Practice Areas || EMPLOYMENT LAW

Our employment law team focuses on every aspect of the employment relationship including:

• Drafting documents relating to the employment relationship, such as offer letters, employment agreements, stock option agreements and plans, phantom equity plans, confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, and non-competition and non-solicitation agreements.
• Drafting employee handbooks and manuals.
• Advising in the termination of employment relationships, and drafting documentation relating thereto, including severance agreements, separation agreements and releases.
• Conducting workplace investigations on issues such as discrimination, harassment, fraud and theft.
• Conducting audits of company-wide employment practices including proper classification of employees under wage and hour laws, and maintenance of employee records.
• Conducting training on employment-related subjects, including workplace harassment and discrimination, disciplinary and termination procedures, and computer and e-mail usage.
• To the extent applicable giving tax advice in connection with the above.

We counsel clients on a day-to-day basis regarding employment issues.  Our goal is to work closely with management to proactively react to employment issues as they arise, and to quickly and effectively minimize legal risks to our clients and to reduce the threat of lengthy and costly litigation. Our employment team has experience across a broad array of industries and business areas.

While we strive to provide counsel in order to avoid litigation, we are experienced in the defense of lawsuits brought under federal, state and local statutes and regulations relating to employment matters, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Older Workers’ Benefit Protection Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Americans With Disabilities Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act.  We also have expertise in cases involving breach of employment contracts, employee theft of trade secrets and proprietary information, as well as violations and enforcement of non-compete agreements.

We have successfully represented our clients before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, NYS Division of Human Rights, NYS Department of Labor and in state and federal courts and in arbitrations before the American Arbitration Association and the NASD.