New York, NY (January 24, 2006) Heller Ehrman LLP today announced that three labor partners, Kenneth Kirschner, James R. Hays and Jonathan Stoler, have joined the firm’s New York office. Mr. Kirschner (formerly Chair of Kelley Drye & Warren’s Labor and Employment Practice Group) will be the head of Heller Erhman’s labor and employment practice in New York. A total of five labor associates are also joining the firm.
“Ken and his group are an outstanding addition to the firm and are a great complement to our nationally recognized Labor & Employment Practice Group,” said Joseph T. McLaughlin, Chairman of Heller Ehrman’s New York office. “To continue to provide full service to our clients’ operations on the East Coast, we have wanted experienced labor and employment attorneys ‘on the ground’ in New York. Most of our clients need labor and employment advice and counseling on a regular basis so we are excited to have these excellent employment law specialists now resident in our New York office. Our current labor and employment practice and our client base in New York will greatly benefit from the expertise Ken and his group bring. This addition is another key step in our strategy to build a leading East Coast office. As with all of our practice groups, our new labor and employment lawyers in New York will work seamlessly with their counterparts across the firm to provide the highest quality legal services to our clients.”
“We’re all very excited about joining Heller Ehrman and enhancing its already outstanding labor and employment team,” said Mr. Kirschner on behalf of the group. “With our national and international scope, we’re looking forward to strengthening the practice globally and to building a premier labor and employment practice here in New York. Heller Ehrman will have 35+ labor lawyers with our addition. This will enable the firm to continue to provide corporations and non-profits with quality labor law advice.”
Kenneth Kirschner
Mr. Kirschner earned his Bachelor’s degree from Cornell University and his J.D. and L.L.M. in Labor Law from New York University School of Law. Upon graduation, he joined Kelley Drye & Warren as an associate. He later joined Breed Abbott & Morgan where he became a partner in 1986. In 1993, he left Breed Abbott and returned to Kelley Drye to become Chair of its Labor & Employment Practice Group. His current practice focuses on the representation of corporations, non-profits and partnerships in all aspects of employment law, including discrimination, wrongful discharge, class and collective actions, mediations, arbitrations, collective bargaining and corporate investigations.
James R. Hays
Mr. Hays received his Bachelor’s degree from Catholic University and his J.D., cum laude, from New York Law School. He began his legal career at Breed Abbott & Morgan. In 1993, he left with Ken Kirschner to join Kelley Drye & Warren, where he became a partner in 1999. Mr. Hays focuses his practice on union and collective bargaining negotiations, labor arbitrations and all stages of the labor election process. Mr. Hays represents clients in federal and state courts, in arbitrations and in proceedings before various administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board and the United States Department of Labor.
Jonathan Stoler
Mr. Stoler earned his Bachelor’s degree from State University of New York, Buffalo and his J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. Upon graduation, he joined Kelley Drye & Warren, focusing his practice on a wide-range of employment and labor-related matters. He was elected a partner in 2003 and exclusively represents management in all aspects of labor and employment law, including discrimination and wrongful discharge matters, restrictive covenants and non-competition agreements, collective bargaining, and counsels clients regarding harassment, investigations, preventative measures with respect to unions and minimizing liability against lawsuits.
Heller Ehrman’s Labor & Employment Practice Group provides distinctive management-oriented litigation and counseling services to clients ranging from America’s largest corporations, professional services firms and financial institutions to the smallest start-up companies. Our skilled and experienced labor and employment law attorneys advise clients on the full range of employment issues encountered in the workplace and litigate all types of cases, from individual discrimination cases to class actions. We pride ourselves, however, on using our legal expertise to assist companies and managers in anticipating and preventing employee relations problems through education, training and counseling.
Our clients include companies from diverse industries, such as banking and finance, accounting, airline, technology, insurance, biotech, hotels, manufacturing, aerospace, restaurants, cosmetics and retail.
Heller Ehrman’s New York office has more than 100 attorneys and recently moved into new offices in the landmark Times Square Tower. Clients represented by attorneys in the New York office include financial institutions, professional service firms and Fortune 500 companies.
Heller Ehrman LLP has more than 700 attorneys and professionals in 12 offices worldwide – Anchorage; Beijing; Hong Kong; Los Angeles; Madison, WI; New York; San Diego; San Francisco; Seattle; Silicon Valley; Singapore; and Washington, D.C. As a full-service law firm, we represent a wide range of industry leaders, from entrepreneurial, technology-driven enterprises to established, multinational conglomerates. At Heller Ehrman, we take a multidisciplinary approach to the practice of law, drawing upon our legal, scientific and industry knowledge from across the firm to build the best legal teams for our clients. Through commitment to our core values of Excellence, People, Teamwork, Innovation, Community and One Firm, we offer clients unparalleled legal service.
