Christopher Cavaliere

Christopher Cavaliere is a principal in the Tampa office of Jackson Lewis P.C. Chris proactively partners with businesses throughout the country to help them navigate the daily workplace challenges of today’s business world.  Combining extensive courtroom experience with practical business instincts, Chris is dedicated to helping his clients comply with ever-changing employment laws while remaining aligned with their strategic business objectives. Chris takes pride in maintaining long-term partnerships with his clients built on responsiveness, open communication, and a tireless dedication to his client’s goals.

In helping his clients remain compliant, Chris provides proactive advice and counsel to businesses of all sizes throughout the country. He provides practical solutions and training on workplace issues relating to hiring and onboarding, performance management and terminations, disability and leave management, background checks, employee handbooks, compensation, overtime, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, whistleblower, breach of contract, unpaid wages, non-competition agreements, non-solicitation agreements, confidentiality agreements, and more. He prepares clear workplace policies and procedures, digestible agreements and contracts, and other workplace-related documents. He provides practical day-to-day advice to human resources professionals, business owners, and managers.  He also conducts workplace investigations in response to a variety of internal complaints including harassment, discrimination, retaliation, pay issues, and more. If a particular issue falls outside Chris’s areas of expertise, he curates an attorney or team of attorneys tailored to the client’s needs.  

Aside from providing preventative advice and counsel, Chris also regularly represents businesses in employment-related disputes and litigation in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies.  Chris began his legal career as a criminal prosecutor, during which time he tried more than 20 jury trials. Chris’s deep courtroom experience has proven invaluable in fearlessly advocating for his clients throughout every stage of a case, always with a clear focus on achieving his client’s goals. Chris represents employers in cases involving essentially all employment laws/issues, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Pregnancy Discrimination Act, Fair Credit Reporting Act, National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), Florida Civil Rights Act, Florida Whistleblower Act, breach of contract, violations of restrictive covenants including non-compete and non-solicit agreements, and more. He regularly defends employers before administrative agencies such as the EEOC, Florida Commission on Human Relations (FCHR), and the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).   

Below are a few recent successes Chris has obtained for his clients:

• Obtained summary judgment for a cement-mixing company against claims of race discrimination and retaliation
• Obtained summary judgment for an airline against claims of disability discrimination and retaliation
• Obtained dismissal with prejudice for a technology company on claims of gender and race discrimination and retaliation
• Obtained dismissal with prejudice for an architectural & engineering firm on claims of a hostile work environment and overtime violations

Chris also takes pride in volunteering his time for the community. Among other things, he recently served as the President of HR Tampa, one of the nation’s largest chapters of human resources professionals. When he is not serving clients or the community, Chris can be found enjoying his time with his beautiful (and brilliant!) wife and children.

Honors and Recognitions

• The Best Lawyers in America©, “Employment Law – Management” and “Litigation – Labor and Employment” (2023-present)
• Florida Super Lawyers®, “Rising Stars” (2019-present)

Pro-Bono and Community Involvement

• HR Tampa, Immediate Past President (2023-2024), President (2021-2022), President-Elect (2020), Treasurer (2019), Member (2018 – Present)
• NeuroShifts (formerly Autism Shifts), Board of Directors (2022-2024)
• ProVisors, Group Leader, Tampa Bay 2 (January 2024 – present)
• Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture and the Arts, Board of Directors (2017-2022)

Published Works

• “Not So Fast: Thinking Twice Before Imposing Health Insurance Surcharges on Unvaccinated Employees,” HR Professionals Magazine (October 2021) [Co-Author]

Speeches

• Employment Law Update, Leavitt Group/Tropical Benefits (St. Petersburg, March 21, 2025)
• Employment Law Update, STR Benefits Consulting / Griffin Resources (Tampa, March 6, 2025)
• “Staying on Trend: The Mid-Year Employment Law Round-Up,” HR Florida Conference (Orlando, August 27, 2024) (presenter)
• “Keeping Your House in (Law and) Order: How to Do Your Own Employment Law Compliance Check (Without a Lawyer!)” HR Topics, (Virtual, April 2024) (presenter)
• “Keeping Your House in (Law and) Order: How to Do Your Own Employment Law Compliance Check (Without a Lawyer),” HR Florida Conference (Orlando, August 28, 2023) (presenter)
• “The Future of Non-Competes: The FTC’s Proposed Rule on Non-Compete Agreements,” Association of Corporate Counsel / Jackson Lewis 2023 Orlando Labor and Employment Conference (Orlando, FL, May 2023) (presenter)
• “Protect Your Business and Your People: Learn How Human Trafficking Impacts Your HR Strategy,” NOMORE Foundation (Tampa, FL, May 2023) (panelist)
• “2019 Florida Legislative Session Recap & Employment Law Refresher,” HR Tampa (Tampa, FL, June 2019) (presenter)