Chauniqua Young

Partner

My Legal Practice

I challenge employment discrimination policies that result in women and people of color being denied compensation and promotion opportunities.

My clients work mostly in transportation, finance, banking, and technology, where they face unpaid overtime, employment misclassification, and discrimination over their past criminal history.

Oftentimes, my clients will call me about wrongful termination, believing that their employer acted badly in a certain way. Sometimes they do have a discrimination claim, but other times it’s another claim, as discrimination is not an easy standard to meet. Once we talk to them, we will discover that there may be a legally actionable overtime issue.

There is a level of trust between me and my clients because I bring a level of calm expertise. I can pretty honestly and transparently explain to them what the legal issues are, and what they may be able to do about it.

Each person I represent is so unique, but a common thread is that they all feel wronged by their employer and don’t want what happened to them to happen to someone else. Many of my clients are tenacious, bold, and strong even in the face of an uphill battle. Overall they want justice.

Notable Cases

Represented female employees in a class action against a multinational technology company, alleging the company engaged in gender-based discrimination that impacted pay and promotion opportunities.
Secured $26 million for employees in a class action against Mastercard, alleging the company underpaid female, Black and Hispanic employees.
Represented delivery drivers in a class action against a nationwide transportation, shipping, and logistics service provider, alleging the company misclassified drivers as independent contractors and denied minimum wages, overtime payments, and expense reimbursement.
Represented plaintiffs in a class action against an assisted living facility, alleging employees were unlawfully denied overtime pay.
Represented Black financial advisors at a wealth management and financial services firm, alleging race-based discrimination that denied access to lucrative job opportunities.

Credentials

B.A., Sarah Lawrence College
J.D. and Certificate in Dispute Resolution, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law
Clerkship with the Honorable Barbara Moses of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Board Member, Public Justice Law Center

“I’ve been fortunate to represent hundreds of brave workers who have challenged the status quo. It’s not easy to speak up, and it’s even harder to take action. But together we do it, one step at a time.”

Client Review

My Story

I’ve always questioned the status quo, and have been deeply invested in progressive issues.

In college, I volunteered to help hospital workers unionize, doing my small part in a successful push for better wages and hours, despite pushback from the hospital. It was incredibly rewarding.

Later I collaborated with a workers’ center that used the law to improve the lives of workers. For example, they’d find a restaurant where people of color were only getting back-of-house jobs, or there was a systematic denial of overtime pay.

My love for debate and human rights brought me to law school, and after graduating I worked on class actions against the government. One of them was a successful class action on behalf of Black and Hispanic firefighters that led to the New York City Fire Department change their unfair testing policies.

Looking back, I’ve been fortunate to represent hundreds of brave workers who challenged the status quo. It’s not easy to speak up, and it’s even harder to take action. But together we do it, one step at a time.

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