NEWS
Spivak Lipton welcomes its 2021 summer intern, Ayesha Nizhoni! Ayesha joins Spivak Lipton as a Peggy Browning Fellow.
Ayesha Nizhoni is a rising 3L at Wake Forest University School of Law. In addition to her work in the school’s inaugural Community Lawyering clinic, she is the Fletcher Scholar for her law school class. This three-year award is for one student in each class who is committed to and focused on legal work for the public interest. She spent her 1L summer as an intern at National Employment Law Project (NELP) as a Peggy Browning Fellow.
She graduated cum laude from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA in 2016 after returning to college as an adult. After college, she pursued graduate studies in the MFA Film Production and Screenwriting program at Ohio University where she received the Betty Thomas Award for Filmmaking, in honor of her thesis screenwriting.
Originally from California, she developed a passion for labor and employment law as a result of her upbringing in the entertainment industry and in a heavily union household. As a worker herself, she has experienced employment in varied fields, which lit the spark that became law school. Ayesha is excited and honored to be a part of Spivak Lipton this summer as a Peggy Browning Fellow!
Spivak Lipton is proud to announce the election of attorney Hope Pordy as a new Fellow of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. Election as a Fellow is the highest recognition by one’s colleagues of sustained outstanding performance in the profession, exemplifying integrity, dedication and excellence. Congratulations, Hope!
Partner Hope Pordy is featured in Law360 (6/10/20) and The Chief Leader (6/12/20) for the Firm’s representation of nearly 3900 School Safety Agents who were underpaid and did not receive the proper overtime pay in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The Firm is handling approximately a dozen cases involving overtime claims against the City of New York, involving thousands of public sector workers, and also represents private sector employees in similar overtime litigation against private sector employers in all industries. Notably, Ms. Pordy represented mortgage brokers employed by PNC bank in an hybrid federal and state action that resulted in a settlement of over $16m. Gokhberg, et al. v. PNC Bank, N.A., Case No.: 15-CV-01700 (AJS).
If you believe your employer has not paid your for your overtime work and would like to discuss if you have a claim, please contact: hpordy@spivaklipton.com.
“Plaintiffs achieved an excellent outcome with this settlement without the risk of going to trial," their counsel Hope Pordy said Wednesday. "That is why we received the approval of the court and had a 100% positive response from the 3,867 school safety agents who are plaintiffs in the case." Read more on Law360.
“On behalf of Local 237, we want to publicly thank Hope Pordy and her law firm [Spivak Lipton] for getting our members the money they earned and deserved,” the union’s President Gregory Floyd said. Read more on The Chief Leader.
In this moment of challenge and controversy, we confront the stark reality that racism in the United States has continued to plague our communities, damaging or hindering the lives of so many Black individuals through brutal force and the systemic racism that permeates every aspect of American life. We stand in solidarity and mourn the senseless loss of the lives of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other victims of racial injustice.
As a labor and employment firm representing unions and working people, Spivak Lipton is committed to the advancement of justice through collective efforts to demand change through protests, pickets and strikes when those in positions of power have failed to act to secure justice for all. We have worked to empower those who have been subjected to racial and economic injustice through representation in the courts, at the bargaining table and before government agencies – and we will continue to do so with even greater urgency.
““Power concedes nothing without a demand.”
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Spivak Lipton stands with the protestors, activists and agents of change who are demanding that immediate action be taken to address systemic racism at all levels of American society – in our criminal justice system, in our neighborhoods, in our schools, and in our workplaces. We join with the voices of the Black community and other disadvantaged and oppressed communities to demand swift and effective reform to these institutions. Spivak Lipton also condemns the use of any force against those exercising their First Amendment right to peacefully protest.
““In a racist society it is not enough to be non-racist, we must be anti-racist.”
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We also commit to challenge ourselves to be better advocates and partners in the struggle to end racism through internal conversations, re-examination of our policies and practices, and a deeper engagement on issues of concern to the BIPOC community. As an initial step, Spivak Lipton has made donations to Make the Road New York, a New York-based organization dedicated to building the power of immigrant and working class communities to achieve dignity and justice and Color of Change, an online organization aimed at building real power for Black communities by challenging injustice, holding corporate and political leaders accountable, and conducting game-changing research on systems of inequality, in order to advance solutions for racial justice that can transform our world.
Resources for Protestors:
Know Your Rights:
Where to Protest in NYC:
Educational Resources:
The City University of New York (CUNY) School of Labor and Urban Studies will be offering a course this fall called, Labor and Employment Law for Arts and Entertainment. This is a course in U.S. Labor and Employment Law that has been customized to be relevant for the Arts and Entertainment Industry. The course is open to all and will cover contract negotiations, unfair labor practices, organizing, arbitration, litigation, and more.
The instructor for this course will be Frank Moss, a partner with the firm of Spivak Lipton since 1990.
This is an in-person course. Arrangements will be made for on-line instruction should public health circumstances demand such.
When: Monday evenings, from August 31 - December 14 from 6:15pm to 9:35pm
Where: CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies (SLU)
25 West 43rd Street, 19th Floor, New York, NY
Cost: The total cost of the class for students enrolling at the undergraduate level (4 credits) is $1,297.50. The total cost of the class for students enrolling at the graduate level (3 credits) is $1,487.50.
Important: This class is open to all students, including non-degree/non-matriculating students. You need not be a CUNY student or working towards a certificate or degree to enroll.
To Apply as a Non-degree/Non-matriculating Student:
1. Go to the School of Labor and Urban Studies website: https://slu.cuny.edu/
2. Click on Admissions
3. From the drop-down menu, click on Certificate Admissions
4. Click on APPLY NOW
5. Click on Non-Degree Admissions (on the left)
6. Click on Non-Degree and Visiting Students (on the left)
7. Click on Non-Degree application/registration form or Graduate Non-Degree Application (middle of page). Fill out the application as follows:
a. For undergraduate credit: “Discipline” - LABR 324; Course Code - # 53644; Description - Labor and Employment Law
b. For graduate credit: “Discipline” - LABR 604; Course Code - # 62914; Description - Labor Law.
If you are interested in working towards a Labor Relations Certificate, this is the first of four courses that are required. To learn more about that program, visit: https://slu.cuny.edu/labor-studies/undergraduate- programs/certificate-labor-relations/.
Please direct questions to Maureen LaMar at 347-330-8372 or maureen.lamar@slu.cuny.edu.
In order to best support our clients during these challenging times due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Spivak Lipton LLP remains fully operational with all attorneys and support staff working remotely and available for timely consultation. Spivak Lipton has been closely monitoring all legal and legislative developments related to how COVID-19 is impacting the workplace and we are prepared to assist our clients with questions as to how these laws apply to your specific situation.
In order to conduct business in accordance with federal and local department of health guidelines, our physical location has temporarily closed but we are continuing to maintain our full-scale office operations:
Attorneys and staff are currently working remotely while still maintaining access to all firm resources.
Complying with all modified rules issued by federal and state courts, and administrative agencies (e.g., PERB, NLRB, EEOC) including extended filing deadlines and statutes of limitation.
Maintaining close communication with clients by phone, email, and video conference. All attorney and staff contact information can be found under the person’s name under the section of this website entitled “Who We Are.” If you are already working with a Spivak Lipton attorney, please continue to communicate with them as you have been doing.
Protocols have been implemented to ensure the security of our data (e.g., HIPAA), preserve the privacy of clients’ information, and maintain privileged and confidential attorney-client communications .
Weekly mail pick-up. However, due to delays in mail service, please contact the appropriate attorney and/or staff person to arrange for other means of transmitting correspondence or other material, or by contacting the firm’s Office Manager, Glenda Malave: gmalave@spivaklipton.com
Please note that there are frequent updates regarding legislation related to COVID-19 and you should check back regularly for the latest developments or contact a Spivak Lipton attorney if you are in need of individual assistance or legal advice. Firm attorneys are working with our union clients and allied partners in the labor and employment community to advocate for working people during this time of crisis.
As we continue to adapt to these extraordinary conditions, clients can rest assured that we will remain communicative, promptly handle their concerns, and responsibly conduct Firm business.
Most importantly, we stand with you as we collectively endure this pandemic and encourage everyone to be safe and take care of one another.
COVID-19 related resources summarizing newly enacted leave and benefit laws can be accessed using the following links below.