Jeffrey Kohn represents clients in a broad range of employment and labor law disputes. Jeff’s clients span a variety of industries, including sports, entertainment and media, financial services, airlines, pharmaceuticals, professional services, and transportation, among others.
The managing partner of O’Melveny’s New York office and New York Regional Head of Litigation, Jeff serves as a strategic legal advisor on labor-management relations, including collective bargaining, labor arbitrations, and NLRB and NMB matters for a variety of clients. Jeff has an active employment litigation practice, including employment discrimination, employment contract, wage and hour, executive compensation, and trade secret litigation.
He also has substantial experience as a strategic advisor for clients who need to restructure their operations or reorganize in bankruptcy. Jeff also manages sensitive internal investigations for clients across a variety of industries.
Experience:
- Served as lead counsel in the defense of over 400 race discrimination claims brought to binding mediation/arbitration against a major financial institution
- Successfully represented transportation company CEVA Logistics in obtaining summary judgment in a wage and hour class action challenging CEVA’s business practice of using independent contractors as drivers
- Represented Morgan Stanley in defeating an ERISA whistleblower action tried before a FINRA arbitration panel, resulting in a recovery to Morgan Stanley of a US$1.2 million award, including attorneys’ fees
- Successfully defended Eddie Murphy and Paramount Pictures in a US$375 million sexual harassment lawsuit brought by an actress terminated during the filming of a major motion picture
- Successfully represented US Airways in a pension dispute with one of its unions that saved the airline US$30 million in past contributions and US$6 million/year in future pension contributions
- Served as lead labor counsel for Interstate Bakeries, in its efforts to restructure over 400 labor contracts
- Served as trial counsel in Delphi Automotive’s 1113 proceeding in the Southern District of New York
- Served as lead labor negotiator and labor counsel for a leading pharmaceutical company in achieving a new labor contract for their largest facility
- Served as lead labor negotiator for Six Flags Great Adventure, one of the largest regional theme parks in the United States, employing over 4,000 people
- Successfully represented Cintas in resolving an FLSA minimum wage and overtime claim in the Northern District of New York
- Successfully represented US Airways in a 300-person class action brought under the Fair Labor Standards Act in the Northern District of New York
- Secured an injunction for Atlas Air against its pilots’ union to prevent worldwide disruption of its operations
- Served as lead counsel in the defense of 50 race and age discrimination claims brought to arbitration against a major financial institution
- Successfully defended a major insurance company in a high-profile employment discrimination federal jury trial that led to a precedent-setting decision striking punitive damages as a remedy under the New York Human Rights Law
- Obtained summary judgment for United Airlines in a multi-plaintiff, multi-district litigation in which plaintiffs alleged failure to hire claims
Admissions:
- New York
- New Jersey
- US District Court, District of New Jersey, Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of New York
- US Court of Appeals, Second and Third Circuits
- US Supreme Court
Education:
- George Washington University, J.D., 1984: with high honors; Order of the Coif; Managing Editor, The George Washington Law Review
- Cornell University, B.S., Industrial and Labor Relations, 1981: with honors
Member:
- Dean’s Advisory Board, George Washington University Law School
- Advisory Board, Center for Labor and Employment Law, New York University School of Law
- ILR Advisory Council, Cornell University
Cost
Rate : $$$