Discrimination

Jocelyn Burton has an in-depth understanding of the unique of the employment laws in California. Jocelyn Burton has over twenty-two years of legal experience and has litigated hundreds of cases in state and federal courts. Jocelyn Burton has successfully litigated a variety of matters ranging from administrative employment cases to class actions with multiple plaintiffs and potential damages ranging in the millions.

A native of New York, NY, Robert Kitson obtained his law degree from the State University of New York, Buffalo School of Law in 1995. He was an Editor on the Buffalo Law Review. Mr. Kitson has tried over forty jury trials in both New York and California. After leaving New York, Mr. Kitson was a founding party of Litt, Estuar & Kitson, LLP, a civil rights firm in downtown Los Angeles, CA. In 2013, Mr. Kitson accepted Mr. Myers’ invitation to join the firm to serve the role as lead trial counsel on various cases and to serve as Chair of Complex Litigation at The Myers Law Group, A.P.C. Since joining the firm in 2013, Mr. Kitson has continued his great success as a trial attorney obtaining multiple plaintiff jury verdicts. Mr. Kitson’s success on behalf of clients at both The Myers Law Group, APC., as well as at his previous firm includes: Obtaining a $3.3 million judgment on behalf of a Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) Captain who was retaliated against after he reported discrimination and harassment by higher-ups in the fire department (Lewis S. Bressler v. City of Los Angeles) Spending seven months as co-counsel with Barrett S. Litt in McClure v. City of Long Beach, resulting in a $22.5 million verdict Obtaining a $1.1 million dollar judgment on behalf of a family subjected to living in substandard housing conditions (Ramirez v. Estrada) Tennie Pierce v. County of Los Angeles — $1.49 million settlement on behalf of African-American firefighter subjected to discrimination and retaliation Confidential — $1.2 million settlement of a case in which the Plaintiff was raped by an on-duty police officer after a DUI stop Confidential — $950,000 settlement of an unpaid overtime/missed meal and rest breaks class action. In addition to his trial experience, Mr. Kitson has briefed and argued cases before both the California Court of Appeal and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In recognition of Mr. Kitson’s tenacious representation he was named by his peers as a Super Lawyer for the years 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016.

Tracy Neal-Lopez is the founding member of the firm; she has wealth of trial and litigation experience, having taken numerous cases to judgment, including jury trials, bench trials and arbitration. She has represented many clients facing a vast array of life changing situations and she prides herself on being willing to take cases all the way to trial. Tracy represents either plaintiffs or defendants in state and federal court. She fights injustice, focusing her litigation skills primarily in employment and labor disputes. Her areas of practice include, wrongful termination, wage and hour, misclassification, whistleblower retaliation, interference with prospective economic advantage, non-compete provisions, defamation, breach of employment contract, discrimination and harassment. She also handles business and corporate litigation matters. Such as matters involving partnership disputes, corporate dissolution, breach of contract, fraud and misrepresentation, and unfair business practices. One of her primary achievements in her legal work was before the California Court of Appeals where she successfully challenged the assumption of risk doctrine in a case entitled Lackner vs. North (2006) 135 Cal. App. 4th 1188. Tracy received her law degree from Loyola Law School. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Peter A. Romero has practiced exclusively in the area of employment law for 16 years. Mr. Romero regularly represents both employers and employees in workplace litigation, including trial and appellate practice, administrative proceedings before the Department of Labor, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and New York State Division of Human Rights. He is highly experienced in complex litigation, including collective and class action lawsuits.

Deena R. Merlen is a Partner at the firm. She serves clients at both our New York and Stamford offices and heads the Connecticut practice. Her practice areas include intellectual property, employment and labor law, media and entertainment, general business law, commercial transactions and dispute resolution. In her employment practice, Ms. Merlen is a trusted “go to” problem solver and counsel to individuals, established name brand companies and startups alike. She has extensive experience representing clients in matters including general counseling, discrimination actions, mediations and dispute resolution, investigations by federal or state agencies, as well as wage and hour claims and other labor law matters. She also advises on and regularly negotiates employment and separation agreements, independent contractor arrangements and other services-related arrangements. Ms. Merlen also counsels clients on employment and business matters in response to a crisis or other unexpected business impact, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting business closures, including continuity plans, employee furloughs, reductions in force and other critical measures. In her intellectual property practice, Ms. Merlen helps her clients with the development, acquisition and protection of their valuable brands and other vital intellectual property assets. She manages and grows trademark portfolios in the U.S. and internationally; negotiates licensing, assignment, distribution and branding agreements; prosecutes trademark and copyright registrations; enforces intellectual property rights; and provides strategic counsel to safeguard brand platforms and expand the value of her clients’ intellectual property assets. Ms. Merlen’s media practice encompasses the development and protection of creative works in the fields of music, film, television, theatre, publishing, literary arts, performing arts, design and technology. She ran her own business in the entertainment industry for over a decade and brings that business experience and acumen to her legal practice. In addition, Ms. Merlen provides general business counsel and represents clients in company and transactional matters such as partnerships, joint ventures, licensing arrangements, the purchase or sale of businesses, and a wide range of other corporate matters, including company formation, capitalization and governance, compliance and contracts. Representative clients include technology companies, schools and other academic institutions, personal care and beauty companies, fashion and design companies, media, arts and entertainment companies, wholesalers, retailers and more. Prior to her work with RPJ, Ms. Merlen served as Law Clerk to The Honorable Roger J. Miner of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, after which she joined Debevoise & Plimpton, where she practiced for over five years in the areas of corporate law and intellectual property. Ms. Merlen is admitted to practice in Connecticut and New York.

W. Christian Jenkins has been a licensed attorney for 45 years. Practicing in Arlington, TX at the Law Offices Of Christian Jenkins P.C.

I have been practicing law for 24 years now and I am one of the founding members of Tomasik Kotin Kasserman, LLC. During this time, I have distinguished myself as one of Chicago’s elite trial attorneys. Prior to starting the my own firm, I practiced for 15 years at the prestigious Clifford Law Offices in Chicago and, before that, as a member of the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Bureau of Special Prosecutions. I have tried over 100 jury and bench trials to verdict. I have handled and successfully resolved hundreds of millions of dollars in claims in a variety of practice areas, including complex premises liability, aviation litigation, medical negligence, medical liability, hospital liability, and mass disasters.

David Sanford has recovered more than one billion dollars for individual clients and the United States government since 2004. Mr. Sanford has represented CEOs, CFOs, and COOs, as well as non-managerial, hourly employees throughout the United States. Mr. Sanford has served as lead counsel in more than 50 class actions and numerous qui tam fraud cases around the United States. David has represented over 50 General Counsels and attorneys (in house and outside counsel) in contract disputes, employment matters, and severance packages.

Brian Goldstein has focused his practice on representing clients in civil litigation matters in both state and federal courts throughout Kansas and Missouri, as well as serving as coverage counsel for numerous insurance companies. He has been involved in representing clients in a wide spectrum of practice areas, from routine personal injury cases to complex damage cases in the fields of professional malpractice, business/contract disputes, products liability, employment discrimination, defective construction, and wrongful death. Mr. Goldstein was born and raised in the greater Kansas City area. Mr. Goldstein and his wife, Tamara, make their home in Overland Park, Kansas and have three daughters, Leah, Marisa, and Julia.

Simon Law Group specializes in resolving family, divorce, discrimination, and business issues and disputes throughout Long Island and New York City. Notwithstanding the practice area, our approach is individualized to conform to the facts and circumstances of each case, and is always focused on achieving the best result for our clients: not the firm’s bottom line. What has made Simon Law Group successful is its client-focused approach, which is predicated on meaningful conversation with clients and attention to detail when it comes to fact-gathering and preparedness for Court. With both experience and knowledge of your case, we are well-equipped to provide you options and results that are optimal.