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Press Release

Jackson Lewis Attorneys Named Among Nation's Most Powerful Employment Attorneys

NEW YORK, NY (November 18, 2021) Nationwide employment law firm Jackson Lewis P.C. congratulates Chairman Emeritus Vincent A. Cino, along with Principals Neil H. Dishman, Maurice G. Jenkins, Howard Shapiro, René E. Thorne and Richard F. Vitarelli for their inclusion in Lawdragon’s “500 Leading U.S. Corporate Employment Lawyers” list for 2021. The list recognizes employment attorneys who stand out for their ability to guide employers through constantly evolving workplace laws. The attorneys are selected based on journalistic research, submissions by firms and clients, and vetting by peers. The attorneys recognized either concentrate on employment law or offer profoundly strong employment practices as part of a large global platform.

Vincent is chairman emeritus of Jackson Lewis. From 2012 through 2018, he was responsible for the entire firm's day-to-day administration and management. Prior to assuming the role of chair, he served as the firm's national director of litigation. Vincent has vast trial experience, having litigated every conceivable type of employment action in many jurisdictions throughout the U.S. From 1987 to 1990, Vincent was chief of litigation in the Office of the Essex County Counsel. As chief of litigation for Essex County, NJ, Vincent supervised a staff of attorneys as well as outside counsel. Prior to that, he was an assistant prosecutor for Union County, NJ. From 1981 to 1987, Vincent was engaged in private practice in Hackensack, NJ, concentrating on civil litigation. He has personally tried more than 100 cases.

Neil is a principal in the firm’s Chicago office. His business is helping employers prevent and resolve disputes with their employees. Neil helps employers reduce risk and minimize legal costs by giving advice on difficult personnel decisions before litigation ensues. When litigation is unavoidable, he helps employers protect their assets and reputations by vigorously and efficiently defending them from employee lawsuits. Neil counsels and defends employers on a wide spectrum of issues, including race, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability and sexual-orientation discrimination; sexual harassment; retaliatory discharge; Family and Medical Leave; and wage-hour compliance. He assists employers in a wide variety of industries, with particular experience in the real-estate, non-profit, manufacturing, and health-care fields. Neil has jury-trial experience and is a member of the Trial Bar of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Maurice is a principal in the firm’s Detroit office. A nationally recognized management-side labor and employment lawyer, he also is a highly regarded trial lawyer who has been inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers and College of Labor & Employment Lawyers. Maurice has first chaired jury trials, labor and civil rights arbitrations, NLRB hearings and state civil rights administrative cases on behalf of employers. Additionally, he has conducted investigations of workplace fatalities, hostile environment and individual harassment claims, as well as alleged business misconduct. A former accountant and senior in-house counsel for a multinational manufacturer, Maurice draws upon his business acumen when called upon to conduct independent investigations into whistleblower claims involving alleged financial reporting improprieties. He also advises employers with respect to corporate compliance protocols and other Code of Conduct-related matters. Maurice, who formerly served as a member of the ABA's Task Force on Section 307 of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX), has also handled internal investigations and litigation arising under SOX.

Howard is a principal in the New Orleans office of Jackson Lewis and is co-leader of the firm’s ERISA Complex Litigation group. He focuses his practice on the defense of large, sophisticated ERISA class actions. Howard defends “bet-the-company” litigation where damages are potentially material. His cases involve the defense of Defined Benefit plans, 401(k) Plans, and 403(b) Plans. He also defends litigation involving health and welfare plan issues. His practice is nationwide, and throughout his career, Howard has appeared as counsel across the entire country. Typically, his cases involve damage allegations in excess of hundreds of millions of dollars. He has appeared in federal courts from coast to coast while maintaining an active national ERISA litigation practice.

René is co-leader of the firm's ERISA Complex Litigation group, and is a principal in the New Orleans, Louisiana office of Jackson Lewis. She was the founding attorney of the firm’s New Orleans office and was the managing principal for a decade. Her practice is devoted exclusively to complex employee benefit litigation matters, including representation of employers, plans, plan fiduciaries, service providers, and trustees. She has handled numerous ERISA class actions for numerous large national and global companies. René has been qualified and testified as an expert on ERISA matters in federal court. 

Richard is a principal and co-leader of the firm’s Labor Relations group, the firm’s national labor practice.  He also co-leads the firm’s national Transactional Service group. He has more than 25 years of experience representing employers nationally in strategic labor relations, collective bargaining, preventive practices and multiemployer fund matters - including in the context of mergers and acquisitions and corporate restructuring. He serves as general labor and employment counsel for employers and multi-employer associations in various industries, including construction, health care, airline, retail, transit, and state and local government.

About Jackson Lewis 
Focused on labor and employment law since 1958, Jackson Lewis P.C.’s 950+ attorneys located in major cities nationwide consistently identify and respond to new ways workplace law intersects business. We help employers develop proactive strategies, strong policies and business-oriented solutions to cultivate high-functioning workforces that are engaged, stable and diverse, and share our clients' goals to emphasize inclusivity and respect for the contribution of every employee. 
 
Additional information about the firm can be found at jacksonlewis.com

For more information, please contact:
Lara Hamm, Director of Communications and Public Relations
T: (267) 319-7803 / E: Lara.Hamm@jacksonlewis.com

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