FordHarrison LLP, one of the country’s largest management-side labor and employment law firms, is pleased to announce that Michelle S. Harkavy has rejoined FordHarrison as a partner in the firm’s New York office.
“We are excited to have Michelle back on board at FordHarrison,” said Stephen Zweig, Office Managing Partner of the firm’s New York office. “Her experience as in-house counsel brings additional depth to our team and we look forward to seeing her relationships with our clients grow.”
Michelle’s practice is focused on the representation of employers in legal issues related to both labor relations and employment law. Prior to rejoining FordHarrison, Michelle served as Vice-President, Director of Labor Relations and Associate General Counsel for U.S. Security Associates, one of the largest security companies in the world. In this role, she was responsible for all aspects of collective bargaining negotiation, arbitrations, grievance processing, NLRB elections and the management and oversight of employment litigation. In addition to her labor relations and litigation experience, Michelle is well versed in affirmative action planning, including preparing Affirmative Action Plans and overseeing OFCCP compliance and audits. A large portion of Michelle's practice is focused on preventive advice including drafting employee handbooks, conducting policy review, and presenting management training programs on a variety of employment law topics. Michelle is licensed to practice in Tennessee and New York and is a member of the Labor & Employment Section of the New York State Bar Association.
“I am pleased to return to FordHarrison and to have the opportunity to work with my former colleagues. My time away from the firm was valuable and I know I can use my experience to the advantage of our clients,” said Michelle.
In addition to Michelle’s return, Elliot Buckman recently joined the New York office as a senior associate. Elliot’s practice is focused on the representation of management in labor and employment disputes. Prior to joining FordHarrison, Elliot served as a litigation associate in a general services law firm based on Long Island, NY as well as a boutique litigation defense firm. Elliot also brings to FordHarrison significant judicial experience, having served as a federal law clerk for the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. In law school, Elliot served as the Notes and Articles Editor for the Fordham Law Review, for which he published a Note entitled Just a Soul Whose Intentions are Good? The Relevance of a Defendant’s Subjective Intent in Defining a “Destructive Device” Under the National Firearms Act, 79 Fordham L. Rev. 563 (2010), and participated in the Brendan Moore Trial Advocacy Center.
“We are happy to have Elliot join our growing office. He is dedicated to his practice and provides additional strength to our litigation capacity,” said Stephen.