ATTORNEYS

Louis Pechman
Partner

Louis Pechman practices before federal and state courts and government agencies in all areas of workplace law, including employment discrimination, union-management relations, employment contracts, ERISA, non-competition agreements, independent contractor issues, and wage/hour disputes. As a practitioner for over twenty years in the labor and employment field, Mr. Pechman offers both individual employees and employers practical guidance on improving the employment relationship and, where appropriate, terminating that relationship.

Mr. Pechman has worked as a labor and employment attorney at three Manhattan law firms, as in-house labor counsel with the New York Daily News, and as a Field Examiner with the National Labor Relations Board. Admitted to the New York and New Jersey Bars, he is a graduate of the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the Fordham University School of Law.

A frequent contributor to the New York Law Journal and other business and legal publications, Mr. Pechman often gives presentations on employment law topics, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, sexual harassment, and the development of human resource policies and procedures. He has lectured at the Fordham University School of Law, New York University, the Extension Division of the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and the American Bar Association. From 1994 through 1998, he was Chair of the New York County Lawyers' Association Committee on Labor Relations and Employment Law. Since 1996, Mr. Pechman has developed and moderated NYCLA's annual program on "How to Handle an Employment Discrimination Case."
Email: pechman@bwp-law.com

Laurie Berke-Weiss
Partner

Laurie Berke-Weiss represents businesses, partnerships, not-for-profit corporations and individuals in connection with employment issues, commercial disputes and transactions, and personal concerns. Ms. Berke-Weiss counsels clients on workplace matters, including employment contracts, severance agreements, restrictive covenants, wage and hour law, sexual harassment and internal investigations. She also appears before federal and state courts and government agencies on litigated matters including breach of contract claims, non-competition agreements, partnership matters, sexual harassment and other complaints of employment discrimination, as well as independent contractor disputes. Ms. Berke-Weiss frequently lectures and writes on employment discrimination, law practice management and legal ethics issues. Ms. Berke-Weiss holds a Juris Doctor from the Fordham University School of Law, a B.S. from the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and a Master’s degree in Industrial Relations from Rutgers University. She is a Past President of the New York Women’s Bar Association, a Director of the New York Women’s Bar Association Foundation, Inc., a past Chair of the New York City Bar Executive Committee and of its Audit Committee. She is a member of the New York State Bar House of Delegates, the Cornell University Council and the President's Council of Cornell Women, and the Advisory Board of the New York University School of Law Center for Labor and Employment Law. Ms. Berke-Weiss received the 2010 Judge William Groat Alumni Award from Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Since 2006, Ms. Berke-Weiss has been recognized annually as a New York Super Lawyer and a Best Lawyer in the area of Employment and Labor Law.
Email: berke-weiss@bwp-law.com

Jessica N. Tischler
Associate

Jessica Neff Tischler, an associate attorney at Berke-Weiss & Pechman, graduated from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in 2007. Ms. Tischler was an Executive Board Member and Senior Memoranda of Law Writer in Cardozo's Moot Court Honor Society, as well as a student fellow with the Floersheimer Center for Constitutional Democracy at Cardozo. She graduated cum laude from Franklin and Marshall College in 2004 with a B.A. in Art History and English. Ms. Tischler is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey.
Email: tischler@bwp-law.com

Barbara H. Israel
Of Counsel

Barbara H. Israel is a graduate of Columbia University Law School, where she was selected as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. She began her career with a major Wall Street law firm, and was a member of the faculty of Business Law at Baruch College, CUNY. Ms. Israel graduated from Rutgers College with High Honors, Phi Beta Kappa, with a major in History. Throughout her almost 30 years of practice, Ms. Israel has concentrated on corporate law, business transactions, and commercial real estate, with special expertise in dealing with the business concerns of medical professionals and institutions. Ms. Israel is admitted to practice law in New York and New Jersey, and is a frequent lecturer on a variety of legal and financial topics.
Email: israel@bwp-law.com