Trio Joins Proskauer’s Labor & Employment Practice

February 3, 2014 (New York) – Proskauer announced today that three nationally acclaimed labor and employment lawyers Zach Fasman, Allan Bloom and Erika Collins, have joined the firm as partners in New York. The combined depth of their experience advising multinational corporations, financial services firms and corporate boards on a range of U.S. and international labor and employment law issues will complement the firm’s marquee Labor and Employment (L&E) practice.

Mr. Fasman is widely recognized as one of the deans of the labor and employment bar, and has more than 30 years of experience representing employers in labor-management relations, employment litigation and counseling. He has litigated numerous employment law cases ranging from nationwide class actions to jury trials of individual discrimination claims and argued many cases in both state and federal appellate courts, including two successful arguments before the United States Supreme Court. He has also negotiated collective bargaining agreements with major U.S. labor unions and has substantial experience appearing before the National Labor Relations Board.

Mr. Bloom is a nationally recognized employment litigator and advisor. He has defended the world's leading employers in a broad range of disputes, ranging from nationwide class and collective actions to jury trials of individual claims, and has argued numerous cases in federal and state courts of appeal. He has particular expertise in the financial services industry, where he has litigated and arbitrated cases, including at FINRA and its predecessors, for close to 20 years. He has significant experience in federal and state wage-hour and equal employment opportunity matters, both in the litigation and advisory contexts. He regularly advises boards of directors and senior management on highly sensitive matters such as executive transitions, audit and restructuring projects, and internal investigations. He is a prolific writer and speaker on employment law issues, and is the Editor of the New York State Bar Association's Labor and Employment Law Journal.

Ms. Collins is recognized as the leading international labor and employment lawyer in the country and has a wealth of experience helping multinational public and private companies manage their global workforces, focusing on the full range of cross-border employment and human resources matters throughout the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia. She represents U.S. and non-U.S. employers in all aspects of company growth and restructuring, from office openings, executive hiring and workforce expansions to company downsizing. She advises clients on developing global mobility programs, as well as preparing competitive employment packages and agreements that are compliant with local laws. She also regularly conducts multi-country audits of employment laws and practices regarding compliance with data privacy, leave laws, working time, redundancy requirements, fixed-term contracts and outsourcing, among many other issues. 

“Zach, Allan and Erika continue our legacy of providing clients the very best lawyers at the leading edge of their fields. We are delighted to add them to our partnership,” said Proskauer Chairman Joseph M. Leccese.

Joseph Baumgarten and Elise Bloom, co-Chairs of the Labor & Employment department, stated, “For decades Proskauer has maintained the premier labor and employment practice and has been at the forefront of labor-management relations and class and collective action defense. The addition of these prominent practitioners broadens our global reach and positions us to continue our role as counsel of choice in every aspect of U.S. and international labor and employment law. We are thrilled to welcome this first class trio to the firm and look forward to integrating their established practices with our robust platform to best serve our clients.”

All three partners join the firm from the New York office of Paul Hastings.

Proskauer’s Labor & Employment lawyers have a deep bench of experience in 17 distinct practice areas covering every area of labor and employment law. The group handles the complete range of sophisticated litigation, appeals and counseling, as well as traditional labor relations and collective bargaining matters. Dubbed a “powerhouse” by Chambers USA and “amazing strategists” with “fantastic technical know-how” by Chambers Europe, Proskauer’s L&E Department is one of the strongest practices in the world with over 160 lawyers across the U.S., London, Paris and Beijing. In addition to receiving the highest rankings in US Legal 500, the firm practice was honored in 2013 by Chambers USA with a nationwide first-tier ranking as well as the 2012 “Award for Excellence in Labor & Employment.” The American Lawyer ranked Proskauer among the top three nationwide for labor and employment litigation, noting that clients retain Proskauer when their "company's reputation is on the line" and "managing the public face of litigation" is of utmost importance.

About Proskauer

Founded in 1875, Proskauer is a global law firm serving clients’ critical legal needs from offices in Beijing, Boca Raton, Boston, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Newark, Paris, São Paulo and Washington, DC. Additional information about the firm can be found at www.proskauer.com.