JOSEPH A. ERNST is a Director of the firm and a member of the labor and employment department. He counsels and defends employers in all aspects of labor and employment law, including wrongful discharge, discrimination, harassment, whistleblower, and retaliation claims. Mr. Ernst also counsels employers with regard to wage and hour, disability, and leave issues as well as downsizing, employer successor liability, and dislocated worker notification issues. Mr. Ernst is admitted to practice law in all state and federal courts in Hawaiʻi. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree, with distinction, in Government and World Affairs from the University of Tampa. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the University of Pittsburgh Journal of Technology Law and Policy.