Zachary A. Ahonen

Zachary Ahonen is an associate in the Indianapolis, Indiana, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. He trains, advises, and advocates for employers in a wide range of workplace law matters.

Zach has extensive experience assisting clients navigating all aspects of restrictive covenants. He proactively develops strategies with clients to protect their confidential information, trade secrets, and customer relationships, which includes drafting non-competition, non-solicitation, confidentiality, and anti-raiding agreements. Once formal in-court litigation becomes necessary, Zach routinely represents clients both pursuing and defending against claims for alleged contract breaches, for the misappropriation of confidential information and trade secrets, and for other forms of unfair competition.

Further, Zach has considerable familiarity with Indiana-specific employment laws, defending against claims under Title III of the ADA for disability discrimination in public accommodations and commercial facilities, and in matters relating to the prevention of and response to workplace violence. This includes successfully seeking and obtaining workplace violence restraining orders on behalf of employers but designed to cover and protect employees.

In addition, Zach defends clients against lawsuits alleging violations of statutes including Title VII, the ADA, the FMLA, and the FLSA. He provides general advice and counsel to employers to minimize risk and exposure on a variety of other workplace legal matters. Zach partners with clients to craft employment, consulting, and independent contractor agreements, as well as to implement policies and procedures compliant with federal and state laws.

Honors and Recognitions

• The Best Lawyers in America©, “Ones to Watch: Labor and Employment Law – Management” (2025)

Pro Bono and Community Involvement

• Boys and Girls Club of Hancock County, Board Member, 2016-2020
• Boys and Girls Club of Hancock County, Chairman - Governance Committee, 2017-2020

Published Works

• New Employment Laws for 2021, State by State Legislative Update (Defense Research Institute, Employment and Labor Law Committee 2021) [Contributing Author]
• New Employment Laws for 2020, State by State Legislative Update (Defense Research Institute, Employment and Labor Law Committee 2020) [Contributing Author]
• New Laws for 2019, State by State Legislative Update (Defense Research Institute, Employment Committee 2019) [Contributing Author]
• New Laws for 2018, State by State Legislative Update (Defense Research Institute, Employment Committee 2018) [Contributing Author]

Speeches

• “FMLA Master Class, Advanced Skills for Employee Leave Management,” Business & Legal Resources, Inc. (Indianapolis, IN, June 2019) (presenter)
• “FMLA Master Class, Advanced Skills for Employee Leave Management,” Business & Legal Resources, Inc. (Indianapolis, IN, December 2018) (presenter)
• “Leave Me Alone! Managing ADA/FMLA Leave in the Real World,” Eastern Indiana Human Resources Association (EIHRA) (Richmond, IN, January 2018) (presenter)
• “Mitigating Employment-Related Risk and Reducing Employment Litigation Costs,” Eastern Indiana Human Resources Association (EIHRA) (Richmond, IN, September 2017) (presenter)
• “Leave Me Alone! Managing ADA/FMLA Leave in the Real World,” Plainfield HR Square Table (Plainfield, IN, June 2017) (presenter)
• “Mitigating Employment-Related Risk and Reducing Employment Litigation Costs,” Blue River SHRM (Shelbyville, IN, May 2017) (presenter)