Employment

Weil’s Employment Practice Group is a dedicated, full-service team known for providing employers, boards, board committees, and directors and executives with sound, practical advice regarding their most complex and sensitive employment matters, whether they arise in the boardroom, courtroom, or the human resources suite.

Notable Representations, Key Contacts

Led by a team of first-chair trial lawyers, our Employment Practice Group services major global corporations and financial institutions across the full array of employment-related issues in the United States and internationally, including:

  • Restrictive covenant and trade secrets litigation
  • Major class and collective actions alleging claims of discrimination or violations of state and federal wage laws, among other complex employment litigation claims
  • Executive compensation, separation and employment agreements
  • Labor-Management relations
  • Counseling with respect to the full breadth of issues arising from mergers, acquisitions, corporate restructurings and bankruptcies, including large-scale workforce reductions
  • Compliance with workplace statutes, including the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA), the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN), and state and local employment statutes, among others.

In addition to high-stakes litigation, our attorneys also regularly advise and counsel companies, and their boards of directors, board and management committees and senior management, on sensitive internal investigations, internal employment compliance audits, diversity initiatives and compensation arrangements. We also provide training and guidance on personnel policies and procedures to help businesses take preventative measures on matters such as employee performance problems, workforce consolidations, whistleblower claims, and discrimination and harassment complaints.

Clients repeatedly turn to our Employment Practice Group because of the reputation of our practice leaders and track record of success – which spans the globe. Notably, our ELPG is ranked among the top ten firms nationwide for labor and employment disputes, workplace and employment counseling, and trade secrets by Legal 500 US, and among the top five labor and employment practices in New York by Chambers USA. Additionally, each of our partners have been consistently recognized by Lawdragon and Human Resources Executive Magazine. Their combined knowledge is the bedrock of a strategically sized practice that addresses employment and labor law issues around the world, and as part of all three of Weil’s primary practice offerings: litigation, corporate, and bankruptcy and restructuring.

Our principal areas of expertise include:

Discrimination and Other Complex Employment Litigation: We have defended clients across many industries in class actions and other complex cases involving claims based on race, age, sex, disability, sexual orientation, retaliation, and other protected classifications.

Wage and Hour Litigation and Counseling: Our lawyers have defended an array of clients in some of the largest, most complex state and federal class and collective wage and hour cases.

Restrictive Covenant and Trade Secrets Litigation and Counseling: Weil has extensive experience litigating and counseling regarding restrictive covenant and trade secrets issues.

Labor-Management Relations: Our lawyers are skilled in collective bargaining, and understand the employment issues arising from purchase and sale transactions. 

Transactional and Restructuring Employment Counseling: Weil counsels clients globally on the employment and employee benefits issues that arise in mergers and acquisitions, including identifying and minimizing liabilities associated with any transaction. We also advise clients both in and out of bankruptcy in connection with their efforts to successfully restructure their workforces, including reductions-in-force and plant and office closings.

Workplace Counseling and Investigations: Weil is called upon regularly to provide employment counseling, develop employment policies and procedures, and investigate sensitive employment claims, often confidentially, for our clients.

Executive Employment and Personal Services Agreements: Our lawyers are experienced in executive employment and compensation issues in the context of mergers or other changes of corporate control, including bankruptcies, out-of-court restructurings, government-sponsored capital raisings, and spinoffs. 

International Employment Capabilities: Our clients turn to Weil for counseling on the multifaceted employment and labor issues that typically arise in complex cross-border M&A transactions. 

Selected Representations

Representative Matters

American Realty Capital Properties Audit Committee

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P)

Marsh & McLennan

Merrill Lynch

Restoration Hardware

Sterling Jewelers Inc.

Key Contacts

John Barry

John P. Barry

Partner

New York

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Recent Announcement

Weil is recognized as a top tier firm nationwide and in New York for Labor & Employment.

Benchmark Litigation 2025

Since 2008 Weil has been ranked among the top five New York Labor & Employment practices.

Chambers USA 2008-2024

Weil is currently ranked as among the top 10 firms nationwide in each of three separate employment-related categories:

  • “Labor and employment disputes,”
  • “Trade Secrets,”
  • “Workplace and employment counseling.”

Legal 500 US 2024

According to clients, Weil offers “a strong and nuanced understanding of employment law combined with an ability to cut through complexity to find the most expedient and satisfactory way to resolve issues.”

Chambers USA 2024

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