Deke has nearly three decades of experience in employment and labor law.  He has counseled and represented some of the world’s leading companies in a broad range of matters and understands that, in addition to substantive legal expertise, clients need practical outside counsel with a strong understanding of their business objectives.  Deke’s insightful support on both day-to-day and strategic matters and his skills as an advocate make him a valuable asset to the clients he serves, and his constant focus on excellent client service makes him a trusted partner to in-house counsel and human resources teams alike.   

Deke’s primary focus is handling employment disputes, whether through traditional litigation, mediation, arbitration or other alternative means of dispute resolution. Deke regularly represents employers in state and federal court, in mediations and arbitrations, and before state and federal agencies to defend claims arising under the full spectrum of federal, state and local labor and employment laws.  Deke has handled hundreds of employment cases ranging from the single plaintiff discrimination case to class and collective actions, and he successfully partners with clients in the full lifecycle of employment-related disputes, from initial investigation to helping clients minimize the risk of similar claims in the future after the specific matter has been resolved. 

Deke’s track record overwhelmingly demonstrates his commitment to hard work and innovative legal strategy to obtain the best possible outcome for his clients.  Deke has been lead trial counsel in several matters for which he secured favorable verdicts for clients in both state and federal court litigation.  Mostly recently, Deke took two contentious, federal court ERISA trials to favorable verdicts in New York City.  In January 2015, Deke also successfully argued before a three-judge panel at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals for the affirmation of one of the earlier district court verdicts.  Finally, Deke takes great pride in the fact that, of the scores and scores of EEOC and state administrative agency charge responses he has submitted on behalf of employers, neither the EEOC nor any state administrative agency has ever issued a “cause” or other adverse finding in response.

Deke’s experience as a trial lawyer also makes him a skilled advisor in the many situations where managing litigation risk is an important part of the solution to a client’s problem, and he has worked with employers on compliance and policy initiatives from design to implementation.  Deke is effective at working with employees in the front lines as well as the senior management team, and he helps clients proactively manage their legal risks through training, effective employee communications, and improved HR processes and procedures.