Leading Labor & Employment Lawyer David Weissman joins Eckert Seamans in New York
April 3, 2017
Eckert Seamans is pleased to welcome member (partner) David L. Weissman to its White Plains office and labor and employment practice. Weissman, who was previously with Reed Smith for 17-years and served as chair of its labor and employment group, advises both unionized and union-free clients on a full range of labor and employee-relations matters.
“David’s prowess as a labor lawyer, his impressive client base and his dynamic personality make him an exciting addition to Eckert Seamans’ labor and employment practice,” says Ryan J. Cassidy, vice chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment Group. “We feel very fortunate to have him on board.”
In the area of traditional labor, Weissman represents clients in collective bargaining negotiations, labor disputes, grievances and arbitrations, and proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board, and state and federal courts. Weissman has negotiated with virtually every major union over the course of his career. He also advises clients on the legal aspects of remaining union-free.
Weissman represents local and national companies, as well as not-for-profit and think tank organizations. He has negotiated collective bargaining agreements for clients in a variety of industries, including the hotel and restaurant industry, equipment manufacturing, airline service, food, cable, waste management, pharmaceutical, television commercials, newspaper, retail, real estate, shipping, advertising, and construction. His experience on both sides of the negotiating table brings a unique perspective to labor negotiations, which has proved to be effective for his clients.
With respect to employee-relations matters, Weissman has extensive experience assisting human resource managers and general counsels in numerous industries with the development and maintenance of personnel policies and personnel infrastructures. In this regard, he often works on these issues with clients as business needs and culture change as a result of business transactions, such as mergers and acquisitions.
Weissman advises employers on employee benefits issues, particularly with the administration of Taft Hartley Multi-Employer Health and Welfare Plans. He serves as a national management trustee on behalf of the advertisers and ad agencies to the SAG Pension & Health Funds, which manages over $3.5 billion in assets.
He also represents high-level executives in their negotiations and drafting of employment contracts. This includes reviewing the various stock option plans associated with employment. He also advises executives on their separation from employment and entitlements under their employment contracts. Among his clients are individuals from both public and private companies, hedgefunds, private equity, along with high-net-worth executives entering and leaving Fortune 500 companies. He regularly represents COOs, CEOs, CFOs, GCs, and human resource professionals, and has negotiated with companies such as NASDAQ, Hallmark TV, Wasserstein Perilla, SAC Capital, and Barclays. Weissman also represents companies in wage and hour disputes before both the New York State and United States Departments of Labor, along with cases filed in state and federal courts.
He is a regular speaker at conferences and is a yearly speaker at AMIN and MAGNET conferences, the leading HR organizations in the advertising industry. He is recognized by the Legal 500 US in the area of Labor-Management Relations. A recent edition noted: “clients feel confident going into battle with him by their side.”
Weissman earned his LL.M. in taxation from the New York University School of Law in 1993, his J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law in 1990, and his B.A., with honors, from George Washington University in 1987.