A Dangerous Step Down the Slippery Slope, University of Florida Journal of Law & Public Policy, 2000