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Recognition & Standing

Recognized by peers, trusted by general counsel,
retained when the stakes are highest.

I
Chambers USA2024
Band 1
Employment & Labor
II
Best Lawyers2024
Lawyer of the Year
Employment Law — Management
III
Super Lawyers2024
Top 100
New York Super Lawyers
IV
Martindale-Hubbell2024
AV Preeminent
Peer Review Rated

Attorney-client privilege attaches from first contact

Senior partner mid-sentence at conference table, natural window light catching the edge of a legal brief
Employment & Labor Defense

When the DOL Calls, We Answer First.

From the first demand letter to the final verdict — Counsel stands between your company and the courtroom.

340+Class Actions Defended
$2.1BLiability Avoided
47States & Territories
Feature — The Bench

The Attorneys
Who Try the Hard Cases

Four named partners. One hundred and forty-three combined years of management-side labor law. The depth to handle whatever arrives Monday morning.

Margaret Holloway, Managing Partner, seated at conference table reviewing case documents with focused expression
24 Years Experience
Wage-and-Hour Defense

Margaret Holloway

Managing Partner

FLSA collective actions, state wage claims, class certification strategy

“The moment a company receives a collective action notice, the clock is running. We start the defense before the complaint is even filed.”

Landmark Matter

Thornton Industries v. USDOL

Defeated $47M FLSA collective action at class certification — court denied conditional certification on all 23 claims.

2nd Cir.3rd Cir.5th Cir.9th Cir.SDNYEDPA
94%Win Rate
118Class Actions
$890MLiability Avoided
Darius Okonkwo, Senior Partner, standing at window with city skyline behind him, professional attire
19 Years Experience
EEOC & Discrimination Defense

Darius Okonkwo

Senior Partner

Title VII, ADA, ADEA investigations, systemic discrimination charges

“An EEOC charge is not the end of the story. How you respond in the first ninety days determines whether it becomes a lawsuit.”

Landmark Matter

Meridian Health Systems EEOC Investigation

Secured no-cause determination in systemic race discrimination investigation covering 1,400 employees across 12 states.

EEOC HQNY DistrictChicago DistrictLA DistrictAtlanta District
87%No-Cause Rate
203EEOC Matters
12States Covered
Svetlana Petrov, Partner, in elegant professional attire with document portfolio, confident posture
16 Years Experience
Executive Severance & Separation

Svetlana Petrov

Partner

C-suite separations, non-compete enforcement, golden parachute negotiations

“Every executive departure is a negotiation. The company that walks in with the better-drafted agreement walks out with the better outcome.”

Landmark Matter

Cascade Capital Group — CEO Separation

Negotiated CEO separation limiting exposure from $34M clawback claim to $1.2M settlement — preserving board continuity.

DelawareNew YorkCaliforniaTexasIllinois
$1.8BDeal Value
156Separations
97%Settled Pre-Suit

You've just read three attorneys who have each handled more than a hundred matters like yours.

The question is which one you need on Monday.

Marcus Chen, Partner, at negotiating table with hands clasped, attentive listening posture
14 Years Experience
Union Arbitration & Labor Relations

Marcus Chen

Partner

CBA negotiations, grievance arbitration, unfair labor practice defense

“The NLRB is not a neutral referee. You need someone in that room who has read every decision from the last decade.”

Landmark Matter

Pacific Logistics Union Arbitration

Won binding arbitration upholding termination of 14 employees — arbitrator adopted all management-side factual findings.

NLRB Regions 2, 4, 21, 32AAAFMCS
78%Arb Win Rate
89CBA Negotiations
34ULP Victories
Practice Areas

Every Claim, Covered.

From the first demand letter to the last appellate brief — our practice spans every front of employment litigation.

FLSA · State Law · Class Cert

Wage & Hour Defense

FLSA collective actions, state wage claims, misclassification audits, tip pooling disputes, and off-the-clock litigation.

The most litigated area of employment law. We defend from pre-litigation audit through trial.

Title VII · ADA · ADEA

EEOC & Discrimination

Charge response strategy, systemic investigations, reasonable cause conciliation, and federal court defense.

87% no-cause determination rate across 200+ EEOC matters.

Preventive · Multi-state

Handbook & Policy Drafting

Employment handbook audits, arbitration agreement design, offer letter review, and multi-state compliance.

The defense starts before the claim is filed.

C-Suite · Non-Compete · Clawback

Executive Separation

C-suite and senior leader departures, non-compete enforcement and defense, clawback negotiation.

$1.8B in deal value negotiated without litigation.

OSHA · State Plans · Appeals

OSHA & Workplace Safety

Inspection response, citation contest, abatement negotiation, and serious/willful violation defense.

Average penalty reduction of 67% across contested citations.

NLRB · CBA · Arbitration

Union & Labor Relations

CBA negotiation, grievance arbitration, ULP defense, organizing campaign response.

78% arbitration win rate over 14 years of practice.

Privileged · Board-Level · HR

Workplace Investigations

Internal investigation design and execution, privilege-protected findings, board-level reporting.

Investigation findings that hold up in court because they were designed to.

Track Record

Seven Figures Defended.
Repeatedly.

$2.1BTotal Liability Avoided
340+Matters Resolved
91%Favorable Outcomes
Year
Matter
Outcome
Exposure Addressed
2024
Healthcare System — FLSA Collective ActionWage & Hour

Class certification denied; collective action de-certified on appeal

$47M
2024
Retail Chain — Systemic Race DiscriminationEEOC Defense

EEOC issued no-cause determination after 18-month investigation

$31M
2023
Private Equity Portfolio — CEO SeparationExecutive

Clawback claim settled for 3.5 cents on the dollar

$34M → $1.2M
2023
Logistics Company — Misclassification Class ActionWage & Hour

Summary judgment granted; all 847 plaintiffs' claims dismissed

$89M
2022
Tech Company — Mass Layoff WARN Act ClaimsWARN Act

Favorable arbitration award; class certification denied

$22M
2022
Manufacturing Plant — OSHA Willful ViolationOSHA

Penalty reduced from $145,000 to $12,000 after contest

91% reduction
2021
Financial Services — Union Organizing CampaignLabor Relations

NLRB election won; union petition withdrawn

Election Won

* Past results do not guarantee future outcomes. Matter descriptions have been generalized to protect client confidentiality. Results reflect settlements, verdicts, and administrative determinations favorable to management.

Begin Here

The situation you're in
has been handled before.

A confidential case review connects you with the right partner within one business day. No intake form. No junior associate. The attorney who handles your matter takes your first call.

Attorney-client privilege from first contact
Partner response within one business day
Direct line — no gatekeeping

Not yet in crisis? Stay ahead of one.

2024 Employer Compliance Checklist

47 items your employment counsel should have reviewed this year. Free PDF — takes 12 minutes to read.

COUNSELEST. 1998
“They had read every decision from the prior decade. The EEOC investigator knew it.”

General Counsel

Mid-Market Healthcare System

No-cause determination
“We got the call on a Friday afternoon. By Monday, Margaret was already in the room.”

Chief People Officer

Series C Technology Company

Class certification denied
“The handbook they drafted is the reason three claims were dismissed on day one.”

VP Human Resources

National Retail Chain

Summary judgment granted