Labor/Employment Law

The Firm's Labor and Employment Department provide effective advocacy and legal assistance in every aspect of labor and employment law. With our comprehensive knowledge of state and federal employment law and decades of employment litigation experience, we regularly counsel employers about all manner of workplace issues. Our focus on the prevention of disputes before they occur helps our clients avoid potential employment claims. However, when disputes with employees inevitably arise, we seek prompt and creative resolution to eliminate the need for litigation. For disputes that cannot be resolved, we develop efficient litigation strategies that seek full vindication of our client’s position and are fully prepared to litigate the matter through summary judgment, trial, or appeal, as may be necessary to accomplish our client’s objectives. 

Our knowledgeable, well-trained and experienced employment lawyers provide effective, efficient representation to all sizes of businesses in all types of industries. In addition, our attorneys have functioned as in-house employment lawyers for a number of employers.  

The counseling services we regularly provide include: 

·               Preparing employee handbooks and related policies and procedures, and assisting employers with regular review and updating of these documents; 
·               Preparing offer letters and employment contracts (including contracts with post-employment restrictive covenants, and confidentiality and intellectual property agreements); 
·               Advising employers regarding medical leaves of absence and reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities; 
·               Counseling employers about employee discipline and termination issues; 
·               Assisting employers with the planning and implementation of workforce reductions; 
·               Negotiating and preparing separation and severance agreements;
·               Conducting workplace investigations into allegations of unlawful activity or other wrongdoing; 
·               Training managers and supervisors regarding maintenance of a lawful workplace environment and other legal issues;
·               Providing advice and risk analysis regarding employee hiring and departures in situations involving post-employment restrictive covenants;
·               Counseling employers regarding compliance with a myriad of federal and state employment laws, including Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the National Labor Relations Act, and their New York state equivalents.

In addition, we regularly litigate in state and federal courts, defend employers in arbitration proceedings, and represent employers before administrative agencies including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the U.S. Department of Labor, the New York Human Rights Commission, the New York City Human Rights Commission and the New York Department of Labor. Our employment litigators have experience defending every type of employment claim – from employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wrongful discharge, entitlement to employee benefits and wage and hour violations, to misappropriation of trade secrets and confidential information, unfair competition, labor-management disputes, defamation, and other employment-related torts.