Mr Gary Friedman > Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP > New York, United States > Lawyer Profile

Seyfarth Shaw LLP, which is headquartered in Chicago, offers a wide range of services for large international corporations, from investigations to helping clients implement diversity and inclusion strategies, and has significant experience with regards to federal legislative and regulatory policy issues. David Baffa, located in Chicago, leads the workplace counseling and solutions team. William Perkins, who has decades of experience advising clients on complex matters, is based in New York – he is particularly experienced in the application of leave laws and matters concerning disabled employees. Lisa Damon, based in Boston, is a well-versed litigator and counselor on matters concerning company senior executives. Operating from Washington DC, Lawrence Lorber frequently works on regulatory enforcement actions. Joshua Seidman, working from New York, has notable expertise in both mandatory paid sick and safe leave laws, as well as family medical leave laws. In Atlanta, Renate Walker is adept in handling paid leave, absence management and accommodations, and employment policy development and review. In January 2024, Gary Friedman joined the firm from Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP.

The ‘versatile and knowledgeable’ team at Seyfarth Shaw LLP demonstrates capabilities in a range of contentious employment mandates including class action defense, bet-the-company litigation, wage and hour cases, and discrimination and harassment litigation. The team acts for clients in the insurance, aerospace, retail, and financial services segments. San Francisco-based Laura Maechtlen in San Francisco heads up the practice and specializes in large-scale class actions alleging systemic violations of federal and state anti-discrimination laws. Over in Chicago, key contacts include ‘exceptional partner’ and complex litigation practice co-chair Camille Olson; and Noah Finkel, who is well-versed in state wage-and-hour law mandates. Atlanta-based Annette Idalski, lauded as a ‘staunch advocate for her client’, handles wage and hour lawsuits. Recent arrivals include Sul Kim, who arrived at the Atlanta office in June 2023 from Akerman LLP, and Clifford Sethness, who joined the Los Angeles office in November 2023 from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. Gary Friedman also joined the New York office from Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in February 2024.

Complex IP litigation, alleged misappropriations and breaches of contract are mainstays of the trade secrets offering at Seyfarth Shaw LLP which is well-equipped to assist its sector-spanning client portfolio, which includes significant names from the pharma, medical devices, tech and healthcare spheres in particular. Team leads are Michael Wexler who is based in Chicago, Robert Milligan who works from the Los Angeles hub and Katherine Perrelli in the Boston office. Wexler has expertise handling tech-related work including electric vehicles, medical devices and remote storage-related cases; Milligan assists multinational corporations with trade secret, non-compete and data protection work; while Perrelli has a specialism in the enforcement of restrictive covenants and NDAs. Jesse Coleman in Houston has a particular focus on related healthcare disputes, while Dawn Mertineit in Boston is an authority in litigation. Joshua Salinas is a standout associate in LA. Commercial litigation specialists Jesse Miller and Jennifer Fearnow, formerly of Reed Smith LLP, have bolstered the team in San Francisco. Notably, trade secrets specialist Gary Friedman joined the New York team from Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP in February 2024.