Michael L. Abitabilo
Michael Abitabilo is principal and the office litigation manager of the White Plains, New York, office of Jackson Lewis P.C. His practice includes the representation of management in employment litigation matters before state and federal courts, as well as federal and state agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, New York State Division of Human Rights, National Labor Relations Board, Department of Labor, the New York State Public Employment Relations Board, and other federal, state and local agencies. In this role, Michael has extensive experience defending both single-plaintiff and multi-plaintiff discrimination/harassment cases, as well as class/collective actions.
Michael dedicates a substantial portion of his practice to providing advice and counsel to employers of all sizes on issues such as employee handbooks and workplace policies, wage and hour compliance, employee discipline, internal complaints and investigations, disability and leave management issues, and many other issues faced by today’s employers. Michael has extensive experience training attorneys, executives, human resources professionals, managers, supervisors and employees on these and other subjects.
Michael also has significant experience in traditional and public sector labor law. His representation of clients in this area has included representing private sector employers in all aspects of the collective bargaining relationship, including, but not limited to, representation proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board, collective bargaining negotiations, grievance and arbitration proceedings, and litigating unfair labor practice and other claims before the National Labor Relations Board. In addition, Michael has represented municipalities in various matters related to New York’s Taylor Law, including the prosecution of an unlawful strike and interest arbitration proceedings.
While attending law school, he was a member of the Moot Court Association and served as the editor-in-chief of the Hofstra Labor & Employment Law Journal. While at Hofstra, Michael was proud to receive the Jonathan Falk Memorial Scholarship, which is awarded to students who exhibit academic excellence, leadership and a concern for peers, as well as an interest in labor and employment law.
Representative Decisions
- Paul v. Postgraduate Ctr. for Mental Health, 97 F. Supp. 3d 141 (E.D.N.Y. 2015)
- Dabney v. Christmas Tree Shops, 958 F. Supp. 2d 439 (S.D.N.Y. 2013), aff’d, Dabney v. Bed Bath & Beyond, 588 Fed. Appx. 15 (2d Cir. 2014)
- Town of Carmel, IA-2013-037 (Siegel, 2015)
Honors and Recognitions
- Business Council of Westchester, 40 Under 40 Rising Stars (2018)
- New York Super Lawyers®, “Rising Stars” (2018)