Labor & Employment Associate

Description

• Provide strategic counseling and compliance advice to clients on all facets of employer-employee relations: hiring practices, terminations, severance arrangements, compensation and incentive plans, restrictive-covenant agreements, employment policies, investigations of workplace complaints, and internal HR policies.
• Assist clients in drafting and negotiating key employment-related documents (e.g., employment or separation agreements, non-compete or restrictive-covenant agreements, confidentiality agreements), and help structure and implement compensation, bonus, or deferred-compensation plans.
• A balanced approach: defending claims when necessary, but also offering counseling to help clients avoid litigation and maximize compliance.
• Work with senior attorneys to develop litigation strategy, draft pleadings, motions, and briefs; manage discovery; prepare for depositions, arbitrations, or trial; and participate in resolution strategies including mediation, settlement negotiations, or trial.
• Represent clients in employment-related disputes in federal and state courts, as well as in administrative and regulatory proceedings (e.g., before civil-rights or human-rights agencies) and in arbitrations.
• Handle matters such as discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage/hour and Fair Labor Standards Act claims, breach of contract or severance disputes, restrictive‐covenant and non-compete/non-solicitation enforcement or defense, trade‐secret and confidentiality disputes, and other employment-related claims.
• Engage in preventive advice and counsel to help clients avoid litigation where possible - leveraging strong knowledge of employment law and regulatory risks.

Requirements

We are seeking a motivated and experienced mid-level associate to join our Labor & Employment practice group. You will work on a broad range of employment-law matters for sophisticated clients including litigation, regulatory, and counseling work and collaborate with other practice groups as needed.

• Demonstrated proficiency in drafting and negotiating employment-related agreements, counseling clients, and managing complex employment matters.
• Experience with executive compensation/benefits-related employment matters.
• Responsiveness, sound judgment, and a client-service mindset.
• Excellent analytical, writing, and communication skills; ability to present legal advice clearly and concisely and to work effectively with clients and internal teams.
• Well-developed organizational and case-management skills; ability to handle multiple matters and deadlines simultaneously.
• Familiarity with regulatory and compliance issues relevant to finance-industry employers.
• J.D. from an accredited law school and admission to a U.S. state bar in good standing.
• 3-7 years of experience in labor and employment law, with a mix of litigation and counseling including defense of employment disputes, and advising employers or corporate clients on employment compliance, contracts, and internal policies.
• Strong litigation skills: legal research, motion practice, discovery, pleadings, arbitration or court proceedings, familiarity with administrative agency practice where relevant.
• Experience representing clients in the financial services industry such as e.g., banks, investment firms, broker-dealers, asset managers, particularly in employment, compensation, and restrictive-covenant matters.

Benefits

• Exposure to clients in the financial services and investment-management sectors, offering complex and specialized employment law work.
• Opportunity to work on high-stakes, sophisticated employment matters from executive-level disputes, restrictive-covenant enforcement, compensation disputes, to complex regulatory and statutory claims.
• A supportive, collegial work environment, with experienced partners and a strong culture of mentorship and professional development.

Training + Development

Interview process

Visa Sponsorship

Security clearance