With nearly 20 years of experience as a labor and employment litigator with Seyfarth Shaw, Ada is a trusted advisor to clients in the airline, retail, healthcare and manufacturing industries. Her practice focuses on advice and counsel and innovative litigation involving: - complex procedural defenses including: preemption of state law claims under ERISA, Railway Labor Act, Airline Deregulation Act, Federal Aviation Act, and the Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance Act (SGLIA); Article III and statutory standing; statute of limitations; and administrative exhaustion requirements, among others - Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA) claims, prevailing as lead counsel in the first BIPA case to be heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit - whistleblower claims under state law, AIR21, Dodd-Frank and Sarbanes-Oxley - discrimination claims in state and federal jurisdictions across the country, including under Title VII, ADA, Section 1981, and the ADEA, and their state law counterparts, including systemic actions brought by the EEOC - ERISA single, multi-plaintiff and class action matters involving denial of health, disability, life, pension and 401(k) benefits, including defense of high profile “stock drop,” retiree medical and 401(k fee class actions Her class action experience includes unique procedural issues including sustaining removal of cases to federal court on preemption and Class Action Fairness Act (CAFA) grounds, successfully opposing a named plaintiff-intervenor, successfully petitioning for Fed. R. Civ. P. 23(f) review of class certification, obtaining appellate CAFA review and reversal of a district court remand order, defeating and narrowing class certification, and negotiating and overseeing settlements in classes of up to 160,000 class members. In 2019, her unique legal strategy in a a commercial airline matter was recognized for innovation by The Financial Times. Ada co-chairs the firm's Air and Rail specialty team, and am a member of its ERISA and Employee Benefits Litigation practice group, Whistleblower team and Health Care and Provider Fraud team.
Seyfarth Shaw LLP
Lawyers
Mr. Passantino is Vice Chair of the firm’s Government Relations Practice Group and a Co-Chair of the firm’s Wage and Hour Litigation Practice Group. Mr. Passantino, the former Acting Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, focuses his practice on all aspects of wage and hour law, including advising employers on federal and state wage and hour compliance issues, auditing payroll and employee classification practices, representing employers before the U.S. Department of Labor, and defending class and collective action litigation.In his national practice, Mr. Passantino provides day-to-day advice and assistance to employers in their efforts to comply with the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and the state laws that require employers to pay overtime and minimum wages to their employees. In addition, Mr. Passantino provides guidance and counseling to government contractors who are subject to the Service Contract Act and the Davis-Bacon Act. He advises clients on implementing compliance programs, auditing and correcting wage and hour issues, and responding to the ever-changing wage and hour legal landscape. Mr. Passantino has also defended numerous wage and hour lawsuits, including both individual claims and class and collective actions.Mr. Passantino is active in the hospitality, construction, retail, financial services, and energy industries, and regularly assists trade associations and individual employers in those industries with public policy, legislative, regulatory, and administrative issues. He has testified before a number of congressional committees, including the House Committee on Education and Workforce and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. He is a frequent speaker on wage and hour issues, at conferences, webinars, and client-specific training sessions.Prior to joining the Firm, Mr. Passantino served as the Deputy and Acting Administrator of the U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (WHD) from 2006 until 2009. In this role, he led the WHD in its interpretation and enforcement of the FLSA, the FMLA, the Davis-Bacon Act, the Service Contract Act, and numerous other federal statutes. Nominated by the President, Mr. Passantino was responsible for enforcement policy, field operations, strategic planning, budgeting, media relations, legislation, regulations, opinion letters, compliance assistance, and personnel matters. Mr. Passantino joined the Department of Labor in 2005 as a Senior Policy Advisor to the Honorable Victoria A. Lipnic, former Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment Standards. In that capacity, Mr. Passantino was a member of the WHD’s Executive Team and provided legal and policy advice on a range of wage and hour matters, with emphasis on the FLSA and the FMLA.Before his work at the Department of Labor, Mr. Passantino served as a law clerk to the Honorable John F. Nangle in the Southern District of Georgia, after which he practiced law for eight years in Atlanta and Nashville, focusing on FLSA, employment discrimination, First Amendment, and consumer and financial services litigation.
Amanda Sonneborn is a partner in the Labor and Employment Department of Seyfarth Shaw LLP and is Co-Chair of the Chicago L&E Department and former chair of the ERISA & Employee Benefits Litigation Practice Group. She actively advises clients in the healthcare, construction, print media, hotel, gaming, manufacturing, transportation, and retail industries. She has considerable experience in the area of Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) litigation. Her ERISA and employee benefits litigation experience includes defense of claims for benefits, breach of fiduciary duty claims, cash balance plan claims, breach of contract claims, and ERISA Section 510 employment discrimination claims. Amanda devotes a considerable amount of her practice to the litigation of class-action and multi-plaintiff claims. She is also particularly well-versed in the field of labor and employee relations law. Within this arena, she has represented clients in unfair labor practice proceedings, contractual arbitrations, representation proceedings, and Section 301 litigation. She also has experience advising clients during union organizing campaigns. In addition, she provides clients with day-to-day labor relations advice on a wide spectrum of topics, including independent contractor issues, neutrality agreements, and corporate campaigns. Amanda has substantial experience with non-union employment issues as well. She has represented clients in litigation under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the WARN Act, the Illinois Human Rights Act, the Illinois Minimum Wage Act, the Minnesota Human Rights Act, and Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act. She also counsels various clients on day-to-day employment law matters and assists clients with revisions to employee handbooks, employee-related policies, and employment applications. She leads various training courses with Seyfarth Shaw at Work®, including anti-harassment training and positive employee relations training.
Partner, Vice Chair of Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group, and Office Chair of New York Corporate
Ariel Cudkowicz is a partner in Seyfarth Shaw's Boston office, serving as the Co-Chair of the firm's national Employment Litigation & Counseling Practice Group and as Co-Managing Partner of the Boston office. His practice focuses on employment litigation with a particular emphasis on wage and hour collective and class actions, complex single-plaintiff employment discrimination litigation and workplace advice and counseling. He specializes in representing companies in the retail industry in FLSA collective actions, and in the hospitality industry in class actions challenging the distribution of tips and service charges under state and federal laws. He also provides advice to Fortune 100 and 500 corporations on compliance with state and federal wage and hour laws and avoidance of litigation under those laws. Ariel has extensive experience defending single and multi-plaintiff employment discrimination cases brought under federal and state laws and employment-related breach of contract and tort claims. He also has extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution proceedings, including arbitration, mediation, conciliation and summary and mini-trials encompassing most substantive areas of employment law.
Arthur Telegen is a partner at Seyfarth Shaw in the firm's Labor Management Relations Practice Group. He specializes in union-management relations, representing clients in federal court and before the National Labor Relations Board, at arbitration, and in collective bargaining.
Mr. Greenberg is a partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office. He is a member of the firm’s national construction practice and concentrates his practice in design and construction law. His work includes negotiating and drafting contracts setting forth the rights and responsibilities of the various parties to complex construction projects. He also counsels clients on procurement-related issues, contract administration, risk management, and dispute avoidance, and has extensive experience preparing claim documentation in support of equitable adjustments to contracts. Mr. Greenberg has successfully mediated, litigated, and arbitrated large complex, multi-party construction disputes. Mr. Greenberg represents public and private sector owners, contractors, and design professionals in the design-build process. He has advised and educated clients on alternative project delivery systems, prepared and responded to request for proposals, drafted and negotiated design-build contracts structuring the relationships between the design-build participants, and has counseled clients on administering design-build contracts.
Brad Livingston is a partner in the Chicago office and long-serving former Chair of the firm’s national Labor and Employee Relations Practice Group. He represents employers in all aspects of employment law and litigation, with a particular emphasis on labor relations matters, including labor-related advice and counseling, work before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), collective bargaining negotiations, and grievance administration and arbitration.
Brandon L. Bigelow is a partner in the Litigation Department of Seyfarth Shaw LLP and Chair of the National Antitrust & Competition Practice Group. He represents clients in complex commercial matters, including franchise disputes, software piracy claims, and antitrust and consumer class action litigation. Mr. Bigelow has appeared before state and federal courts on behalf of clients in a variety of industries, including software designers, motor vehicle and medical device manufacturers, hedge funds, broker-dealers, and pharmaceutical companies. He also counsels clients on compliance issues involving state and federal competition laws, including regulatory review of merger and acquisition transactions under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. Chambers USA has recognized Mr. Bigelow as a leading lawyer in antitrust in Massachusetts. He is also listed in Super Lawyers for his skill in business litigation. Mr. Bigelow teaches as an adjunct professor of law at Boston College Law School. He is a vice chair of the Insurance and Financial Services Committee of the ABA Section of Antitrust Law and a past co-chair of the Class Action Committee of the Boston Bar Association. He has published articles about antitrust, consumer class actions and securities issues in the Boston Bar Journal, Massachusetts Law Review, and various other publications. Prior to his law career, Mr. Bigelow served as a surface warfare officer in the United States Navy from 1994 to 1998, and he now maintains an active maritime practice.
Mr. Clark is a partner in the Firm’s Labor and Employment Department and Chair of the Workplace Safety and Environmental practice group. He focuses his practice on litigation defense, trial and appellate practice, and handles OSHA, MSHA, environmental, workplace whistleblower, tort and toxic tort, and employment litigation matters. As an OSHA and MSHA litigator, he has defended against willful, serious, repeat, unwarrantable failure, Section 110(c) and egregious citations, including hearings and appeals to the OSHA Review Commission, the Mine Safety Health Review Commission and the United States Circuit Court of Appeals. He has tried numerous cases before Federal and State OSHA courts. He has provided analysis, investigation, and advice regarding potential criminal and whistleblower allegations and claims including discrimination, termination, retaliation, and whistleblower claims under OSHA, MSHA, DOT, Air 21, and the Surface Transportation Assistance Act (STAA). Mr. Clark has experience in investigating, reporting, and defending against claims arising from workplace fatalities, explosions, fires and catastrophes in general industry and construction. He also provides general compliance counseling and advice concerning OSHA and MSHA inspections and investigations, internal audits and compliance issues. Mr. Clark advises clients and trade associations regarding comments on new and proposed OSHA standards and has testified before OSHA regarding standards such as OSHA’s ergonomics standard. His experience in the area of environmental law includes litigating a variety of claims under federal and state environmental statutes and regulations before federal and state courts and agencies. He has defended and prosecuted claims under CERCLA (Superfund), RCRA, TSCA, the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, EPCRA, Underground Storage Tanks (UST’s), DOT, FAA and related state statutes and regulations. Mr. Clark also provides general environmental compliance counseling and assists clients with internal audits, compliance programs, agency inspections, and transactions involving environmental issues. He represents clients regarding chemical and environmental product regulations and hazardous materials including mercury, lead, and VOC’s. He handles the investigation, litigation and trial defense against environmental, whistleblower, discrimination and retaliation claims. Mr. Clark’s experience in tort and toxic tort litigation includes actions covering negligence, chemical exposures, chemical releases, groundwater contamination, underground storage tanks, property damage, premises liability, product liability, respondeat superior, and intentional torts including cases involving benzene, asbestos, silica, lead, PCB’s, mold, solvents and hazardous wastes and hazardous substances. Mr. Clark lectures frequently to trade and industry groups on OSHA and MSHA compliance and defense, whistleblower investigations and defense, environmental compliance and litigation matters, and various issues relating to hazardous and toxic chemicals.
Innovative partner and business advisor helping employers to solve problems practically, especially related to the defense of complex and class action employee pay-related litigation and the execution of best practice workforce solutions and strategies.
Brian Ashe is a partner representing employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. His main areas of practice are employment litigation, employment class actions and counseling. Brian defends employers in complex wage and hour class actions, discrimination litigation, multi-party trade secret cases and multi-party contract litigation. He counsels clients in various aspects of human resources management, including employee privacy, employee discipline, wrongful discharge and equal employment opportunity. His counseling practice focuses on prevention and artful business strategy.
Camille Olson is a partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP and Chair of its National Complex Discrimination Litigation Practice Group.
Christina Janice is a senior counsel of Seyfarth Shaw. Her practice focuses on defending employers throughout the country in complex, high profile employment discrimination class actions and single plaintiff litigation, EEOC pattern or practice lawsuits, wage & hour class and collective actions, Department of Labor compliance partnerships, EEOC systemic and individual investigations and subpoena enforcement proceedings, and executive and other high profile individual employment disputes. A former in-house vice president, associate general counsel and head of litigation for a multinational S&P 500 Index company, Christina provides employers with a unique combination of strategic legal counsel with a business partner perspective: counseling clients to achieve informed and innovative solutions to a wide variety of compliance topics, domestic and international labor disputes and human resources matters, internal audits, complex internal investigations, executive compensation and severance programs, and workforce integration and retrenchment incident to mergers and acquisitions. She has extensive experience in arbitration, mediation and other forms of early alternative dispute resolution, and in counseling employers on the effective use of these methodologies. Christina is a contributing author to the firm's annual EEOC-Initiated Litigation Report and Workplace Class Action Blog.
Mr. Robertson is Co-Chair of the National Whistleblower Team and a member of the Complex Litigation, Capital Markets and Investment Management practice areas in the Boston Office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. His areas of focus include complex commercial and financial litigation, securities litigation, consumer fraud litigation, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, and internal investigations. He has defended and advised corporations, broker-dealers, investment companies, investment advisers, advertisers and media companies, Internet companies, and their officers and directors in connection with class actions, derivative and private litigation, as well as audits, investigations, arbitrations and litigation commenced by federal and state authorities, self-regulatory organizations, and shareholders. He has handled matters and tried cases in the federal and state trial and appellate courts, as well as before the U.S. Congress, U.S. Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, state securities and consumer protection agencies, and self-regulatory bodies, including the NYSE, AMEX and NASD. Prior to joining Seyfarth Shaw, Mr. Robertson was Senior Counsel with the SEC’s Division of Enforcement in Washington, D.C., where he investigated and litigated, among others, accounting, insider trading, investment management, corporate misconduct, investment adviser and broker-dealer matters.
Mr. Robertson is Co-Chair of the National Whistleblower Team and a member of the Complex Litigation, Capital Markets and Investment Management practice areas in the Boston Office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. His areas of focus include complex commercial and financial litigation, securities litigation, consumer fraud litigation, regulatory compliance, corporate governance, and internal investigations. He has defended and advised corporations, broker-dealers, investment companies, investment advisers, advertisers and media companies, Internet companies, and their officers and directors in connection with class actions, derivative and private litigation, as well as audits, investigations, arbitrations and litigation commenced by federal and state authorities, self-regulatory organizations, and shareholders. He has handled matters and tried cases in the federal and state trial and appellate courts, as well as before the U.S. Congress, U.S. Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, state securities and consumer protection agencies, and self-regulatory bodies, including the NYSE, AMEX and NASD. Prior to joining Seyfarth Shaw, Mr. Robertson was Senior Counsel with the SEC’s Division of Enforcement in Washington, D.C., where he investigated and litigated, among others, accounting, insider trading, investment management, corporate misconduct, investment adviser and broker-dealer matters.
Chris DeGroff is the national Co-Chair of the firm's Complex Discrimination Litigation Practice Group, the Labor and Employment Department Chair for Chicago, and a Member of the Labor and Employment Department's Steering Committee. He represents employers throughout the country and in a wide range of employment law matters largely focused on multi-plaintiff and class/collective actions. His class action experience spans the entire scope of employment law theories, including claims of race, age and gender discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation and wage and hour matters. He also has extensive experience litigating against the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), at the early charge stage, in administrative subpoena enforcement actions, and in large-scale EEOC pattern-or-practice litigation.
Cliff Fonstein is a partner in the Labor & Employment Department and a member of Seyfarth Shaw’s national Whistleblower Team, as well as its Financial Services Employment Practice Team. He has litigated all types of employment cases for Fortune 500 companies, from single-plaintiff whistleblower and discrimination claims to large class actions. In the past few years, he has provided advice to financial services, manufacturing and media companies, pertaining to training, terminations, compensation and other employment-related issues and has represented these clients in state and federal court and before FINRA arbitration panels.
Condon McGlothlen is a partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP in Chicago. For the past 20 years, he has helped clients reduce legal risk by improving employment policies and practices. He is a trusted advisor to large public and private companies looking to develop, implement, and apply best-in-class approaches to hiring, promotions, and group separations ─ both voluntary and involuntary. He has defended employers in private class and collective actions, and against pattern or practice cases brought by the EEOC. He is a nationally recognized authority on group separation programs and agreements plus all related facets of compliance, as well as on pre-employment and employment testing.
Partner, Co-Chair of Health Care Real Estate & Finance Practice Group, and Co-Leader of Health Care, Life Sciences & Pharmaceuticals Practice Group
Debbie Caplan is Senior Counsel in the Labor & Employment Department in the Los Angeles office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. A former employment litigator in both state and federal courts, Ms. Caplan now focuses her practice exclusively on providing advice and counseling to employers on day-to-day human resources and employee relations issues, such as leave law management, wage/hour compliance, disciplinary and performance counseling, reasonable accommodation/interactive process, hiring and termination issues, harassment/discrimination complaints, internal investigations, drafting compliance policy documentation, and exempt/non-exempt classifications. In addition to day-to-day counseling, Ms. Caplan assists employers in the preparation of various employment-related documents, such as handbooks and policy manuals, job applications, offer letters and employment agreements, arbitration agreements, leave documentation, new hire and termination paperwork, severance and release agreements, compensation and bonus plans, and travel and expense reimbursement plans.
Partner and Chair of the Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Department
Dyann DelVecchio Hilbern is a partner in Seyfarth Shaw LLP's Boston office. She provides high-level advising and U.S. immigration portfolio management for corporations, educational institutions, and non-profit organizations. Clients describe her as “passionate about her work and compassionate towards the foreign workers’ situations.” A frequent panelist and trainer, and an enthusiastic mentor to law students and junior practitioners, Dyann has co-authored a number of articles on immigration law and is often interviewed by the press on issues relating to immigration.
Liz Watson is a partner in Seyfarth Shaw LLP's downtown Los Angeles office. She is also a member of the firm's Wage and Hour Litigation Practice Group. Liz specializes in wage and hour class actions, single plaintiff cases, workplace investigations, OSHA, False Claims Act Retaliation, independent contractor, employment counseling, and other areas of labor and employment.
Ellen McLaughlin is a partner in Seyfarth Shaw LLP's Chicago office. She is a trusted advisor on workplace issues, with a practice focused on creating compliant HR practices and systems to achieve business purposes and avoid litigation, advising on complex leave and accommodation issues and investigating C-suite and other sensitive matters.
Mr. Mozes is a Partner in the Atlanta office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. He represents business immigration clients across numerous industries including management consulting, financial services, pharmaceutical, and information technology. Mr. Mozes specializes in the following areas: H-1B third-party placement and right to control issues; L-1B specialized knowledge; high-volume TN cross-border work; and PERM program counseling. He works closely with clients to build innovative, customized, and scalable process management solutions to deliver increased value at lower costs. Mr. Mozes received his J.D. from Suffolk Law School where he graduated magna cum laude. He is an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and has taught various business immigration seminars as part of the faculty of Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education. Prior to law school, Mr. Mozes worked as a legal assistant and case manager for a prominent business immigration law firm in Boston. Mr. Mozes holds a B.A. in Economics from Tufts University and, upon graduation, was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to perform economic development research in Romania.
Ian Morrison has extensive experience representing employers, employee benefit plans, and fiduciaries in a broad range of ERISA and employee benefits litigation. He has successfully handled numerous high-stakes ERISA class actions for Fortune 500 companies, complex individual claims, and well as complex nationwide portfolios of litigation. Many of his ERISA cases have resulted in leading and often-cited court decisions. Ian has handled a wide range of ERISA matter through trial and appeal including individual pension and welfare benefit claims, severance pay claims, executive compensation disputes, class action claims regarding plan design, and class action claims regarding plan administration and fiduciary responsibility.
Jim King co-chairs Seyfarth Shaw's global Business Immigration Group, helping clients to create efficiencies in their business immigration management programs while optimizing the stakeholder-user experience. Jim leads the group's immigration process and systems strategy, working with Seyfarth Labs to bring innovation and automation to the every-day tasks involved in managing large immigration portfolios. Within the last 18 months the group developed and launched the Caribou immigration case management and client portal platform, harnessing the full potential of the Salesforce-based system and moving forward with resources to help our clients navigate the changing and challenging immigration landscape.
Jeffrey Wortman is a partner and co-lead of Seyfarth Shaw’s Downtown Los Angeles office Labor and Employment Group. His practice focuses on employment litigation with particular emphasis on complex and single plaintiff employment discrimination litigation and wage and hour litigation. Mr. Wortman provides advice and counsel regarding systematic approaches to handling of discrimination and harassment complaints; and serves as outside independent investigator regarding high profile complaints involving allegations of whistleblower protection and retaliation, as well as allegations of complex EEO claims. He has successfully defended employers in multiple employment arbitrations every year for the past decade. He is one of the leaders of Seyfarth’s Pay Equity Group and successfully defeated class certification in one of the first Pay Equity putative class actions under California’s Fair Pay Act. He also has extensive experience in litigation involving executive terminations. He has successfully defended employers in discrimination and wage/hour class actions as well as cases regarding allegations of wrongful discharge; sexual harassment; whistle-blowing; and retaliation and discrimination based on race, sex, religion, age, national origin, and disability. He regularly appears in state and federal courts, as well as before administrative agencies, FINRA, AAA and JAMS. Mr. Wortman also advises employers with regard to personnel policies and procedures, pay equity issues, contingent workforce issues, reductions in force, employee privacy rights, wage and hour issues, drug and alcohol testing, employment agreements, and protection of employer trade secrets and non-competition issues.
Joan Casciari is a partner in Seyfarth Shaw LLP's Chicago office. Her practice is primarily devoted to employment law counseling with a particular specialty in the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Joan spends the majority of her time counseling clients on employment related issues. While she works with all types of employers, many of her clients are health care providers. Her work includes drafting documents, policy creation and review, training on best practices (particularly those relating to managing absences), advising on actions affecting groups of employees (such as reductions-in-force), and brokering settlements in employment related matters with employees’ attorneys. She also handles matters before the EEOC, the Illinois Department of Human Rights and state and federal courts. Earlier in her career, she tried a number of cases, both in administrative forums such as the Human Rights Commission, and in the state and federal courts. Joan also acts as the firm’s employment counsel.
Partner, Co-Managing Partner of New York Office, Co-Chair of Tax Practice, and Co-Leader of Opportunity Zone Funds Team
Jack Lambremont is a partner in the Labor & Employment Department of Seyfarth Shaw LLP’s Atlanta Office. He represents and counsels management clients in connection with all types of labor and employment matters arising under federal and state laws. His practice focuses primarily on labor relations and collective bargaining under the National Labor Relations Act. Mr. Lambremont has substantial hands-on experience working with employers of all sizes, across a broad range of industries, to ensure that labor relations complications do not hamper bottom line business objectives. He also provides high-level strategic counsel to businesses on how to minimize their risk for a labor disruption. Mr. Lambremont prides himself on a practical approach to labor relations that draws its essence from his clients’ business needs, workplace culture, present situation, and long-term priorities. By bringing a flexible approach to each engagement, Mr. Lambremont is able to tailor effective legal solutions to unique challenges employers face in today’s challenging marketplace. Mr. Lambremont is a frequent speaker on developments of interest in the field of labor law, and he has contributed to various publications on subjects related to labor law.
Mr. Braunstein is a Partner in the firm’s Litigation Department, and a member of the firm’s Commercial Litigation, Healthcare, ERISA Benefits Litigation, and Securities and Financial Litigation Practice Groups, as well as the firm’s Health Care Fraud and Provider Billing Litigation Specialty Team. Working across-departments, practices areas and specialty teams, Mr. Braunstein provides valued and trusted advice and representation to local, national, and multinational clients in the healthcare, insurance, employee benefits, financial services, real estate, construction, and global defense industries. Mr. Braunstein has niche expertise representing welfare benefit plans and other payors in healthcare reimbursement and provider billing litigation under ERISA, RICO and state law, with a particular emphasis on “fraud, waste, and abuse” litigation. Mr. Braunstein also has substantial expertise representing insurers in complex coverage disputes, extra-contractual claims and litigation concerning life insurance, annuities, business property and commercial general liability policies, builder’s risk policies, hurricane and catastrophe claims, and business interruption coverages. Mr. Braunstein’s diverse practice has also included representation of real estate and mortgage service providers, construction contractors, private global defense contractors, investment and financial service advisors, bank depositors, and businesses engaged in international shipping and commerce. Mr. Braunstein has successfully litigated hundreds of individual and/or class action contract, tort and statutory claims on behalf of plaintiffs and defendants in state and federal courts throughout California and beyond, including trials and appeals, and in matters set for arbitration before FINRA. Each year since 2009, Mr. Braunstein has been recognized by Northern California Super Lawyers as a business litigation "Rising Star," an exclusive designation awarded to only 2.5% of qualified attorneys. Mr. Braunstein serves as the Membership Vice-Chair of the ABA TIPS Section Life Insurance Committee, which works closely with the TIPS Section Health & Disability and Employee Benefits Committees.
Joshua Henderson represents management in various industries in a broad range of labor and employment litigation and counseling. He is the national Vice Chair of the Firm’s Labor Management Relations Practice Group. His traditional labor law practice includes unfair labor practice litigation before the NLRB, collective bargaining, grievance and arbitrations, strikes and secondary boycotts, and Section 301 litigation. Through his occupational safety and health practice, Josh has counseled clients on compliance with workplace safety regulations, and has defended employers in administrative litigation before OSHA and Cal/OSHA. His practice also encompasses other complex employment litigation matters, including wage and hour class and collective actions, EEOC systemic litigation, and defense of retaliation, discrimination, and harassment claims.
Mr. Seidman's practice primarily involves counseling clients on a broad spectrum of employment law issues, with an emphasis on nationwide paid leave and leave of absence matters. To date, Mr. Seidman has helped more than 350 companies navigate the constantly evolving patchwork of federal, state and local paid sick and family leave laws. Mr. Seidman regularly provides advice and counseling to employers on a wide array of Human Resources topics and issues, including policy development and review, day-to-day HR matters, and complying with federal, state, and local employment law. As part of his counseling, Joshua assists employers of varying sizes, including Fortune 500 companies, and operational scope, including in the finance, technology, transportation, telecommunications, health care, hospitality, restaurant, and retail industries. Mr. Seidman strategically and extensively advises employers on leave and absence management, most notably on nationwide compliance with federal, state, and local paid sick and family leave laws. Mr. Seidman takes a proactive approach to helping employers keep up with the ever-increasing amount of state and local paid leave regulations, develop and update internal paid leave policies, train managers, human resources, and benefits professionals, and institute best practices based on applicable legal and practical considerations and business objectives. He also has experience representing companies during state and municipal paid sick and family leave investigations and audits. Mr. Seidman guides clients on how to comply with other significant leave, absence management and accommodation laws, including the Family and Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, state vacation time laws, flexible scheduling laws, and many other rules and regulations. Joshua is regarded for his vast knowledge in the leave and accommodation space, regularly speaking and publishing on this topic in terms of national considerations and strategies and state and local developments. On the litigation side of his practice, Mr. Seidman defends clients during paid leave lawsuits and administrative charges, as well as single and multi-plaintiff litigation and wage-and-hour class and collective actions. Notably, Mr. Seidman defends management against discrimination, harassment, and retaliation claims under federal, state, and city anti-discrimination laws, wage and hour claims under federal and state laws, and wrongful discharge and breach of contract claims. He also has experience with employment litigation before New York State administrative agencies, and disputes involving collective bargaining and grievance arbitration. Mr. Seidman's strong litigation experience provides him with the unique ability to provide practical, sound business advice, while also helping clients position themselves to defend or avoid litigation altogether. Additionally, Mr. Seidman is a registered patent attorney, and prior to his legal career, spent time working for both a national laboratory and major regional newspaper.
Ms. Perrelli is a partner in the Litigation Department of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. She is a trial lawyer with over 25 years of experience representing regional, national, and international corporations in the financial services, transportation, manufacturing, technology, pharmaceutical, and staffing industries. Her commercial practice focuses on trial work and counseling in the areas of trade secrets and restrictive covenants, unfair competition and complex commercial disputes, including dealer/franchise disputes, and contract disputes. Her experience spans all forms of dispute resolution, including mediation and arbitration, as well as litigation in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies across the country. On the employment side, Ms. Perrelli’s practice focuses on trial work and counseling regarding executive compensation and employer compliance with the ADA, ADEA, Title VII and all other state and governmental laws affecting employers.
Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP; lead trial attorney for class action and single-plaintiff ERISA litigation and arbitration matters; lead trial attorney for large healthcare fraud litigation matter; lead attorney representing Employer Trustees in Taft-Hartley litigation and arbitration matters.
Partner, Seyfarth Shaw; Co-Chair of the firm’s interdisciplinary Health Law Group
As Senior Counsel at Seyfarth Shaw, Mr. Lorber’s practice focuses on employment counseling and regulatory enforcement representation. He regularly advises and represents employers in regulatory and government enforcement, executive contracts, terminations and benefit issues. He is often called upon to testify at Congressional and regulatory hearings.
Partner, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (2000-present); formerly with Bayko Gibson Carnegie Hagan Schoonmaker & Meyer in Houston, Texas.
Lisa Damon is the former national Chair of the firm's Labor and Employment Department and a member of the firm's Executive Committee. She is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt and leads the SeyfarthLean program throughout the firm. Her practice has a particular emphasis on the litigation of discrimination and harassment claims in the context of single-plaintiff and multi-plaintiff cases. She also counsels clients on the avoidance of employment litigation through improved management policies and practices, positive employee relations training and diversity assessment. She advises companies nationwide on issues of diversity and conducts privileged and non-privileged audits and assessments of the workplace.
Lorie Almon sits on the Firm’s Executive Committee and is Co-Managing Partner of its New York office. Her practice is focused on employment litigation, with an emphasis on complex litigation, collective and/or class proceedings. She specializes in high-stakes employment matters, regularly defending Fortune 500 companies and executives in high-stakes, high-profile legal proceedings. Her considerable trial experience includes jury and bench trials before federal courts, state courts and arbitration panels.
Marshall Babson is Counsel in the Labor & Employment Department in the New York and Washington offices of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. A former Member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), Mr. Babson’s practice focuses on all aspects of labor relations, including litigation, counseling and arbitration. While serving as a Member of the NLRB, Mr. Babson participated in important cases which set forth new rules for pre-hire agreements, post-contract arbitration, and property rights. He has testified on the status of U.S. labor laws before Congress. He specializes in the acquisition, consolidation and reorganization of unionized businesses, the negotiation of international labor and industry collective bargaining agreements.
Mr. McKeeman is a partner in Seyfarth Shaw LLP's San Francisco office. He is co-chair of the national Construction Practice Group, and he leads the firm's San Francisco Litigation Group. Mr. McKeeman specializes in transactional and litigation matters throughout Northern and Southern California involving construction law, real estate, and complex commercial matters. He is a member of the California Association of General Contractor’s Legal Advisory Committee. Mr. McKeeman has significant experience in representing public and private owners, contractors, subcontractors, material suppliers, and design professionals in construction disputes. Mr. McKeeman's knowledge of the construction industry is bolstered by several years of field experience in which he participated in the construction of large commercial and multi-dwelling residential structures. He also aids contractors, subcontractors, and material suppliers in contract drafting, contract negotiation, contract interpretation, differing site conditions, bid protests, extra work, changes, payment disputes, design defects, construction defects, warranty claims, and delay and other impact claims. His practice includes both private and public construction projects. Mr. McKeeman has worked on a wide-variety of projects including commercial structures, hospitals, high-rise office buildings, condominiums, apartments, single-family residences, jails, justice centers, earthwork projects, amusement parks, parking structures, golf courses, and educational facilities. When disputes arise, Mr. McKeeman assists clients with claim preparation, arbitration, mediation, debt collection, and preparing and pursuing mechanics’ lien and stop notice remedies. He also advises clients about alternative dispute resolution procedures that offer viable alternatives to expensive and prolonged litigation. Mr. McKeeman assists clients with real estate transactions. These transactions include real property acquisition, development, and disposition, compliance with building regulations and codes, commercial leasing, eminent domain actions, license agreements, CEQA and real property exchanges. Mr. McKeeman’s clients include both private and public entities. Mr. McKeeman also represents clients in complex, multi-party civil litigation matters involving complex commercial disputes, unfair business practices, trade secret disputes, products liability, premises liability, and personal injury.
Nick Geannacopulos is the Managing Partner of the San Francisco office and a member of the Labor and Employment Department's Leadership Team. His practice is devoted to representing employers in all aspects of labor relations, including collective bargaining, strikes, unfair labor practice charges and trials, acquisitions and mergers involving union and non-union companies, class and contract arbitrations, and advice pertaining to the National Labor Relations Act. He has represented management in collective bargaining negotiations in many parts of the country in the energy, manufacturing cement, and entertainment industry. Nick also represents employers in all aspects of employment litigation, including claims related to wage hour issues, federal and state anti-discrimination laws, and ERISA. Nick works for clients in many industries including manufacturing, entertainment, and retail, and has been recognized as one of the top 28 employment lawyers for client service and results in a nationwide survey conducted by BTI Consulting.
Partner, Co-Leader of Tax-Exempt Organizations Team, and Office Chair of Los Angeles Downtown Corporate
Partner, Chair of Real Estate Department, and Member of Seyfarth’s Executive and Compensation Committees
Mr. Lapp is a partner in Seyfarth Shaw LLP's Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles offices. His practice centers on high-consequence litigation. Fortune 500 companies have sought Mr. Lapp’s unique combination of legal expertise, business acumen, and strategic focus in contexts ranging from litigation to high-sensitivity boardroom investigations. He has successfully defended his clients against allegations of worker misclassification, discrimination, harassment, breach of contract, whistleblower retaliation, and wage and hour class actions before regulatory agencies and state and federal courts. Mr. Lapp has also represented Fortune 500 companies in affirmative commercial litigation, non-compete and trade secrets litigation. His diverse, cross-sector corporate clientele spans logistics, retail, consumer products manufacturing, financial services, technology services and products, and healthcare. An active litigator, Rich's practice currently extends across the nation, with recent victories secured in significant matters in California, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, Michigan, and New York. A cum laude graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Law, Rich previously clerked for the Honorable Daniel A. Manion on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Rich is a contributing member of several Seyfarth specialty groups, including its Appellate team, Whistleblower team, Employment Whistleblower team, Fraud & Abuse, False Claims and Internal Investigations team, and Corporate Internal Investigations team. In 2015 he was recognized by Best Lawyers (Woodward/White Inc.) as a best lawyer in Chicago for labor & employment litigation, and The Legal 500 (Legalese Ltd.) called him "truly outstanding." He has been recognized in the area of Labor & Employment Litigation by The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White Inc.) recognized Rich in the area of Labor & Employment Litigation (2015-2020), and he was selected for mention in the International Who's Who of Business Lawyers (Law Business Research Ltd.). Rich speaks and publishes on a variety of issues facing employers, and he has authored law review articles on significant labor issues in scholarly journals including The University of Wisconsin Law Review and The University of Pennsylvania Journal of Labor Law.
National Chair, Seyfarth Shaw LLP Wage & Hour Litigation Practice Group; Executive Committee Member, Boston Office Chair, Labor and Employment Department (2002-2014); defense of complex wage/hour lawsuits.
Mr. Flanagan is a partner in the Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation Department of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. He serves as lead counsel to many companies, both public and closely held, as well as tax-exempt organizations. He counsels these entities with regard to statutory and regulatory compliance matters, fiduciary governance and contract negotiations. He also advises companies regarding qualified and nonqualified retirement plans, health and welfare plans, as well as cash and equity-based incentive compensation programs.
Partner Co-Chair of Trade Secrets, Computer Fraud & Non-Competes Editor of www.TradeSecretsLaw.com blog
Mr. Schwartz-Fenwick is a partner in the Labor and Employment Practice Group of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. He is particularly well-versed in benefits-related litigation under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Mr. Schwartz-Fenwick defends complex class actions and single-plaintiff lawsuits under ERISA. In the class action realm, he has defended various types of claims, including claims for benefits and claims for breach of fiduciary duty, including 401(k) fee litigation. In addition to his ERISA litigation practice, Sam has significant experience in general employment matters. He regularly assists in the defense of complex litigation matters brought under the National Labor Relations Act, and represents clients in collective bargaining, in hearings before the National Labor Relations Board and in grievance arbitrations. Sam represents clients in litigation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Illinois Human Rights Act. He also provides day-to-day counseling and advice to clients about the various laws affecting the employment relationship, especially as it relates to diversity, equity and inclusion. Sam speaks nationwide and publishes regularly on a variety of employment law and litigation topics, and issues regarding diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. He has serves as a Senior Editor to Employee Benefits Law (ABA) and is a member of the ABA’s Labor & Employment Law Nominating Committee. Sam leads the firm’s LGBT Affinity Group and is the executive vice president of his synagogue.
Mr. Carlson founded and Chairs Seyfarth Shaw’s eDiscovery and Information Governance practice and is nationally known in the these areas. His practice is entirely devoted to eDiscovery and information governance issues from both the consulting and litigation perspective. Mr. Carlson teaches a Masters of Law course on the subjects of eDiscovery, digital evidence, and computer forensics. Mr. Carlson’s strong technical background includes a B.S. in Computer Science and Mathematics and experience working in private industry as a software engineer. Mr. Carlson represents and provides eDiscovery advice to a broad range of clients from small and mid-sized companies up to the nation’s largest companies. He has represented clients in the all aspects of eDiscovery both in terms of preparedness and managing eDiscovery issues in individual matters throughout the country in both state and federal court. Mr. Carlson also advises clients in other information governance issues including, among others, computer forensics issues, records information management, information security / cyber security and IT related policies and practices. Also an experienced litigator, Mr. Carlson has represented clients in a wide range of commercial disputes including commercial contracts, purchase agreements, lease agreements, Uniform Commercial Code transactions, misappropriation of trade secrets, software licensing agreements shareholder suits, and tortious interference claims. He has also defended clients in actions involving negligence, wrongful death, fraud, retaliatory discharge, mass tort, and a variety of class actions. Mr. Carlson is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt. Using Lean Six Sigma and project management methodologies, our SeyfarthLean approach delivers increased value to our clients at a time of increased market pressures and competitive demands. Seyfarth’s commitment to delivering legal services in a new way—with an emphasis on value and continuous improvement—has been praised by the Association of Corporate Counsel as being "five years ahead of every other AmLaw 200 firm."
Sharon Cook (formerly Poorak) is a Partner in Seyfarth Shaw LLP's national Business Immigration Practice Group. She focuses her business immigration law practice primarily on H, L, PERM, I140 and related I485 issues. Sharon represents corporate clients in a wide variety of industries, developing comprehensive immigration plans to ensure consistency among filed applications and compliance with all applicable regulations.
Mr. Wood is a partner in the Chicago office of Seyfarth Shaw, LLP and a member of the firm’s National Trial Team. He serves as national chair of the firm’s Commercial Litigation Practice Group.
Partner, Chair of Corporate Department, Co-Chair of Tax Practice, and Co-Leader of Opportunity Zone Funds Team
Ms. Billows is a partner in the Chicago office of Seyfarth Shaw LLP and Chair of the Chicago office Labor & Employment Department, concentrating her practice on representing and counseling employers throughout the country in the entire range of employment law matters. Her work has included the representation of Fortune 500 companies, as well as medium and small sized employers. Ms. Billows represents employers in single plaintiff, multi-plaintiff, and class action litigation matters related to employment discrimination claims under Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and similar state discrimination laws.Ms. Billows provides extensive advice and counseling to clients, helping them identify and implement proactive solutions, on a wide array of Human Resources topics and issues, including policy development and review, auditing the Human Resources functions, leave and absence management, EEO compliance, restructurings and reductions in force, employee relations, labor relations, performance management, discipline and discharge and various other areas, with an emphasis on instituting best practices and avoiding litigation. Ms. Billows regularly conducts investigations for clients related to allegations of harassment, discrimination, retaliation and other misconduct. Ms. Billows utilizes SeyfarthLean® to improve the leave and accommodation policies and practices of clients, providing clients a consistent approach to managing these complex issues. She is a Six Sigma Yellow Belt.Ms. Billows has conducted training for employers throughout the country and through Seyfarth Shaw at Work, including in the areas of leave management and reasonable accommodation, EEO and non-harassment, managing for success, Employee Handbooks, Codes of Conduct and Ethics, managing within a union environment and positive employee relations. Her interactive programs are both skill enhancing and compliance based. Ms. Billows brings a unique perspective to her clients. Prior to her legal career, she was a human resources executive in the corporate community. With first-hand knowledge of the challenges faced by her clients, Ms. Billows is able to advise them in all areas of labor and employment law, finding a way to manage compliance issues while also addressing business needs. This experience allows Ms. Billows to take a proactive approach to her clients’ labor and employment issues.
William Berkowitz is a partner in the Litigation Department of Seyfarth Shaw LLP. His practice focuses on antitrust, franchise, distribution, mergers and acquisitions, and other commercial litigation. Mr. Berkowitz has tried cases in state and federal courts and administrative agencies in Massachusetts, New York, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland. He has argued appeals in the New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Delaware courts of appeal and before the United States Courts of Appeal for the First Circuit (three times), Third Circuit, Fourth Circuit and Eleventh Circuit. He has also represented clients before the Department of Justice, Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Reserve Board and a number of state agencies. Mr. Berkowitz is recognized by Chambers USA as a leading lawyer in antitrust. He is also ranked by Best Lawyers as leading lawyer in franchise law and by Benchmark Litigation as a Massachusetts litigation “star.” Beyond litigation, Mr. Berkowitz routinely consults with clients on mergers and acquisitions regarding compliance with federal and state antitrust laws, state franchise laws, the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, and foreign premerger notification laws.