Our firm is dedicated to representing employees and other individuals (including executives, partners, professionals and talent), not employers, in all industries, across all professions, and at all employment levels. As advocates for workplace fairness, our passion and our profession is to help advance the goals of employees and protect their rights against injustices in the workplace.
Our attorneys advise and represent clients in matters involving former employers, current employers, and potential future employers and partnerships. We also represent groups of employees collectively, as well as executive teams in transition. Our international practice reaches across borders to represent and protect multinational employees, executives and partners.
Our lawyers are recognized as some of the most qualified and highly skilled in the field of employment law. Best Lawyers ranked Outten & Golden as “Best Law Firm” in Litigation – Labor & Employment and Employment Law – Individuals. In December 2014, Legal Leaders ranked Outten & Golden “New York Area’s Top Rated Lawyers for Labor & Employment.” Many of our lawyers are AV- rated by Martindale Hubbell and have been recognized by Super Lawyers in the field of “Employment Law – Employee.” Legal 500 recognized O&G as a leader in “Mass tort and class action: plaintiff representation – labor and employment.”
Outten & Golden LLP enjoys a strong national reputation for representing employees, executives and partners in all areas of employment law. From representing senior executives in contract negotiations, to protecting individuals' civil rights in the workplace, to combating worker exploitation and systemic discrimination in class action and impact litigation, Outten & Golden LLP is solely focused on the field of employment law. We take great pride in our innovative approach to the practice of law and our firm's focus on protecting and promoting employee rights.
Our primary mission is to provide excellent service to our clients. Our goal is to help our clients understand their rights, to empower them to protect their interests, and to advocate on their behalf.
We choose to represent employees exclusively. In doing so, we influence employers, with their greater resources and power, to treat their employees fairly and reasonably. Through our advocacy in the courts and legislatures we support and promote policies and laws that advance workplace fairness and employee rights.
All O&G lawyers and staff recognize that every client deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Of course, that includes courteous treatment during telephone and personal contacts. It also includes keeping promises, returning telephone calls promptly, meeting agreed-upon deadlines, and keeping clients informed of significant developments.
If you have any concerns or complaints about your treatment at O&G, please contact us so we can address the problem.
We strive for excellence in everything we do, whether in our individual work or our collaboration as a team, to best serve the needs of our clients.
At Outten & Golden we adhere to the highest ethical principles and professional standards. We adopt and endorse the Client Bill of Rights promulgated by the New York State Courts. We value the truth, fairness, personal responsibility, and principled actions. We provide objective, honest advice and guidance – we don’t just tell clients what they want to hear.
We treat all people equally and with dignity, fairness, respect, and integrity, and we value diversity.
We care about our clients. We listen to them and work to identify their goals, anticipate their needs, and solve their problems. We are accessible and are committed to timeliness and clarity in communicating with our clients. We advise our clients on the best solutions to their problems, whether that involves counseling behind the scenes, active negotiation, aggressive litigation, alternative dispute resolution such as mediation or arbitration, or another avenue that best meets our clients’ needs and fits their budgets.
All O&G lawyers and staff recognize that every client deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Of course, that includes courteous treatment during telephone and personal contacts. It also includes keeping promises, returning telephone calls promptly, meeting agreed-upon deadlines, and keeping clients informed of significant developments. While these standards are challenging, they remain the goal.
The attorneys at Outten & Golden LLP are well known and highly regarded for successfully representing employees in workplace issues and disputes. We are equally proud of our participation in public interest initiatives, pro bono activities, and professional and community organizations. Our efforts in the courtroom, at the negotiation table, and in the world in which we live and practice, have resulted in widespread recognition and awards.
Outten & Golden lawyers have held prominent positions in local, state, national, and international professional groups focused on employment law. We have served as chairpersons, board and council members, fellows, commissioners, and in other leadership roles within organizations such as:
Outten & Golden attorneys are committed to giving back to our communities. Through active service and stewardship, we help make a difference in the lives of workers and their families, the oppressed, and the underserved. We are proud to lead and support many worthy organizations, including:
Because of the results and outcomes we obtain for our clients, our dedication to the profession generally and employment law in particular, and our civic and charitable commitment, Outten & Golden lawyers have been honored with various accolades and awards from many organizations, including:
(*Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.)
Every year, Outten & Golden makes substantial financial, pro bono, and collaborative contributions to non-profit organizations and the communities within our firm’s regions: New York City, San Francisco Bay Area and Washington DC. O&G’s contributions seek to help individuals and groups receive support regarding workplace fairness from a variety of angles.
During the past ten years, O&G has contributed more than $3.0 million to more than three hundred non-profit organizations that advocate for workers’ rights, civil rights, and the rights of low-wage workers. Included in these contributions are recipients of the O&G Public Interest Award. Each honoree receives $20,000 over four years, plus support from O&G for cases and projects during that time frame.
Beyond the Public Interest Award, O&G has co-counseled with a wide variety of public interest groups and non-profit organizations nationally. The firm also has collaborated with various organizations to provide a wide array of services, training, technical assistance, and other support to attorneys and advocates. O&G attorneys sit on the boards of - and contribute substantial time and energy - to many non-profit organizations as well.
O&G has also contributed more than 15,000 hours of lawyer pro bono time during the last ten years. Our pro bono work has supported class action lawsuits and individual cases. The Class Action Practice Group predominantly represent employees who have been victims of unlawful discrimination in the workplace (including harassment by their employers) and employees who have been victims of wage theft by their employers (e.g., unpaid overtime and misappropriated tips). When employers violate employment laws, they often do so simultaneously against groups of similarly-situated workers. In those situations, class actions allow employees to vindicate their rights as a group, which is more efficient economically, creates strength in numbers, and may result in systemic changes.
The O&G Public Interest Committee (PIC) focuses much of its work on representing individuals with just and worthy causes who could not otherwise afford legal services. The firm takes such cases because they call out for justice and/or because they promote the public interest.
Outten & Golden will embody the diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace that it promotes on behalf of its clients every day.
We appreciate that everyone at Outten & Golden offers unique strengths, talents, and competencies, and that by respecting and honoring each individual we can work together as a cohesive team to provide our clients with the best possible service and legal representation. Through recruitment and advancement, mentoring, training and education, and ongoing communication, we aim to help all of the attorneys and staff develop their skills, achieve their goals, and strengthen internal relationships.
Our Equity and Engagement Committee identifies challenges and opportunities, and implements programs and initiatives consistent with our core principles.
Outside the firm, Outten & Golden is committed to seeking diversity and inclusion in the legal profession, both locally and nationally.
Our attorneys and staff frequently write and speak on diversity-related topics, and are actively engaged in organizations such as:
As a Commissioner on the ABA’s Commission on Women, Outten & Golden partner Wendi Lazar fought for a revision of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct that would make it an ethical violation for attorneys to harass or discriminate in the course of their practices, a campaign that culminated in a vote to approve the amendment by the ABA’s House of Delegates in August 2016.
Supporting diverse communities is a critical component of who we are as a firm.
Additionally, Outten & Golden seeks to provide learning opportunities for its attorneys and staff. In light of the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests and the continued impact of systemic racism, the Equity and Engagement Committee provided the opportunity to participate in a 21-Day Habit-Building Challenge© focusing on racial equity. Based on the work of diversity expert Eddie Moore Jr., the challenge was a way for people to further their understanding of white privilege, white supremacy, and the experiences of Black and African Americans in the context of advancing social justice through articles, books, podcasts, and more. This challenge included additional resources suggested by the American Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment.
Diversity, inclusiveness, and equity are fundamental to our work at Outten & Golden. As advocates for workplace fairness, we believe in diversity and inclusiveness in all employment and within our own workforce. Thus, our Equity and Engagement Committee is dedicated to promoting and fostering diversity and inclusion in every aspect of the firm. Our commitment to diversity goes beyond internal initiatives; we support increased diversity in the legal profession and in particular in expanding the participation of attorneys of color in the labor and employment bar.
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