Akerman LLP, a top 100 U.S. law firm serving clients across the Americas, today announced that Brian Nugent, Amy Moor Gaylord, Michael Gallion, and David Van Pelt have joined the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice Group as partners, further expanding the geographic footprint of the group in Denver, Chicago, and Los Angeles.
“I am excited to welcome our newest members of the labor and employment team,” said Eric Gordon, chair of Akerman’s Labor and Employment Practice Group. “Each talented lawyer was strategically hired to best meet the needs that our clients face, covering a wide geographic area. They’re each highly esteemed for their respective contributions to the legal profession and for their work for employers nationwide. Their expertise will help us continue to advance the firm as a go-to labor and employment problem solver for our clients.”
The four new partners represent a growth momentum that the Labor and Employment Practice Group has experienced in recent years. With the most recent arrivals, the team’s headcount has nearly tripled in size since 2016 from 21 to 57 lawyers in key markets, which includes New York, Washington, D.C. and across Florida. Chicago and Los Angeles are among Akerman’s fastest growing markets. Since its opening in 2014, the Chicago team has experienced a nearly seven-fold growth from 8 to 55 lawyers. Gallion and Van Pelt’s arrival in Los Angeles marks a headcount growth nearly tripling since 2015, reaching 37 lawyers and business professionals now located at the CalEdison DTLA to accommodate continuing growth.
Brian Nugent
Nugent represents employers throughout the U.S. in labor and employment matters, as well as corporate formation, contracts, unemployment taxation, and M&A. His focus includes advising human capital and human resources outsourcing companies such as professional employer organizations (PEOs) and temporary staffing companies that frequently retain him to assist with all of their legal and regulatory needs. He is also frequently retained to represent buyers and sellers in transactions in the employment outsourcing industries, and has been retained on a number of occasions to assist buyer’s counsel with the particular due diligence issues in these industries.
Amy Moor Gaylord
With over 21 years of experience, Gaylord focuses her practice on traditional labor matters and employment litigation for both public and private sector employers with an emphasis on National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) proceedings, union organizing drives, NLRB-conducted elections, arbitration cases, contract negotiations, and employment discrimination matters. She has experience counseling clients in various industries, including higher education, not-for-profit, public safety, hospitality, and entertainment, among others. Gaylord has served as lead negotiator in hundreds of collective bargaining negotiations in both the public and private sectors.
Michael Gallion
Gallion has over two decades of experience representing clients in all aspects of labor and employment law. He has defended companies in virtually every type of employment dispute, administrative proceeding, and regulatory action in venues throughout California and across the country. Maintaining a national practice, Gallion services clients in a wide range of industries, including financial services, retail, entertainment, advertising, healthcare, and real estate. He focuses his practice on defending California wage and hour class actions and high-stakes discrimination, harassment, and retaliation cases. Gallion also has experience handling trade secrets litigation.
David Van Pelt
Van Pelt is an experienced attorney who represents clients in all facets of labor and employment law, including wage and hour issues, employment termination, employee leave, accommodation of disabilities, and employee relations. He advises clients regarding employment matters related to mergers and acquisitions, and as special counsel for employment matters in corporate bankruptcies. He also drafts employment policies, agreements, and handbooks.
