New York, New York
NY Times Building, 620 8th Ave, 34th Floor, New York, NY 10018
Stephen P. Sonnenberg, Esq. is a highly-regarded Neutral who possesses extensive experience in understanding and resolving complex labor and employment disputes. As a New York- and California-based ADR practitioner whose career path includes his past experience as a licensed psychotherapist, he is uniquely qualified to understand the concerns of both plaintiffs and defendants and to guide the parties toward a fair, efficient and just resolution of disputes. He has resolved numerous labor and employment matters on both the East Coast and in California, including a variety of matters within the media and entertainment industry, and is a member of the JAMS Title IX panel which aids in the resolution of sex-based allegations of discrimination and harassment in schools and other educational programs.
In addition to mediating a wide variety of discrimination, harassment and retaliation actions, Mr. Sonnenberg has mediated numerous Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and state law wage and hour collective and class actions. These have included state-specific, multi-state and nationwide claims involving employees and companies in the technology, media and entertainment, financial services, restaurant, retail, real estate, hospitality, health care and transportation industries, among others. When mediating a putative or certified collective or class action matter, Mr. Sonnenberg not only draws on his prior experience mediating complex class claims, but also his earlier practice litigating wage and hour matters in both California and New York.
Mr. Sonnenberg practiced labor and employment law at the highest levels for twenty-five years at Paul Hastings, a prominent AMLAW 100 firm and achieved a prestigious ranking from Chambers USA within the Labor & Employment band. His leadership roles at the firm included a term as Chair of the New York Employment Law Practice (2014-2017), Vice Chair of the Employment Law Department (International) (2003-2014) and Co-Chair of the Employment Law Department’s national wage and hour law practice (2005-2014). He was resident for an equal amount of time in Paul Hastings’ Los Angeles and New York offices, where he represented and advised clients in a wide range of employment disputes, including multi-state class and collective actions.
Before practicing law, Mr. Sonnenberg devoted himself to a fifteen-year career as a licensed psychotherapist in California and Michigan. He worked in diverse psychiatric settings and community organizations, assisting individuals in a wide range of disputes with family members, employers and other third parties. The settings in which he worked included psychiatric hospitals, a community mental health center, and the private practice of psychotherapy working with individuals, couples, and families.
As a member of the New York, California and District of Columbia bars who has also resolved disputes nationwide, Mr. Sonnenberg has mediated numerous matters not only at JAMS, but as a member of the Mediation Panels of the United States District Courts for both the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. He has taught employment law to members of the federal judiciary at New York University through the Federal Judicial Center, has provided employment law training and advice in a variety of settings, and was an adjunct faculty member at Cardozo Law School.
Mr. Sonnenberg is known for his attention to detail, his thoughtful approach to emotionally-laden disputes, and a calm demeanor that is conducive to the settlement of the most contentious of disputes. As an experienced ADR professional and former psychotherapist, he combines a panoply of legal skills with a honed understanding of human psychology to help guide deeply entrenched parties to resolution.
Mr. Sonnenberg possesses significant experience in a wide range of Labor & Employment law matters, including:
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