Employment Discrimination

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.

Navid Kanani is an attorney located in Woodland Hills specializing in employment, real estate, and litigation.

I have been representing employees and employers in work related issues for more than 20 years. I have litigated cases in state and federal trial and appellate courts, as well as before numerous administrative agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Florida Commission on Human Relations, the Florida Department of Administrative Hearings, the National Labor Relations Board and civil service boards in numerous cities, counties and law enforcement agencies in Florida. I am licensed to practice before the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U. S. Supreme Court, as well as federal trial courts in Florida. I have handled a wide variety of employment law cases, including those involving discrimination based on age, race, disability, gender, national origin, sexual harassment, retaliation, medical leave disputes, minimum wage and overtime issues, and non-compete agreements. I have drafted employee handbooks, employment agreements, and have litigated non-compete cases. I have counseled both employees and employers on all types of workplace disputes, including those involving discipline and termination. I served as the Legislative Chair for the Volusia chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management, and have lobbied for work related legislation in Tallahassee. I have represented large corporations and small businesses, as well as individual employees. I have represented employees and employers for various government agencies, including local school districts, cities and counties, and universities. My goal is to provide the highest quality representation at a reasonable cost.

Bryan Arce is a New York City employment discrimination attorney and a Managing Partner at the law firm of Phillips & Associates. Mr. Arce is committed to representing workers who have been subject to harassment and other misconduct, such as wage and hour violations. Through his prior law firm, Mr. Arce and his associates have been part of million-dollar-plus verdicts - Including a $1.6 million verdict, a $2.5 million verdict, a $2.2 million verdict, and a $4.25 million verdict. Unlike many other litigators, Mr. Arce has first-hand experience with these violations. He spent 12 years working as a chef in the food service and hospitality industry, and he understands the kinds of harm that may result.

Mr. Morris has been practicing law since 1994 and is a diverse individual with many interests. Unlike other attorneys, Mr. Morris was working on an advanced degree in an unrelated field when he had a calling to become an attorney and he instantly switched from his science-based studies to law. Mr. Morris has owned a retail store, has written computer software and has been on the Board of several non-profit corporations, including the SPCA of Northern Nevada. After graduating from law school, Mr. Morris based his practice on "righting wrongs" and started a heavy practice in civil rights and employment law such as wrongful terminations, disability discrimination, medical leave issues, personal injury and medical facility injuries. His law practice philosophy led him to a specialized area of Tribal and Indian Law where he has represented many Tribes and their members. He was eventually asked to be a judge for the Appellate Court for the Nevada Tribes and he served as a justice for this Inter-Tribal Court of Appeals of Nevada. He has worked as both a plaintiff’s attorney in private practice as well as being General Counsel, Employment Counsel, and Senior Employment Counsel for large national and international corporations including the World’s largest equipment rental company. Mr. Morris has received published decisions in both Federal and State Courts and he is currently licensed in all Nevada Courts including the Nevada Supreme Court, Nevada Federal Courts, Federal Ninth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals and multiple Indian and Tribal Courts. He has lived in both Reno and Las Vegas and provides services to all of Nevada including its rural towns. Due to the nature of the cases handled by Mr. Morris, the majority of them are filed in Federal Courts - which are located in either Reno or Las Vegas.

Graham F. Baird, Esq. is an experienced employment lawyer in Philadelphia in the areas of civil rights, workplace discrimination and wrongful termination, and police misconduct and malfeasance. Graham is also a passionate consumer advocate handling matters involving fraud arising out of the sale and marketing of household goods, real estate and motor vehicles. He also handles cases involving unlawful and illegal debt collection and credit reporting practices. Graham earned his J.D. from Temple University and his B.A. from Washington State University. He is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and the United States District Courts for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the District of New Jersey and the Middle District of Pennsylvania. He joined the Law Offices of Eric A. Shore in 2015.

Ari R. Karpf is a zealous trial advocate concentrating his practice in all facets of employment and labor law, including, discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful discharge, breach of contract, union avoidance, unemployment compensation, Warn Act violations, and on a select basis, criminal matters. Mr. Karpf graduated summa cum laude from International College of Fort Myers, Florida, finishing first in his class. He graduated magna cum laude from Thomas M. Cooley Law School, where he was awarded the President's Achievement Award, honors for outstanding advancement of the Thomas Cooley Law Journal, was recognized as a distinguished appeals magistrate, and received several certificates of merit for outstanding scholastic performance. Mr. Karpf is a member of the bars of state courts in Pennsylvania, the state courts in New Jersey, the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the United States District Court of New Jersey. Although Mr. Karpf focuses primarily on employment and labor law, he also has a very strong background in complex criminal litigation at the trial and appellate levels. He takes criminal appeals, state or federal, and handles habeas corpus petitions.

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.

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.

Colleen Van Egmond is an accomplished lawyer that has extensive legal experience in business planning, business litigation, estate planning, estate litigation, probates, employment law, agriculture law, along with accident and injuries. She has worked for such law firms as Thayer Harvey Gregerson Hedberg & Jackson along with Curtis & Arata prior to becoming the managing partner with Arata Swingle Van Egmond & Goodwin. In addition to her legal experience, she is currently active in different associations such as Association of Defense Council, Stanislaus County Bar Association and the Children's Crisis Center. Colleen Van Egmond graduated from the McGeorge School of Law with an honors in taxation and was admitted to the California State Bar in 2005. In addition to her legal degree, Ms. Van Egmond has a B.S. in Managerial Economics and a A.S. in Agriculture Business.