I love what I do. Every day brings new matters, and every matter is different. When I tell people I’m an employment and labor attorney, I think people may feel that it is a very narrow, focused area of law. Nothing could be further from the truth. The area of employment and labor law is a vast area of law, with many different components, and is constantly changing, evolving.
For example, in the last week or so alone, I’ve been involved with, among other things, the following issues: I’ve consulted with a restaurant regarding wage and hour issues, including whether a chef may be paid a salary, as opposed to an hourly, wage; negotiated with the United States Department of Labor on behalf of another restaurant with regard to allegedly overdue and unpaid overtime to kitchen employees; defended an employer against claims of pregnancy discrimination; contacted a small manufacturer on Long Island who unlawfully terminated an employee while he was on medical leave pursuant to the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA); and instituted a lawsuit against a national company for alleged national origin and gender discrimination.
At the same time, I am “gearing up” for negotiations on behalf of a labor organization, and drafting Personnel Manuals for two medical-related companies on Long Island.
Whew! Like I said earlier, there is never a dull day, there is a diversity of legal issues subsumed under the heading of “Employment and Labor Law”, and every case is different from the last.