Collazo Florentino & Keil LLP

Firm Description

General.
Collazo Florentino & Keil LLP is a law firm devoted exclusively to providing expert, cost-effective representation and strategic advice to management on the full range of complex labor and employment law matters. Our philosophy is to provide clients with an approach to labor and employment law issues that is both informed and creative, well-reasoned and practical. We do not simply convey legal precedent: we provide clients with our strategic thinking and guidance in a way that fully takes into account the company's broader business concerns. We value the long-term relationships that we have with our clients, and the confidence that they demonstrate by integrating us fully into their decision-making processes.

Expert.
The attorneys at Collazo Florentino & Keil LLP have substantial expertise in litigating, negotiating and advising about labor and employment law issues on behalf of management. Led by partners who previously practiced with Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts, we are able to provide clients with the expertise that derives from years of experience in a practice solely focused on this ever-changing area of the law. This expertise was recognized by The American Lawyer, which listed us in its national survey of 400 corporate counsel who were asked to identify the firms that best provide service, quality and value to clients.

Practical.
We take care to develop an in-depth understanding of each client's business practices, organizational structure, industry, and competitors so that our discussion of legal issues is informed by the practical analysis of how our advice fits in with the client's overall business needs and objectives. In the labor relations context, in particular, practical advice shaped by legal understanding is more critical to a client's success than a narrow focus on the law alone.

Cost-Effective.
In a legal environment in which costs to clients are consistently escalating, our lower overhead and substantial investment in technology permit us to provide corporations with billing rates that are 25-40% less than those charged by large law firms, while offering the same high quality work product, along with personalized client service.

Attorney Biographies

Education: Columbia Law School, J.D., 1974, Hunter College, B.A., 1971
Bar Admission: New York, 1975; District of Columbia, 1975
Professional Associations: Director, Federal Defenders of New York, Inc., 2005 -; New York Fellow, American Bar Foundation, 2005 -; Advisory Committee to the Rules Committee of the Second Judicial Circuit of the United States, 1999 -; The Association of the Bar of the City of New York (Member, Delegation to the New York State Bar Association House of Delegates, 2007-; Member: Executive Committee, 2001 - 2005; Committee on Professional and Judicial Ethics, 1997 - 2000; Committee on Labor and Employment, 1990 - 1993; Committee to Encourage Judicial Service 1989 - 1993; Committee on Minorities in the Courts, 1992 - 1995); New York State Bar Association (Member, Labor and Employment Law Section, Committee on Individual Rights and Responsibilities in the Workplace); American Bar Association (Member, Labor and Employment Law and Litigation Sections); Federal Bar Council (Committee on Second Circuit Courts, 1999 - 2004); Federal Bar Council Inn of Court, Master, 2000 - ; Labor Advisory Council (to the Health Care Industry), 1998 - ; Advisory Board to the NYC Commission on Human Rights, 1990 - 1991; NYS Management Attorneys Conference, 1980 -
International-Related Activities: Member, National Council, The United Nations Association of the USA, Inc., 1990 - 1994; Patron for over 20 years of the Petroushka Ball, the primary annual fundraising event for the Russian Children’s Welfare Society, Inc., an organization dedicated to improving the lives of disadvantaged Russian children in Russia and in the West. (www.rcws.org); Sponsor of a scholarship fund for blind young girls in Sierra Leone to attend private schools through Youth Action International, an organization dedicated to helping alleviate the suffering of children affected by war or living in difficult circumstances in Africa. (www.youthactioninternational.org)
Civic Activity: The September 11th Fund, 2001 - 2005, Director; Distribution Committee of The New York Community Trust, 2001 - , Member; Community Funds, Inc. 2001 - , Director; The James Foundation, 2001 - , Director; VIP Community Services, Inc., 1999 - 2004, Director; United Hospital Fund of New York, Inc., 1994-, Director; Lehman College Foundation, Inc., 1991-1997, Director and Secretary; The Association of the Bar of the City of New York Fund, Inc., 1991-1997, Director; National Council, The United Nations Association of the USA, Inc., 1990-1994, Member; New York Alliance for the Public Schools, Member of the Selection Committee for the Revlon Harmony Awards, 1990-1991; Public Advisory Council, New York State Ethics Commission, 1989-1991, Member; Selected by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in the United States in 1989 and 1990; Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., Director, 1983-1997; Chairperson, 1990-1993; New York City Board of Education - School Chancellor Human Relations Task Force, 1988-1989, Member
Born: Bronx, New York, September 27, 1949

Education: St. John’s University Law School, J.D., 1986; St. Thomas More Scholar; New York University Graduate School of Public Administration, M.P.A., 1983, Queens College, B.A., 1980
Bar Admission: New York, 1987
Judicial Clerkship: Law Clerk, The Hon. Lawrence W. Pierce, Second Circuit Court of Appeals (1986-87)
Professional Associations: American Bar Association; Association of the Bar of the City of New York
Publications: Editor-in-Chief, St. John’s University Law Review, 1985-86
Born: Brooklyn, New York, April 5, 1958

Education: St. John's University Law School, J.D. summa cum laude, 1986; University of North Carolina, B.S., Pharmacy, 1982
Bar Admission: New York, 1987
Judicial Clerkship: Law Clerk to The Honorable John E. Sprizzo, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, 1986-1988
Publications: Associate Editor, St. John's University Law Review, 1985-1986
Born: Plainfield, New Jersey, October 12, 1959

Education: New York University School of Law, J.D., 1999; Harvard University, B.A. magna cum laude, 1996
Bar Admission: New York, 2000
Professional Associations: American Bar Association, Association of the Bar of the City of New York, Federal Bar Council, Federal Bar Council Inn of Court, New York State Bar Association
Born: Berlin, Vermont, October 14, 1974

Education: Cornell Law School, J.D. cum laude, 1988; Cornell University, B.S. With Distinction in All Subjects, 1985; Presidential Scholar
Bar Admission: New York, 1990; Massachusetts, 1990
Judicial Clerkship: Law Clerk to The Hon. Martin L.C. Feldman, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Louisiana (New Orleans), 1988-1989
Professional Associations: The Association of the Bar of the City of New York; Secretary, 1992, Committee on Arbitration and Alternate Dispute Resolution; American Bar Association; Labor and Employment Law Section, Committee on Employee Rights and Responsibilities; Litigation Section, Subcommittee on Employment and Labor Relations Litigation; New York Women’s Bar Association; Co-Chair, Working Mothers Committee, 1999-
Civic Activity: Cornell University Council, 1998- ; Cornell University Committee on Alumni Trustee Nominations, 1996-1999, Chairperson, 2000; Cornell Law School Dean’s Special Leadership Committee, 1993-2000; Cornell Alumni Federation Board
Publications: - Stakes Raised for Employers if VAWA Upheld, New York Law Journal, February 14, 2000
- Perils of Temporary Employees: Liability Lurks Under Several Federal Statutes, New York Law Journal, June 1, 1998
- Regarded as Disabled Claims Under the ADA: Safety Net or Catch-All, University of Pennsylvania Journal of Labor and Employment Law, vol. 1, p. 159 (1998)
- Contributing Editor, An Employee's Duty of Loyalty, A State-by-State Survey (BNA, 1993)
- Contributing Editor, Covenants Not to Compete, A State-by-State Survey, 1992-93 Supp. (BNA, 1993)
- Cornell International Law Journal, Note Editor, 1987-88
Born: Hollywood, Florida, February 6, 1964

Education: Cornell Law School, J.D., 1997; Amherst College, B.A., 1993
Bar Admission: Connecticut, 1997; New York 1998
Professional Associations: Association of the Bar of the City New York; Westchester/Southern Connecticut Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel
Publications: - Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy, Articles Editor, 1995-97
- Illegally Interrogating Employees and Creating Impression of Surveillance, Society of Human Resources Magazine (on-line), August 20, 2004
- Mass Layoff Prompted by Criminal Indictments Not Reasonably Foreseeable, Society of Human Resources Magazine (on-line), March 11, 2005
- Internal Reports Did Not Sustain Whistleblowing Claims, Society of Human Resources Magazine (on-line),  February 24, 2006
- FDIC Employees Affected by RIF May Pursue Age Discrimination Class Action, Society of Human Resources Magazine (on-line), August 25, 2006
Born: Bronx, New York, August 17, 1971

Attorneys Admitted to Practice In:
New York
New Jersey
Massachusetts
District of Columbia
Connecticut