To serve the employment law needs of the increasing number of businesses relying on a contingent or on-demand labor force, Morris, Manning & Martin has hired attorney Mark Zisholtz to head its Contingent Labor Practice Group. Zisholtz, who joined the firm in January, works in MMM’s Employment practice group.

Contingent labor, or “gig economy” workers, generally include people providing services on a temporary or flexible basis, who are not full-time employees. For example, contingent labor includes independent contractors or freelancers working on short-term projects under payrolling agreements, statements of work, or on a time and materials basis. Often, these contingent or gig workers are secured through third parties, such as staffing companies and self-service technology platforms.

“Roughly 20% of all labor for Fortune 500 companies is performed on a contingent basis,” Zisholtz says. “Other data indicates a higher percentage, and certainly with millennials and changing attitudes toward traditional work arrangements the industry is poised to continue its growth. But, companies need to be careful. There are a number of touchy, often unexpected legal issues which can arise when utilizing gig workers.”

A nationally-known authority on the use of independent contractors, Zisholtz was most recently General Counsel and then VP of Contingent Workforce Compliance, Management and Strategy of a $600 million+ staffing and contingent labor workforce supplier. He also co-founded and sold two startups in the talent acquisition and benefits spaces. He began his career at MMM, and chose to return because it offered a wide platform to develop his general and niche practice areas.

“MMM has an outstanding Employment practice,” he says. “Plus, a lot of the firm’s Tech clients use gig economy workers in addition to MMM’s institutional, real estate, corporate, hospitality and other clients.”

Zisholtz counsels clients on state and federal employment laws, contracts and general corporate matters. While he typically represents corporations and other business entities, he also strategically represents executives, upper management and owners. His experience includes successfully negotiating, litigating or engaging in alternative dispute resolution with respect to restrictive covenants, anti-discrimination laws, contingent labor and procurement, outsourcing, contract disputes and more. He has also designed independent contractor compliance and administrative management processes, consulted on a wide range of independent contractor engagement matters and advised on strategic programs. He regularly speaks on employment law topics throughout the U.S.

About Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP

Morris, Manning & Martin (www.mmmlaw.com) is an AmLaw 200 law firm with national and international reach. We dedicate ourselves to the constant pursuit of our clients’ success. To provide our clients with optimal value, we combine market-leading legal services with a total understanding of their needs to maximize effectiveness, efficiency and opportunity. MMM enjoys national prominence for its real estate, corporate, litigation, technology, healthcare, intellectual property, energy & infrastructure, capital markets, environmental, international trade, insurance, and timberland & forest products practices. MMM has offices in and around Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham, Savannah and Washington, D.C. The firm also has a business development office in Beijing, China and a strategic alliance office in São Paulo, Brazil.