Dean Kpere-Daibo

Dean is a Shareholder in Maynard Nexsen's Labor & Employment practice, where he represents management in a wide range of labor and employment matters.

He counsels employers of all sizes, from large national corporations to nonprofit organizations, on labor relations, workforce management, union campaigns, and collective bargaining strategies. By working closely with executives and human resources professionals, Dean provides practical guidance tailored to each client's business objectives.

His practice focuses on traditional labor law matters, including defending employers against unfair labor practice charges before the National Labor Relations Board, representing clients in collective bargaining negotiations, arbitrating labor grievances, and advising employers throughout union organizing efforts and representation elections. Dean also has significant experience handling disputes involving collective bargaining agreements and issues related to supervisory status under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).

Beyond labor relations, Dean defends employers in employment litigation before state and federal courts, including discrimination, retaliation, and disability claims, and has successfully litigated matters at the appellate level, including arguing an issue of first impression before the Missouri Supreme Court. He is equally dedicated to proactive counseling, delivering training on implicit bias, anti-harassment, investigations, and employee relations to help employers mitigate risk and strengthen workplace culture.

Dean earned his J.D. from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where he served as Symposium Editor of the Law Review, and his B.A. from the University of Missouri-Columbia. 

Community & Professional

• Missouri Bar, Member
• Bar Association of Metropolitan Saint Louis
  • Labor & Employment Division, President
• Human Resource Management Association of Greater St. Louis, Member
• Society for Human Resource Management, Member
• American Bar Association
  • Employment and Labor Law Litigation Sections, Member
• City of St. Louis Civil Service Commission, Former Chair
• Epworth Children & Family Services, Board of Directors, Former Member
• Governing Board for Safe Connections, Board of Directors, Former Member
• Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Member
  • Zeta Alpha Chapter Foundation, Board of Directors, Member

• Representing a large beverage and liquor distributor, Dean served as lead counsel defending against a Clarification Petition and corresponding Unfair Labor Practice Charge filed by a Union defending against the Union’s attempt to unlawfully utilize the parties’ grievance and arbitration provision contained in the collective bargaining agreement to assert inclusion of a new group of employees into the bargaining unit. 
• Representing a large beverage and liquor distributor, serving as lead counsel, Dean obtained a favorable arbitration decision after the Union alleged the Company violated the collective bargaining agreement by using its managment rights to implement a new routing system using artificial intelligence.
• Representing a large public transportation company, serving as lead counsel, Dean obtained a favorable decision from the National Labor Relations Board concerning the 2(11) status of the company’s Road Supervisors and Maintenance Supervisors.
• Representing a large public transportation agency, serving as lead counsel, Dean successfully negotiated a successor contract involving 300 public transit drivers. 

• Representing a large auto repair retailer against age discrimination and retaliation claims, successfully briefed and argued an issue of first impression in front of the Missouri Court of Appeals and Missouri Supreme Court regarding whether the Missouri Human Rights Act applies extraterritorially to a Plaintiff who worked outside the State of Missouri.
• Representing and advising a large school bus company, successfully oversaw and managed dozens of union organizing campaigns and elections all across the country.
• Representing a large non-profit organization obtained the dismissal of numerous unfair labor practice charges filed with the NLRB, including allegations that the organization engaged in bad-faith bargaining by unlawfully withholding a wage increase from union employees because of their union activity.
• Representing a large non-profit organization, and successfully litigated whether a group of employees were 2(11) supervisors under the Act in front of the NLRB.
• Representing a large fixed-route bus transportation entity, successfully obtained dismissals of a single plaintiff’s claims of disability discrimination claims under both the MHRA and the ADA in Missouri Circuit Court as well as the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Missouri.
• Representing a large fixed-route transportation company, successfully argued a motion to compel arbitration in front of the United States District Court of the Western District of Missouri. Additionally, successfully briefed before the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, the validity of arbitration agreements mandating arbitration between the employer and employees and the District Court’s dismissal of the plaintiff’s action due to his failure and/or refusal to arbitrate pursuant to the District Court’s Order.
• Representing a large fixed-route transportation company, successfully assisted in collective bargaining negotiations to resolve large work stoppage.
• Representing a large transportation company operating a large school bus operation, assisted in the investigation of a wild cat strike.

Recognition

• Listed in The Best Lawyers in America® for Employment Law - Management (2024-2025, 2027), Labor Law - Management, and Litigation - Labor and Employment (2025-Present)
• The POWER List for Employment Law by Missouri Lawyers Weekly (2026)
• Missouri & Kansas Super Lawyers®, Rising Star (2018-2025)
• Who's Who Diversity in Color, Bold & Brightest Inductee (2017)
• The Power 100 Most Influential Black Professionals in St. Louis, Delux Magazine (2017)
• "Top 40 Under 40," National Black Lawyers (2016)