Wendi S. Lazar

WENDI S. LAZAR is a partner at Outten & Golden LLP in New York where she co-heads the firm’s Individual Practice and the Executives and Professionals Practice Group. Ms. Lazar practices in many areas of employment law with a focus on executive agreements, including retention, expatriate, non-competition, talent, severance, and compensation arrangements. She also represents teams of executives, founders and partners transitioning during a sale, merger and acquisitions and other corporate transactions. Ms. Lazar’s practice is international in scope, and she advises clients and attorneys in the U.S. and abroad on employment, contract, and often related immigration issues. Ms. Lazar represents individuals, partners, and management teams at portfolio and public companies, financial institutions (including banks, hedge funds, private equity companies), and entertainment, advertising and media companies. She also represents law partners and associates, accounting professionals, doctors and medical practitioners in all transactional matters. Ms. Lazar was appointed as a commissioner by the American Bar Association’s Commission on Women, where she heads the Sexual Harassment and Gender Based Bullying Committee.

Ms. Lazar is the Diversity Co-Chair and a member of the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association Labor & Employment Section, and is an active member of NELA, ABA and NYSBA committees. She is former Employee Co-Chair of the American Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section’s International Labor and Employment Law Committee.

Ms. Lazar writes a quarterly column for the New York Law Journal entitled “Employees in the Workplace.” She regularly lectures on employment issues to bar associations and industry groups and has had numerous legal articles and book chapters published. She co-authored as Co-Editor In-Chief, "Restrictive Covenants and Trade Secrets in Employment Law: An International Survey," published in 2010 by the BNA and its supplements through 2013, which includes the chapter “Confidentiality, Trade Secrets, and Other Duties and Restrictive Covenants in a Global Economy.” In addition, she is also the author of the chapter “Negotiating and Drafting Expatriate Employment Agreements," in the 3rd Edition of Vol. 1B of International Labor & Employment Law, published in 2009 by the BNA.

Martindale-Hubbell recognizes Ms. Lazar as an AV “Preeminent” rated attorney. She was named to Best Lawyers in America 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 in the field of Employment Law – Individuals. Ms. Lazar was also recognized by Super Lawyers in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. Ms. Lazar has been selected as a 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyer. In 2014, Ms. Lazar was elected as a Fellow to the College of Labor & Employment Lawyers. Ms. Lazar was named a New York Law Journal: Top Women in the Law 2016. She is also a Board Member of Work Life Law, UC Hastings College of the Law. Before she began practicing law in 1993, Ms. Lazar was a film and television producer. Her ten years of experience in that field include many television and feature film credits as well as an Emmy Award. Ms. Lazar graduated magna cum laude from Hunter College and received her J.D. cum laude from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, where she received a Ford Foundation Fellowship in International Law and was an Alexander Fellow, participating as a federal judicial law clerk.

Ms. Lazar is admitted to practice in New York, the U.S. District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York, and the U.S. Supreme Court.