Bolstering its deep national bench of labor and employment attorneys, Fox Rothschild LLP is pleased to welcome partners Brian S. Cousin, Richard I. Scharlat and Neil A. Capobianco to its New York office. Prior to joining Fox, Cousin led the International Employment Practice at McDermott Will & Emery and was co-head of the firm’s ERISA and Benefits Litigation Practice. Scharlat and Capobianco were both partners in the firm’s Labor & Employment practice.
“Brian, Richard and Neil bring a sophisticated employment and benefits litigation practice to the firm, which complements and strengthens our existing team of litigators who handle complex employment and ERISA litigation matters for clients throughout the United States,” said Fox Rothschild firm chair Mark L. Silow.
“Fox not only has a national full-service platform that aligns well with our clients’ needs, but it also has a top-notch reputation for its employment and benefits litigation practices, and we’re excited to be a part of that,” commented Cousin, Scharlat and Capobianco. “In addition, there are significant synergies for our practice with Fox’s existing bench in the health care and technology industries, and with its newest ventures into the environmental, social responsibility and corporate governance sectors, all of which will benefit our clients.”
Cousin is a seasoned trial lawyer and international counselor who represents U.S. and multinational companies, partnerships and C-Level executives in a broad range of employment litigation and counseling issues, executive contract negotiations and agreements, corporate compliance matters, international and domestic arbitration and complex commercial litigation matters. He has extensive experience in ERISA litigation and disputes involving restrictive covenant, trade secret and unfair competition claims.
Well-versed in international counseling matters, Cousin also works with multinational companies on establishing, maintaining and coordinating global law firm networks to address a variety of legal issues. Cousin will provide leadership in the areas of international employment counseling and ERISA litigation.
Cousin earned his J.D. from Rutgers Law School in 1988, where he was an editor of the Rutgers Law Review, and his B.A. from Columbia University in 1985.
Scharlat has spent more than 20 years defending management across various industries in employment and ERISA litigation, as well as providing proactive counsel on critical workplace issues. He has a particularly deep knowledge of the employment law challenges facing clients in the health care industry.
“Fox’s health care practice is particularly well-suited to deliver top shelf litigation, employment and regulatory advice to our key clients that provide long-term care, assisted living, BCBA therapy and day-care services,” added Scharlat. “It’s a great fit.”
A versatile trial lawyer, he manages jury and bench trials in federal and various state courts and represents clients in AAA, JAMS, CPR, FINRA and other arbitrations. He leads trial teams in complex litigation matters involving claims of discrimination and retaliation, employee poaching/raiding, restrictive covenant violations and unfair competition.
Scharlat also oversees global counseling projects for multinational corporations, providing advice and solutions to matters involving employment policy, recruiting, licensing, corporate social responsibility and data privacy, as well as equal employment, diversity and discrimination counseling.
Fluent in Hebrew, Scharlat also advises U.S. affiliates of Israeli companies on a broad range of litigation and employment issues.
He earned his J.D. from Rutgers Law School in 1994, where he was Managing Notes and Comments Editor of the Rutgers Computer and Technology Law Journal and a member of the Order of the Barristers, and his B.A., cum laude, from Yeshiva University in 1990.
Capobianco is a seasoned employment and labor attorney with more than three decades of experience counseling businesses and executives on workplace and benefits issues and resolving employment and business disputes.
He advises U.S. and multinational companies and executives on day-to-day labor, employment and ERISA/benefits issues and litigation, including employment litigation, executive agreements, due diligence, ERISA withdrawal liability, internal investigations, labor-management relations, sexual harassment, restrictive covenants, unfair competition and trade secrets, wage and hour law, arbitration, disability discrimination and reasonable accommodation, wrongful discharge and advancement and indemnification of corporate officers and directors.
Capobianco earned his J.D., magna cum laude, from New York Law School in 1989 and his B.A. from the University of Wisconsin in 1985.
