As Head of the Labor & Employment Practice Group, Mr. Prorok concentrates his practice in a full range of employment and labor law matters including litigation in federal and state court, litigation before labor arbitrators and collective bargaining.  Mr. Prorok is also a qualified mediator, early neutral evaluator and arbitrator for the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.  Prior to joining Cohen & Grigsby, Mr. Prorok was a partner at the law firm of Reed Smith LLP in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Mr. Prorok’s areas of focus include representing employers in labor and employment litigation matters, primarily before:

• Various Federal and State Courts
• Various Federal and State Agencies
• National and State Labor Relations Boards
• Labor Arbitrators

Bar Admissions

• U.S. District Court, Western District of Pennsylvania
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Michigan
• Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
• Courts of Appeal for the Third and Fourth Circuits

Education

• J.D. (member of the Law Review), University of Pittsburgh School of Law, 1977
• B.S., Rhetoric and Political Science (magna cum laude), University of Pittsburgh, 1974

Noteworthy

• Selected as one of "The Best Lawyers in America" for Labor and Employment Law
• Testified before Pennsylvania House of Representatives Committee on Labor Relations Regarding Strike Replacement Legislation
• Served on the Advisory Board for the National Institute of Business Management's publication You and the Law
• Served as Board Member for the National Association of Legal Assistants

Memberships

• Member, Allegheny County Bar Association
• Board Member, Advisory Board of the Duquesne University Paralegal Institute

Professional Activities

• Frequent presenter, Continuing Legal Education Programs for both the Pennsylvania Bar Institute and the National Business Institute
• Former Adjunct Professor, St. Francis College of Loretto, Pennsylvania, Master of Arts in Personnel Administration/Industrial Relations Program

Seminars & Speeches

• "What Can and Will Go Wrong with Settlement Agreements and How to Avoid Costly Mistakes," Pennsylvania Bar Institute -- Employment Law West (November 16, 2006)
• "How to Win (or Defend Against) Summary Judgment Motions in Employment Cases," Pennsylvania Bar Institute (July 2005)
• "Fundamental Issues in Pennsylvania Human Resources Law," National Business Institute (June 2005)
• "Strategies for Retaining Key Employees and Protecting Confidential Information in Pennsylvania," National Business Institute (March 2005)
• "Employment Law Dilemmas: Unraveling Advanced Issues in Pennsylvania," National Business Institute (January 2005)
• "Selecting and Terminating Employees in Pennsylvania," National Business Institute (July 2004)
• "Drafting Employee Handbooks," Pennsylvania Bar Institute (June 2001; March 2004)
• "The Americans with Disabilities Act," Allegheny County Bar Association Bench Bar Conference (June 1992)
• "House Bills 561-568 Banning the Hiring of Temporary and Replacement Workers," Testimony Before House of Representatives Committee on Labor Relations (July 23, 1992)
• "Don't Be Misled About the Americans with Disabilities Act," National Seminar -- Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Phoenix, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Boston (March/April 1992)
• "Legal Assistants and Workplace Law," National Association of Legal Assistants Mid-Year Meeting -- Las Vegas (March 1992)

Publications

• "The Best Way to Comply with Disability Discrimination Laws -- Think Accommodation First," Employment Law Review (January 2002)
• "Employers Under Fire by Third Parties," Facts & Findings (February 1995)
• "Employer Liability Extends to Customers, Clients and Vendors," HR Focus (November 1993)
• "Union Contracts May Not Mesh with ADA," Accommodating Disabilities Business Management Guide-CCH (May 1992) 
• "The ADA is a Maze Cluttered with Booby Traps -- But a Noble One," Pittsburgh Business Times (August 1992)
• "Localities Must Address ADA's Labor Effects," American City & County (September 1992)
• "Non-Union Employers Reluctant to Seek Picketing Injunctions," Allegheny Business News (October 1991) 
• "Employees Should Understand Sexual Harassment Policy," Pittsburgh Business Times  (November 1991)