Jean H. Bender
Jean H. Bender
South Dakota Employment Lawyer
My Story
Sioux Falls lawyer Jean H. Bender is an employment lawyer at Davenport Evans. Jean is extremely active assisting clients with employee benefits issues and all areas of employment law. Jean counsels clients on issues involving harassment, race, sex, age, national origin and disability discrimination, wrongful termination, wage and hour issues arising under the Fair Labor Standards Act, and leave issues under the Family and Medical Leave Act. Jean proactively counsels clients on issues such as hiring and firing, drug testing, harassment and discrimination investigations, employment policies, and company handbooks. Jean also drafts corporate documents related to employment such as contracts, non-compete agreements, and severance agreements and releases.
Jean also consults with clients on ERISA and other legal compliance issues for employee benefit plans ranging from qualified retirement plans to flexible benefit plans. Jean has assisted a number of clients in correcting plan errors through IRS and DOL voluntary compliance programs such as EPCRS and DFVCP. She also negotiates service contracts with third party providers.
Jean has received a Martindale-Hubbell Distinguished Peer Rating, indicating the attorney is widely respected for high professional achievement and ethical standards. She has also been selected by Best Lawyers® as the 2021 Lawyer of the Year for South Dakota in the area of Employment Law – Management. She is listed by Best Lawyers in the area of Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law and Employment Law—Management, and has been ranked by Chambers and Partners in the area of Labor & Employment Law.
Jean is active in a number of community organizations. She currently serves on the Minnehaha County Board of Commissioners. She is past president of the Brandon Valley School Board and chair of the Brandon Valley Booster Club. She is also the former president of the board of directors for Volunteers of America, Dakotas and previously served on the CASA Board of Directors. Jean is a frequent volunteer for Junior Achievement and is active in her church.
Position: Of Counsel
Direct: (605) 336-2880
Email: info@dehs.com
Highlights
- President Biden’s Latest Plan to Vaccinate the Unvaccinated
- FDIC Issues Rule on Minor Offenses, Eases Bank Hiring Restrictions
- AARP Strikes Again:Lawsuit Highlights Need for Need Employer Caution Related to Wellness Incentives/Penalties
- DOL Raises Salary Threshold for Overtime Exemptions
- Why You Need an Employment Lawyer: Jean Bender on Keloland Living
- U.S. Supreme Court Delivers Epic Ruling on Arbitration
- Bender Presents at Mid-American Chamber Executives Executives Annual Conference
- New DOL Disability Claims Procedure Regulations
- How to Handle Workplace Harassment, Bender on Keloland
- Employee Benefit Implications in the Tax Reform Bill
- Federal Judge Vacates EEOC Wellness Plan Rules
- How to Deal with a Sexual Harassment Complaint, Bender on Keloland
- 2017 Davenport Evans Employment Law Update Packs Hilton Garden Inn Sioux Falls
- KELO: Can You Be Fired For Social Media Comments?
- Bender Discusses Employee Absences on KELO Podcast
- Be Prepared for New Overtime Rules, Says Bender
- Bender on Keloland: Keep Political Views to Yourself When at Work
- EEOC Published Rule Allowing Wellness Program
- DOL Finalizes New “White Collar” Rules
- EEOC Rule Permits Wellness Program Incentives for Spouses
Professional Experience
Davenport, Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP
Of Counsel: 2000 – present
Partner: 1999 – 2000
Associate: 1992 – 1998
Southern Methodist University School of Law
Legal Writing Instructor
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit
Law Clerk to Judge Irving L. Golberg
Education
Texas Christian University
(B.S., magna cum laude, 1984)
Southern Methodist University
(J.D., cum laude, 1989), Hatton W. Sumners Scholar
Professional Memberships
State Bar of South Dakota
American Bar Association
Licensure
Admitted to Practice (State):
South Dakota, 1991
Accomplishments
Order of Coif
Symposium Editor, Journal of Air Law and Commerce, 1988 – 1989
Author: Congressional Limitations on State Taxation of Air Transportation,53 Journal of Air Law and Commerce 1041 (1988)
Protecting what you’ve built.
Phone Numbers
DEHS: (605) 336-2880
Driving Directions
Davenport Evans, Hurwitz & Smith, LLP
206 West 14th Street
P.O. Box 1030
Sioux Falls, SD 57101-1030