Allison B. Gotfried
Counsel
Allison has experience in the following areas:
- Defending clients against discrimination, harassment, retaliation and wage and hour claims in federal and state courts and on appeal
- Advising clients on various leave laws, including the Family and Medical Leave Act, New York State Paid Family Leave, the NYC Earned Safe and Sick Time Act, the NYC Fair Workweek Law, and the interplay between them
- Counseling clients on wage and hour issues, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the National Labor Relations Act, and other state and federal labor and employment laws
- Counseling clients on COVID-19 related-issues, including federal, state, and local leave, preparing the workplace, reasonable accommodation requests
- Assisting nonprofit organizations and trade associations in advice and counsel matters
- Preparing for negotiations and navigating collective bargaining agreements, and representing clients in federal court regarding breaches of collective bargaining agreements
- Representing employers in grievance and arbitration proceedings
- Advising clients on traditional labor matters, including representing clients before the National Labor Relations Board
- Drafting and advising on Title IX, VAWA, and Clery Act policies for higher education institutions
- Conducting investigations for educational institutions involving allegations of sexual misconduct and violations of Title VI and Title IX, and advising on compliance with federal and state laws
- Handling discrimination, harassment, and retaliation matters before the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the New York State Division of Human Rights
- Conducting investigations into violations of employer policies
- Assisting clients in wage and hour matters, and audits and investigations by federal and state agencies, including the New Jersey, New York, and United States Departments of Labor
- Representing independent schools, universities, and other educational institutions in lawsuits involving employees, students, and students’ families, conducting investigations, and advising on compliance with federal and state laws
- Reviewing and drafting employee handbooks
- Representing clients in restrictive covenant and non-compete matters
Prior to attending law school, Allison served as a paralegal in the securities litigation department of a general practice firm.
Related Practices
Related Industries
Experience
Experience
Representative Matters
- Arguing and winning summary judgment and successfully defeating a motion for reconsideration in the Southern District of New York for an institution of higher education
- Successfully achieving dismissal of a complaint against a New York hospital
- Conducting wage and hour training and reasonable accommodation training for large New York City employer
- Winning an appeal in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld the Southern District of New York's decision to grant a professional employer organization's motion for summary judgment on an Age Discrimination in Employment Act claim
- Winning a summary judgment motion in the Southern District of New York on behalf of a professional employer organization that provides staff to hospitals, disposing of an age discrimination suit
- Successfully representing a healthcare industry client in a Department of Consumer Affairs audit for compliance with the NYC Earned Safe and Sick Time Act
- Arguing in support of a motion for summary judgment in a discrimination and retaliation matter for a professional employer organization
- Conducting Respectful Workplace and Prevention of Sexual Harassment training at a New York City charter school
- Advising a large mining company on labor relations matters, including negotiating a collective bargaining agreement
- Successfully defending an educational institution against a discrimination claim based on race and national origin in violation of New York State Human Rights Law
- Receiving a No Probable Cause determination in a discrimination and retaliation claim against an institution of higher education
- Conducting an investigation and providing an investigation report for a liberal arts college in Virginia in connection with complaints alleging Title VI and Title IX violations
- Drafting a sexual misconduct policy for an institution of higher education in New York
- Winning a motion to dismiss in a discrimination case in the Southern District of New York
- Obtaining a dismissal of an unfair labor practice charge filed with the National Labor Relations Board for a retail company in New York and New Jersey
Insights
Insights
Credentials
Credentials
Education
- J.D. Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law 2013
- Executive editor, Cardozo Journal of Law and Gender
- Peggy Browning Fellow
- United States Department of Labor and the Office of the Attorney General of New York Labor Bureau
- Clinician, Cardozo Labor and Employment Law Clinic
- Mentor, Citizen Schools, eighth grade
- B.A. Political Science magna cum laude Barnard College, Columbia University 2008
Bar Admissions
- New York
- New Jersey
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- New Jersey State Court
- U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
Languages
- Spanish
Recognition
Recognition
- Super Lawyers, Rising Star, New York Metro, 2018 – 2021