Justin M. Swartz - NY Lawyer Profile

JUSTIN M. SWARTZ, a partner at Outten & Golden LLP in New York and Co-Chair of its Class Action Practice Group, advocates for employees in collective action wage/hour and discrimination disputes, in addition to individual discrimination cases and other workplace issues. He also serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Public Interest Committee.Mr. Swartz is actively involved in legal battles contesting the classification of workers as independent contractors and the failure to compensate for overtime work. Together with Outten & Golden LLP's Public Interest Committee, he has supported numerous low-wage workers in legal actions concerning minimum wage violations and unpaid overtime, such as construction workers, farm laborers, and janitorial staff who were not paid overtime for their efforts in cleaning buildings near Ground Zero in 2001.Mr. Swartz has also provided legal representation to employees in discrimination lawsuits against companies that have discriminated against minority individuals with criminal records, systemic gender bias cases against a major utility firm, as well as various individual discrimination cases based on race, gender identity, sexual orientation, and national origin. He has represented numerous female and African American stockbrokers in national discrimination class action suits against top brokerage firms like Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and Smith Barney.Mr. Swartz collaborates frequently with non-profit organizations on matters of public interest, including the successful representation of a formerly incarcerated security officer in a licensing hearing alongside MFY Legal Services, and the representation of three low-wage immigrant women in cases involving sexual harassment, assault, battery, and unpaid overtime in partnership with the ACLU Women's Rights Project. During his time in Chicago, he volunteered at First Defense Legal Aid, offering emergency legal assistance to recent arrestees and documenting instances of police misconduct.