Best Lawyers Near You in New York, New York for Employment Law - Individuals
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Practice Area Overview
Employment attorneys who focus on individuals specialize in the many areas where legal conflicts can arise between organizations and their employees. These disputes stem from issues with local, state or federal employment laws.
Employees or ex-employees who feel they were treated unfairly based on these laws can seek out an employment lawyer to provide support and representation.
Common concerns relate to wages, hiring practices, workplace safety and injuries, hours worked and discrimination in the workplace. However, there are many other types of labor laws that could lead to an individual working with an employment law lawyer.
Lawyers for employees may assist with negotiations and settlements, filing complaints with relevant administrative agencies and litigation in the courtroom. They also provide an initial consultation and follow-up discussions about the best course of action. That includes many considerations, such as the viability of the complaint itself and whether to pursue it at the federal or state level.
Their in-depth knowledge of this area of practice can help to address employee and ex-employee concerns. Attorneys may specialize in certain areas of employment law, such as workplace injury.
Employment law is a complex area of practice. Federal employment laws only apply to businesses that engage in interstate commerce, although in practice this covers the majority of employers. The size of a business, specifically the number of individuals it employs, can also lead to exemption from certain requirements.
State employment laws are limited to a specific state and the companies that do business within it. Employees can also be exempt from certain federal protections that would otherwise apply to them, depending on their role and level of compensation.
Working with an attorney who has a deep understanding of a specific area of employment law can be valuable. Examples include lawyers for employment rights and employment discrimination lawyers.
The Basics of Employment Law
Employment law is based on local, state and federal laws that govern the relationship between an employee and employer. This area of practice covers all of the rights and responsibilities of both of these parties.
Attorneys who work with and represent employees can be seen as practicing employment law for individuals. Attorneys who work with companies and organizations can be viewed as practicing employment law for employers.
Although not unique to employment law, jurisdiction plays an especially important role in this area of practice. Local and state laws can be more restrictive or impose more requirements than those enforced federally.
For example, some municipalities and states have laws that require payment of a higher minimum wage than the federal standard of $7.25 per hour. Employees covered by these laws are entitled to earn the higher, local- or state-level minimum wage.
Specific Areas of Focus for Employment Lawyers
Workplace Discrimination and Workplace Harassment
Various federal and state laws prohibit discrimination in the workplace, based on protected classes. States have a range of laws related to workplace harassment and discrimination, Federal laws and regulations include:
- The Age Discrimination in Employment Act.
- The Americans with Disabilities Act.
- The Fair Labor Standards Act.
- The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Such laws intend to prevent national origin discrimination and religious discrimination. They also prohibit discrimination based on gender identity, sex and sexual orientation and protect other classes of workers as well.
An employment dispute lawyer or similar attorney can provide representation to individuals who feel their employer did not comply with these laws.
Worker’s Compensation
Employees who face an injury or illness related to their work and work environment may be eligible for worker’s compensation. The claims process can be complex and denials of benefits are possible. An employment lawyer can help an individual employee navigate this process.
Wage and Hour Concerns
Various laws and regulations dictate the minimum rate of pay for employees. These rules also explain the conditions in which overtime must be paid and similar requirements.
Federal law additionally offers exemptions from specific wage and hour regulations for certain categories of employees. This categorization, part of the Fair Labor Standards Act, is based on their amount and type of pay (i.e. a salary as opposed to an hourly wage) and the type of work they typically perform.
Workers who feel their rights have been violated can work with an employment lawyer to file a complaint and seek restitution. In certain cases, a single employee filing a complaint can lead to a class-action lawsuit that involves all affected employees.
Select a location from the list below to find some of the best employment lawyers for employees in your area.
Employment Law Legal Guide 2025
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During his career, Mr. Davis has served as class counsel on numerous nationwide employment class actions and has tried nearly 20 cases to verdict. Mr. Davis has been recognized by the press as an experienced trial attorney and employment law expert. He is regularly interviewed by print and television media outlets around the world, including The Associated Press, The Shriver Report, and CNN En Español. Mr. Davis began his career as an Assistant District Attorney in the esteemed Manhatt...
Rachel Geman, a partner in the New York office, chairs the firm’s Whistleblower Law/False Claims Act practice group and combats frauds that harm her clients in their lives and misconduct that threatens the fairness and safety of their workplaces and communities. Exemplar matters: Employment and Civil Rights: Appointed Co-Lead Class Counsel in forced labor case vindicating the rights of 200 workers who were Colombian nationals or of Colombian origin (2024); represented a certified class ...
Megan Goddard is an employment discrimination lawyer devoted to protecting equality in the workplace. She represents victims of all types of discrimination, including race, gender, disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation and national origin, as well as victims of sexual harassment and discrimination-based retaliation. Megan also represents whistleblowers. Her clients face discrimination in various workplaces, including hospitals, law firms, factories, grocery stores, schools, transportation...
Valdi Licul is a Partner at Wigdor LLP. Valdi is a highly accomplished civil rights attorney who has devoted his 25-year career to the representation of plaintiffs in employment and anti-discrimination cases. Valdi has represented numerous high-earning plaintiffs in high-profile, contentious matters involving sexual harassment, discrimination based on sex, pregnancy, race, age, national origin, disability, religion and/or sexual orientation, whistleblower retaliation, executive compensation, ...
Greg Mansell has been aggressively fighting for the rights of employees for more than a decade. As a top employment attorney , Greg Mansell has been recognized numerous times by Super Lawyers and has been recognized as a Best Lawyer in America every year since 2019. Mr. Mansell and the employment lawyers at Mansell Law LLC provide legal services for individuals related to wrongful termination , discrimination, disability law, family and medical leave act (FMLA) , unpaid overtime (FLSA), wage ...
Lou Pechman handles cases in all areas of workplace law, including sex harassment litigation, employment discrimination, employment contracts, non-competition agreements, independent contractor issues, overtime and pay disputes, and union-management relations. As a practitioner for over 40 years in the employment law field, Lou offers both individual employees and employersc practical guidance on resolving employment law issues, either by active litigation or by confidential negotiation or me...
David Sanford is the Chairman and co-founder of Sanford Heisler Sharp LLP. He has recovered more than one billion dollars for individual clients and the United States government since 2004. David represents C-suite executives and non-managerial hourly employees throughout the US. He has served as lead counsel in more than 50 class actions and numerous qui tam cases around the country and represented more than 100 general counsel and attorneys (in-house and outside counsel) in contract dispute...
Referred to by the Financial Times as “America’s most prominent #Metoo lawyer,” Douglas H. Wigdor, routinely tries cases to verdict, has won numerous multi-million-dollar verdicts and has consistently been recognized as the top employment litigator in the country. To date, his trial verdicts, arbitration awards and settlements have exceeded $1.5 billion. Douglas is widely recognized as a tireless champion for victims of sexual harassment, sexual assault, race discrimination ...
John S. Crain is a Senior Associate at Wigdor. Prior to joining Wigdor, John clerked for the Hon. Chief Judge Roslynn Mauskopf of the Eastern District of New York. John was previously an associate at a prominent law firm in New York, where he worked on an array of transactional matters, including high-level executive compensation negotiations and related disclosures to the SEC. During law school, John served as an intern for the Hon. Nicholas Garaufis of the Eastern District of New York and i...
Meredith A. Firetog is a Partner at Wigdor. She has been recognized in the legal community as a Super Lawyers Rising Star. Previously she was a Partner at Sanford Heisler Sharp where she focused on gender discrimination and harassment and wage and hour cases, representing both individuals and classes. Before joining Sanford Heisler Sharp, Meredith completed a clerkship for the Honorable Gregory H. Woods of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Prior to her clerkship, ...
Gregory Kirschenbaum is a Partner at the law firm of Phillips and Associates who handles the full spectrum of cases arising from violations of workplace rights, including statutes such as the FMLA, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, FLSA, New York State Human Rights Law, New York City Administrative Code, New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, Florida Civil Rights Act, and various whistleblower laws. Mr. Kirschenbaum is passionate about helping people who need a sexual harassment lawy...
Vivianna Morales represents employees and employers in litigation and negotiation in all areas of employment law.Vivianna has litigated over one-hundred wage and hour individual, collective, and class action lawsuits, involving a variety of employment matters, including failure to pay minimum wage and overtime pay, tip misappropriation, off-the-clock work, unpaid prevailing wages, as well as discrimination, retaliation, and harassment claims. She also represents employees in the negotiation o...
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