James C. Hetlage is an experienced employment attorney, litigator, and municipal attorney. He serves as the City Attorney for the Cities of Brentwood, Glendale, Maplewood, Richmond Heights and Wentzville, Missouri. In that capacity, Jim addresses substantially all of the legal needs of these cities, including preparation and review of ordinances and contracts, analysis of zoning and land use issues, Sunshine Law requests, and personnel matters. Jim also serves as special labor and employment counsel for the Cities of Branson, Cape Girardeau, Crestwood and Festus, Missouri.

Jim  represents government and private-sector employers before state and federal administrative agencies, trial courts and appellate courts. He is experienced in resolving employment discrimination claims and other labor and employment disputes in court and through mediation and arbitration. He has addressed the impact of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter for employers, and has counseled employers on proper means for avoiding discrimination and harassment claims.

Jim partners with his employer and municipal clients to identify ways to avoid risk and keep his clients out of the courtroom. He provides clients with counseling and guidance on drafting and implementing ordinances, employment policies and on Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), wage and hour, and discrimination compliance issues. In addition, he handles litigation involving commercial disputes including breach of contract, condemnation, construction, and real estate matters.

Jim has been consistently recognized by Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers  for his work in Municipal Law and Employment & Labor Law.  Additionally, Jim has been selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® every year since 2015 for his work in Employment Law – Management and more recently in the area of Commercial Litigation. He holds an AV Preeminent® peer rating from Martindale-Hubbell. Jim earned his J.D. from Washington University School of Law.