RECENT NEWS

Laurie Berke-Weiss, a partner at Berke-Weiss & Pechman LLP, has been named to the “Top 50 Women New York Super Lawyers” list for 2011.  Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from various practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement.  The selections are made using a rigorous process, including a statewide survey of lawyers, an independent research evaluation of candidates, and peer reviews by practice.

Laurie Berke-Weiss and Louis Pechman were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2012 (Copyright 2011 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.).  Laurie and Lou have been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America since 2006.

Laurie Berke-Weiss was selected as a Legal Elite in Avenue Magazine’s August 2011 edition, and will be featured in Avenue Magazine’s Legal Elite/NYC’s Top Women Lawyers list, to be published in October 2011.

On October 25, 2011, Louis Pechman moderated the program "How to Handle a Wage and Hour Case" at New York County Lawyers' Association.

On October 12, 2011, Laurie Berke-Weiss was a featured speaker at “From Sexual Harassment to Sexual Assault – Sexual Misconduct at the Workplace,” a program presented by the Cornell University ILR School Labor and Employment Law Program. The program was held at the Cornell ILR NYC Conference Center.

Louis Pechman spoke at Pace Law School’s New Directions program on Thursday, August 18, 2011.  He discussed topics related to Labor and Employment Law, including employment discrimination and sexual harassment.

On May 21, 2011, Louis Pechman moderated the program “An Introduction to Wage and Hour Cases” for the Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York 2011 Convention, which will take place in Manchester, Vermont.  For more information on the program or the Convention, please visit WBASNY's website.

On May 16 and 23, 2011, Louis Pechman moderated the program "How to Handle an Employment Discrimination Case" at New York County Lawyers' Association.  For more information, please visit NYCLA's website. Lou has been moderating the program since 1996.

Berke-Weiss & Pechman LLP obtains dismissal of free speech and retaliation claim against Inspector General of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

On January 4, 2011, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals issued a decision dismissing the claims of Louis Anemone, the former Director of Security for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (“MTA”), against the MTA and the Inspector General of the MTA.  The Second Circuit found that Anemone would have been terminated by the MTA regardless of his alleged protected speech (speaking to the New York Times) because, inter alia, Anemone engaged in a “pattern of insubordination and deception.”  Notably, the Second Circuit’s decision closely mirrored the original report on Anemone’s conduct that had been issued by the Inspector General.

Laurie Berke-Weiss was recently appointed to the administrative board of the Cornell University Council as a member-at-large.  The Cornell University Council helps ensure that the voices of alumni, parents, and friends play a meaningful role in Cornell’s strategic development.

Berke-Weiss & Pechman filed a lawsuit against Sean (“Diddy”) Combs and Bad Boy Entertainment, Inc. on behalf of Francesca Spero, a former Bad Boy executive.  The lawsuit, which claims age and disability discrimination, was widely reported in the press, including at MSNBC.

Berke-Weiss & Pechman LLP announces the launch of waiterpay.com, a website intended to promote awareness about the wage and hour laws in New York.  Berke-Weiss & Pechman LLP has been active in wage and hour litigation within the restaurant industry, and has represented numerous restaurants and hundreds of restaurant employees in wage and hour disputes.  The Firm currently has cases pending against Da Ciro, Volare, Barbetta, Trata, and other New York restaurants.  Berke-Weiss & Pechman LLP obtained a record 3.15 million dollar settlement on behalf of the waiters of Sparks Steak House.

Laurie Berke-Weiss and Louis Pechman have been selected for inclusion in the 2011 edition of New York Super Lawyers®.

On October 13, 2010, Louis Pechman moderated the program "How to Handle a Wage and Hour Case" at New York County Lawyers' Association.

The East Hampton Star and 27East.com reported on Berke-Weiss & Pechman’s lawsuit against Trata East, a Hamptons’ restaurant, and its affiliated restaurant in Manhattan. The lawsuit alleges violations of the Fair Labor Standards Acts and the New York Labor Law.

The New York Law Journal published “Trade Secrets and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act,” an article by Laurie Berke-Weiss, on June 15, 2010.  Click here to read the article.

Laurie Berke-Weiss spoke on "Litigating a Trade Secrets Case," at the 63rd Annual Conference on Labor - Resolving Labor and Employment Disputes:  A Practical Guide on June 3, 2010.  The event was sponsored by The Center for Labor and Employment Law at NYU School of Law, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations and St. John’s University School of Law.

On May 13 and 20, 2010, Louis Pechman moderated the program "How to Handle an Employment Discrimination Case" at New York County Lawyers' Association.  For more information, please visit NYCLA's website. Lou has been moderating the program since 1996.

Laurie Berke-Weiss was awarded the prestigious Judge William Groat Award from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations on April 20, 2010.  Laurie received this award, along with fellow ILR alum Hon. Seth Harris, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, in front of 500 ILR faculty, staff, students, alumni, and friends at The Pierre Hotel.  The Groat Award is presented annually by Cornell ILR in recognition of the recipients’ professional accomplishments and service to the ILR School.

Laurie Berke-Weiss was featured in the ILR News Center on April 8, 2010.  Laurie was honored with the Judge William Groat Award on April 20, 2010 for her professional achievements and service to Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations.

Laurie Berke-Weiss was invited to speak at the Thirteenth Annual NYU Employment Law Workshop for Federal Judges, which took place on March 17, 2010.  Laurie was on a panel discussing trade secrets, non-competition clauses, and the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.  The event was sponsored by the Federal Judicial Center, the Dwight D. Opperman Institute of Judicial Administration and The Center for Labor and Employment Law at NYU School of Law.

Berke-Weiss & Pechman filed a lawsuit on behalf of the banquet waiters at The Waldorf Astoria for the misappropriation of service charges and special banquet gratuities. This case was reported in The New York Times and Reuters on February 25, 2010.

Louis Pechman was quoted in the New York Post regarding the 3.15 million dollar settlement Berke-Weiss & Pechman reached on behalf of the waiters of Sparks Steak House. To read more about the settlement, click here.