Best Lawyers Near You in New York, New York for Litigation - Labor and Employment
Labor and employment attorneys in New York City honored in The Best Lawyers in America® and Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America are chosen through a comprehensive peer-review evaluation. The process relies on confidential surveys submitted by other leading attorneys, assessing candidates on their professional expertise, integrity and contribution to employment law in New York. Only those who receive consistently high marks from peers earn recognition, representing the top tier of New York labor and employment lawyers.
Labor and employment law in New York encompasses the full range of legal services involving the workplace. Attorneys in this field advise, counsel and represent clients in matters involving federal, state and local employment laws, including compliance, litigation and collective bargaining.
Given New York’s diverse economy and workforce, employment lawyers handle issues arising across industries such as finance, healthcare, media, hospitality, technology and public service. Typical matters include wage and hour disputes, wrongful termination, workplace discrimination and harassment claims, employment contracts, non-compete agreements and whistleblower protection. Lawyers representing management often counsel employers on compliance with the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and New York State and City Human Rights Laws. Labor and employment attorneys in New York also represent parties involved in union negotiations and labor relations governed by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).
On the employee side, labor law attorneys advocate for workers seeking fair treatment and accountability, often litigating before federal and state courts, as well as administrative bodies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the New York State Division of Human Rights. Employment lawyers in the Big Apple frequently balance complex legal issues with sensitive workplace dynamics, providing both strategic and practical guidance tailored to the city’s fast-paced business environment.
Keep scrolling to see Best Lawyers® directory of recognized attorneys practicing labor and employment law in New York, NY
Practice Area Overview
Often, these employment disputes culminate in a lawsuit, which can be costly, time-consuming, and damaging to employee relations. The number of employment-related litigation filings has been steadily increasing over the last decade, ranging from large-scale class actions to individual complaints. Employers are facing greater challenges and financial exposure from both current and former employees than ever before.
Employment litigation covers many types of claims, including discrimination; harassment; wage-hour pay, classification, and overtime violations; wrongful discharge; entitlement to employee benefits; misappropriation of trade secrets and confidential information; unfair competition; enforcement or avoidance of restrictive covenants; labor union disputes; workplace safety violations; defamation and other employment-related torts. These claims often involve the many laws governing employee relations, which are often referred to as “employment law alphabet soup.” These include Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), whistleblower claims under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) or Dodd-Frank Act, the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA), the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) and the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA).
Resolving employment litigation requires knowledge of these laws and regulations, the applicable case law, and a careful case analysis and strategy. More so than in other less personal litigation, a perceptive understanding of the people involved is essential for success. Often, suits will be settled among parties or ended before trial through summary judgment based on the facts of the case. When early resolution is not achieved, however, the case will go to trial in court or before an agency tribunal. Verdicts in employment-related cases can be enormous, especially in wage-hour and other class actions, creating a high-stakes situation for employers.
Lawyers who have a subscription to profiles appear first.
Would you like to claim your lawyer profile?
Contact UsOur Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.