Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, P.C. (Ogletree Deakins), one of the nation’s largest labor and employment law firms, is pleased to announce the opening of its New York City office. The New York City office, which officially opens on Wednesday, is the 41st for Ogletree Deakins, which was founded in 1977 with just two offices and 16 attorneys. The firm now has more than 650 attorneys nationwide.
Ogletree Deakins’ New York City office will start with eight attorneys (three shareholders and five associates). Edward Cerasia II, who joins the firm from Seyfarth Shaw, will serve as Managing Shareholder of the New York City office. Joining Cerasia from Seyfarth Shaw will be fellow shareholder Anjanette Cabrera, along with five associates. Cheryl Stanton, a shareholder in Ogletree Deakins’ Morristown office, and Patrick DiDomenico, Ogletree Deakins’ Director of Knowledge Management, will join the group from Seyfarth Shaw and relocate to the New York City office.
“A New York City office supports our established strategic initiative to provide premier labor and employment law legal services to employers from coast to coast. It strengthens our commitment to clients in developing and growing our presence in major markets with talented employment lawyers,” said Kim Ebert, Ogletree Deakins’ Managing Shareholder. “This group of lawyers has exceptional credentials and a remarkable reputation in a very crowded marketplace. We believe our presence in Manhattan presents incredible opportunity and we expect to grow this office quickly.”
“We are thrilled to open the New York office with Ogletree Deakins, which is well known for its outstanding client service and deep bench strength in all areas of labor and employment law,” said Cerasia. “Joining Ogletree Deakins gives our team an exciting opportunity to provide our clients with cost-effective representation throughout the country, as well as handle new matters for the firm’s clients in New York. Already, our clients’ reaction has been overwhelmingly positive, and we look forward to serving them alongside our colleagues throughout the firm’s 41 offices.”
Cerasia has more than 20 years of experience and represents employers throughout the United States in the financial services, insurance, transportation, healthcare, media, higher education, and retail industries. Throughout his career, Cerasia has successfully handled and defended a variety of litigation matters including single-plaintiff, multiple-plaintiff, class action, collective action, and pattern and practice cases. His litigation and trial experience includes representing management against claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation; issues arising under the Fair Labor Standards Act and various state wage and hour laws; claims under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act involving breaches of fiduciary duty, prohibited transactions, 401(k) issues, severance pay, and challenges to plan denials of benefits, plan amendments, and termination of benefits; whistleblower claims; claims of defamation, breach of contract, and intentional torts; and issues involving restrictive covenants and employee recruitment practices.
Throughout his career, Cerasia has been held in high regard by clients and colleagues alike as evidenced in his being named to Chambers USA and The Best Lawyers in America. In 2011, Lawdragon and Human Resource Executive magazine named him one of “The 40 Up and Coming Corporate Employment Lawyers” in the United States.
Because of his depth of knowledge and experience, Cerasia is frequently requested by trade associations and employer groups to present or write about employment and employee benefits law topics. Previously, he was an adjunct professor at Quinnipiac University School of Law, where he taught employment discrimination law. Cerasia earned his J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Bridgeport School of Law where he was his class’s valedictorian. While in law school, he was an editor for the University of Bridgeport Law Review.
Anjanette Cabrera is a litigator with extensive trial experience. During her career, Cabrera has successfully tried employment cases to verdict, negotiated settlements, and briefed and argued appeals before the Third Circuit and New York and New Jersey state appellate courts. Her litigation experience includes defending clients facing claims of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and denial of employee benefits before federal and state courts and administrative agencies in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Ohio. Due to her years of experience involving a wide range of employment litigation, Cabrera frequently advises clients on compliance issues with respect to federal, state, and local employment laws.
Out of law school, Cabrera served as an Assistant District Attorney in Queens County, New York, where she handled numerous jury trials and appeals involving felony crimes. She then served as a law clerk to the Honorable Shelby Highsmith in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida before entering private practice. Outside of her practice, Cabrera is an active member of the Hispanic National Bar Association. She earned her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School and B.A. from Long Island University where she was a C.W. Post Martin Luther King Scholar.
