BigLaw Experience.
Boutique Attention.
Natalie Lewis is an employment attorney admitted in New York. She founded Lewis Law after practicing in the employment group of a global law firm to offer companies and executives something large firms rarely can: direct access to an experienced attorney, and close attention to the specifics of each matter.
Her practice spans employment and business law, focused on the agreements, negotiations, and disputes that arise as companies build their teams and executives navigate their careers.
Natalie has represented employers in federal and state courts, arbitrations, and administrative proceedings. Her experience includes defending single-plaintiff, class, and collective actions involving discrimination, retaliation, whistleblower, and wage-and-hour claims. Outside of litigation, she advises clients on workplace compliance, wage-and-hour practices, and restrictive-covenant strategy, including non-compete and non-solicitation agreements.
She has written on New York and federal employment developments, including non-compete reform, restrictive covenants in release agreements, and expanded whistleblower protections. Her writing includes an article published in the New York Law Journal. Natalie earned her J.D., cum laude, from New York University School of Law, where she received the Schulte Roth & Zabel Prize for excellence in employment and employee benefits law. She is active in pro bono work, representing asylum seekers and providing employment counsel to nonprofits working on civic and social causes.
Representative Experience
The following reflects representative experience from throughout Natalie's career, including matters handled at a prior firm. Client identities are omitted or generalized to preserve confidentiality.
Employment Litigation, Arbitration & Agency Proceedings
- $30M Gender Discrimination & Retaliation Arbitration. Defended a financial services firm in an arbitration brought by a former executive seeking more than $30 million for alleged gender discrimination and retaliation. As part of the defense team, helped compel arbitration, drafted the pre-hearing brief, prepared witnesses for testimony, and examined a witness at the hearing; the matter resulted in a complete defense award.
- Age Discrimination & Whistleblower Retaliation. Defended a Fortune 500 company against age discrimination and whistleblower retaliation claims brought by a former senior executive, successfully moving to compel arbitration and staying all court proceedings.
- Race Discrimination & Retaliation. Defended an AI technology company in a federal court action alleging race discrimination, retaliation, and whistleblower violations; drafted dispositive motion briefing and written discovery.
- Fraudulent Inducement Claims in Executive Recruitment. Defended a global management consulting firm against fraudulent inducement and negligent misrepresentation claims brought by a former senior executive based on alleged statements made during the recruitment process; matter resolved prior to trial.
- Race Discrimination Mediation. Defended a national nonprofit health organization against race discrimination and retaliation claims, including investigating the claims and drafting the response to a demand letter and mediation statement; matter resolved through pre-litigation mediation.
- Workers’ Compensation & Defense Base Act Claims. Defended a global defense contractor in multiple Defense Base Act proceedings brought by employees who worked in active war zones and sought compensation for psychological injuries. Drafted position statements to the U.S. Department of Labor challenging coverage under the Act, after which the claims were closed without further action; also drafted responses to demand letters, resulting in voluntary withdrawal of those claims.
Wage & Hour Class and Collective Actions
- Off-the-Clock Claims. Represented a national amusement park in four statewide wage-and-hour class actions alleging uncompensated off-the-clock work; drafted dispositive motion briefing and developed the class-wide damages methodology used to quantify exposure in mediation and court proceedings.
- Security Screening & Travel Time. Defended a publicly traded U.S. manufacturer in a statewide class and collective action alleging unpaid time for pre- and post-shift security screening and related travel time.
- Delivery Driver Class Action & Motor Carrier Exemption. Defended a national specialty food distributor and its parent company in a putative class and collective action brought by delivery drivers under the FLSA and state law, including novel issues under the Motor Carrier Act exemption.
Employment Counseling, Compliance & Investigations
- Day-to-Day Employment Counseling. Advised employers across industries on day-to-day workplace matters, including terminations and discipline, reasonable accommodations, leave administration, and performance management.
- Executive Misconduct Investigation. Conducted an internal investigation for a financial services firm into allegations of executive-level sexual harassment and misconduct, including witness interviews and document review, and prepared investigative findings and disciplinary recommendations.
- Wage & Hour Compliance Audit. Conducted a wage-and-hour compliance audit for a national residential property management company, reviewing pay practices, job classifications, and recordkeeping to identify and mitigate potential exposure.
- Multistate Employee Handbooks & Policies. Developed state-specific handbook supplements and updated workplace policies for a global luxury goods and retail company with operations across all U.S. jurisdictions.
- Employment Due Diligence in M&A Transactions. Supported deal teams with employment due diligence in large-scale M&A transactions, reviewing employment agreements, workforce classifications, and organizational structure.
Employment Agreements, Restrictive Covenants & Trade Secrets
- Employment Agreements & Reductions in Force. Drafted and negotiated employment agreements, offer letters, and separation and severance agreements for clients across the financial services, technology, life sciences, media, professional services, and nonprofit sectors, and advised on reductions in force (RIFs) and WARN Act compliance.
- Executive Representation: Separations, Exit Terms & Restrictive Covenants. Represented executives and senior professionals in employment, separation, and restrictive covenant matters, including a senior software sales executive’s negotiated separation following a performance dispute, an executive’s equity terms ahead of a potential exit, and a medical professional’s non-compete and non-solicitation obligations.
- Restrictive Covenant Enforcement. Represented a large benefits, insurance, and wealth management firm in enforcing non-solicitation and confidentiality agreements against multiple former employees, including obtaining injunctive relief.
- Trade Secret & Non-Solicitation Dispute. Represented a national mechanical and electrical services provider in a trade secret and non-solicitation dispute with a former executive, achieving a favorable resolution before an emergency injunction application became necessary.
- Multistate Proprietary Information & Inventions Agreement. Drafted a multistate Proprietary Information and Inventions Agreement for a large financial services firm, with jurisdiction-specific provisions covering nearly all U.S. states.
- State-Specific Restrictive Covenant Agreements. Drafted state-specific restrictive covenant agreements for a recreational equipment manufacturer with operations in approximately a dozen U.S. jurisdictions.
Public Accommodations & Digital Accessibility
- Public Accommodation Discrimination Charges. Defended a hotel and hospitality company before a state civil rights agency against charges alleging that a guest was denied service and subjected to racial harassment.
- ADA Title III Website Accessibility Defense. Co-managed a high-volume portfolio of ADA Title III and state-law website accessibility actions for clients across industries, often with more than 30 active matters at a time, and negotiated resolutions.
Pro Bono
- Asylum & Removal Defense. Represented asylum seekers from Syria, Ghana, the Gambia, and Honduras, each of whom was granted asylum, in removal proceedings before the U.S. Immigration Court; drafted asylum briefs, served as first chair in two matters, and conducted direct examination of applicants and supporting witnesses.
- Nonprofit Employment Counsel. Provided pro bono employment counsel to nonprofit organizations, including a domestic violence advocacy organization, an independent cinema and education center, and an international legislative organization.
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.