NEW YORK, NY (January 13, 2015) – Davis Wright Tremaine LLP (DWT) announced today its national employment and labor law practice has expanded to the East Coast with the addition of lateral partners Laura Sack, Lyle S. Zuckerman and Roy P. Salins. Michael Goettig will also be joining DWT’s East Coast employment team as counsel, and Scott Cooper as associate.
Sack and Zuckerman will co-lead DWT’s East Coast employment practice. The team represents clients in a variety of industries, including entertainment and media, publishing, financial services, higher education, and retail, as well as in the not-for-profit sector. These clients include A&E Television Networks, St. John’s University, the ASPCA, and Rodale Inc.
“It’s incredibly exciting to come in and build out the employment practice for DWT here in New York,” said Sack. “DWT has already created a strong national platform, so it is the best of both worlds—the opportunity for us to be highly entrepreneurial with a comprehensive base of support. The firm has a sterling reputation and is already well-known to many of our existing clients, and we are thrilled to spearhead the expansion of its labor and employment reach across the U.S. to the East Coast.”
“While we’ve had a robust employment services practice in our West Coast and Shanghai, China offices, it was a priority for us to have lawyers on the East Coast to better serve our national and regional clients,” said Henry E. Farber, chair of DWT’s firm-wide employment services practice. “Their client base aligns very nicely with DWT’s current portfolio of clients in New York and on the West Coast. I look forward to working with them to expand our capabilities and client relationships.”
Jeff Gray, who became DWT’s managing partner on Jan. 1, said the addition of these groups directly support the firm’s recently updated strategic plan. “We are committed to adding great lawyers to build on what we do best, and these additions take us to a new level in two core areas of our firm.”
DWT also announced today the expansion of its tax-exempt organizations practice into the New York office. “Growth of the New York office is a priority for DWT, and having these two esteemed teams join us is a major step in advancing that strategic goal,” said Lynn Loacker, partner-in-charge, New York office. “We look forward to significantly expanding the services we can provide our many media, communications, and entertainment clients here in New York.”
For nearly 25 years, Laura Sack has focused on representing management in labor and employment law matters. Before joining DWT, she was the chair of the New York labor and employment practice group at Vedder Price, where she was a shareholder since 2009. Prior to that, Sack was a partner at Kauff McClain & McGuire LLP, a management-side labor and employment boutique firm where she spent more than 10 years. Sack also served as in-house counsel for Witco Corporation, a global specialty chemicals manufacturer headquartered in Greenwich, Conn., where she was responsible for all labor and employment, employee benefits, and immigration law matters worldwide. She was an associate in the labor and employment group at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP for five years. Sack was also a law clerk for the Honorable Raymond J. Pettine, U.S. District Court Judge for the District of Rhode Island. She earned her A.B., magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from Brown University, and her J.D. from Yale Law School.
Sack has long been recognized as a leading lawyer in her field. She is ranked in Chambers USA in the New York Labor and Employment category, is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell, and is included in New York Super Lawyers (2012-2014). In addition, Sack was selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2015 in the Labor Law–Management category, and she is recommended by the Legal 500 United States guide in two categories: Labor and Employment Litigation, and Workplace and Employment Counseling. She was also on the faculty of the Practising Law Institute’s Employment Law Institute in 2010 and 2013. In addition to her professional achievements, Sack has been a volunteer Team Leader for New York Cares for many years.
Lyle Zuckerman has more than 19 years of experience representing management in all disciplines of labor and employment law, including labor relations and wage and hour class action litigation. He was a shareholder at Vedder Price, which he joined in 2009, after almost five years as partner at Kauff McClain & McGuire LLP. Prior to that, he was associate general counsel at St. John’s University from 2002-2004, where he had sole responsibility for all labor, employment, and civil rights matters. Before his in-house position at St. John’s, Zuckerman was an associate at Morgan Lewis & Bockius and also at Proskauer Rose LLP. He received a B.A. from Lafayette College, and his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.
Zuckerman is recommended by the Legal 500 United States guide in the Labor and Employment – Labor-Management Relations category. He is also listed by New York Super Lawyers (2012-2014).
Roy Salins focuses his practice on employment litigation, including wage and hour class action litigation, and providing clients with day-to-day advice and counseling. He was previously a shareholder at Vedder Price, where he worked for the past five years. Prior to that, he had been an associate at Kauff McClain & McGuire LLP from 2006-2009 and Proskauer Rose LLP from 2001-2006, during which time he served as an interim labor and employment counsel at Bristol-Myers Squibb. He has a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.
Michael Goettig has extensive experience litigating and resolving discrimination and wage and hour cases. He represents clients in both state and federal courts as well as at arbitration and before administrative agencies. He also provides counseling to clients on a wide array of personnel matters, and he conducts internal personnel investigations. Prior to joining DWT, he spent seven years at Vedder Price. Goettig’s work experience also includes serving as a freelance journalist, and as a volunteer with the Peace Corps. He received his B.A. from the University of Minnesota and his J.D. from Columbia Law School. He is proficient in Mandarin Chinese.
Scott Cooper represents employers in FINRA arbitrations and works with clients to resolve allegations of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and violations of wage and hour laws. Prior to joining DWT, Scott spent one year as an associate at Vedder Price and three years at Fox Rothschild.
For full bios and photos, please visit www.dwt.com/MediaResources.
About DWT Tremaine LLP
DWT is a national law firm with eight offices in the U.S. with approximately 500 lawyers representing clients based throughout the United States and around the world. For more information, visit www.dwt.com.