Richard K. Zuckerman
Partner
PHONE:
EMAIL:
EDUCATION:
♦ State University of New York at Stony Brook (B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa)
♦ Columbia University School of Law (J.D.)
BAR ADMISSIONS:
♦ New York
♦ U.S. Supreme Court
♦ Federal Second Circuit Court of Appeals
♦ Eastern and Southern Districts of New York
HONORS & AWARDS
- 2022 – Best Lawyers’ 2023 in Education Law, Employment Law-Management, Labor Law – Management and Litigation-Labor and Employment
- 2019, 2020/2021 – Corporate LiveWire Global 2019 Annual Awards in the category of “Employment Lawyer of the Year – New York”
- 2017 & 2018 – Best Lawyers’ 2017 Labor Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year” for Long Island
- 2017 – Corporate LiveWire Global 2017 Annual Awards in the category of “North American Employment Lawyer of the Year”
- 2012-2022 – Inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® in the practice areas of Education Law, Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment
- 2014-2015 – Best Lawyers‘ 2014-2015 New York City Labor Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year”
- 2012 – Listed as one of Long Island Business News’ Who’s Who in Intellectual Property and Labor Law
- 2007-2022 – Super Lawyer
- 2007 – Listed as one of Long Island Business News’ Who’s Who in Labor Law
- 2005 – One of Long Island’s “Top Ten Leaders in Employment Law” by Newsday
ORGANIZATIONS & COMMITTEES
- Chair, New York State Bar Association’s Local and State Government Law Section
- Former Chair, New York State Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section Executive Committee
- Former President, New York State Association of School Attorneys
- Former Chair, New York State Association of School Attorneys Committees on Continuing Legal Education and Government Employee Labor Relations
- Former Member, New York State Bar Association’s House of Delegates
- Member, Executive Committees of the New York State Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law and Municipal Law Sections
- Secretary, New York State Bar Association’s Municipal Law Section’s Executive Committee
- Fellow, Governors of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers
- Fellow, American and New York Bar Foundations
- Inaugural Member, Board of Advisors for the St. John’s University School of Law Center for Labor and Employment Law
PRESENTATIONS
- 06.10.2022: Uniformed Services – Public Sector Labor and Employment Developments Since the Pandemic Began – CLE sponsored by the NYS Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Section
- 10.23.2020: Maintaining the Balance: Public Sector Labor Relations in a Time of Crisis – Part Two of the New York State Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section’s Fall Meeting
- 10.16.2020: Zero Tolerance in the Workplace – Part One of the New York State Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section’s Fall Meeting
- 09.24.2020: Free Speech in the Public Sector: What Employees Can and Cannot Say – New York State Bar Association, virtual CLE “Bridging the Gap”
- 04.15.2020: Managing Your Essential and Non-Essential Municipal Workforce During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Everything an Employer Needs, and Wants, to Know About Managing its Workforce in the Face of the COVID-19 Pandemic – Lamb & Barnosky, LLP Webinar
- 04.06.2020: Managing Your Essential and Non-Essential Municipal Workforce During the COVID-19 Pandemic – New York State Bar Association Webinar for the Local and State Government Law Section and CLE Department
- 03.27.2020: Free Speech in the Public Sector: What Employees Can and Cannot Say – New York State Bar Association, virtual CLE “Bridging the Gap”
- 01.30.2020: What’s New in 2020? What You Need to Know About Public Sector Labor and Employment Law – New York State Bar Association, Local and State Government Law Section Annual Meeting
- 10.04.2019: Responding to Faculty Members who Suffer from Mental and Substance Abuse Issues – New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Law, Youth and Citizenship 43rd Annual Civics and Law-Related Education Conference
- 06.01.2019: Next to Normal (Brian Yorkey) – How to Handle Employee Mental Health and Substance Abuse – NYSSBA & NYSASA 19th Annual School Attorney Law Conference
- 01.17.2019: Employment Law: Social Media and Acceptable Use Policies – New York State Bar Association, Local and State Government Law Section Annual Meeting
- 10.16.2018: Managing Workplace Violence and Harassment in the Public Sector – Long Island Fall Seminar 2018, sponsored by the New York Government Finance Officers’ Association (NYGFOA)
- 05.10.2018: The Triborough Doctrine and Statute: A Catalyst or Hindrance to Harmonious Labor Relations? – Taylor Law 50th Anniversary – Bright Spots and Pressure Points Conference
- 04.13.2018: “Who Done It?” Best Practices When Conducting Employee Investigations, Lamb & Barnosky, LLP Live Webinar Series
- 02.13.2018: “You Can’t Touch This…” Ensuring That Your Anti-Harassment Policies and Training Are Up To Date, Lamb & Barnosky, LLP Live Webinar Series
- 12.08.2017: You Can’t Always Get What You Want – Negotiating Health Insurance Benefits for Active and Retired Employees – Nassau and Suffolk Academies of Law
- 10.27.2017: Public Sector Labor and Employment Law 2017 Update -New York State Local and State Government Law Section Fall Meeting
- 05.12.2017: The Impact of Social Media on Collective Bargaining and Discipline of Law Enforcement Officers – Long Island Chapter of Labor and Employment Relations Association’s Annual Spring Law Conference
- 05.04.2017: Public Sector Law Update – Suffolk County Bar Association, Law in the Workplace Conference
- 12.08.2016: Social Media Policies for Municipal Employees – Westchester Municipal Officers Association meeting
- 10.27.2016: Co-presenter: Civil Service Law and Appointments – NYS Association of Business Officials (NYSASBO) School Business Management Workshop entitled “District Clerk”
- 09.23.2016: Co-presenter: Labor Arbitration: An Overdue Look at Some Controversial Issues in Disciplinary Cases – Labor and Employment Section’s Fall Meeting sponsored by the New York State Bar Association
- 01.28.2016: Somebody’s Watching Me – Electronic Surveillance in the Workplace and Related Best Practices – NYS Bar Association Local and State Government Law Section Annual Meeting
- 12.14.2015: Impact of the Taylor Law: Distance Learning; Joint Ventures between School Districts; Transfer of Functions to BOCES; Shared Services – 2015 Annual School Attorney Law Conference
- 09.25.2015: Working Hard for the Money: Will the Classification Stick? – Labor & Employment Law Section and Municipal Section Fall Meeting
- 04.21.2015: Dues and Don’ts after Harris v. Quinn – The National Center for Collective Bargaining’s 42nd Annual Conference: Thinking About Tomorrow; Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations in Higher Education
- 09.19.2014: Public Sector Update: Labor Law Developments Affecting Municipalities – NYSSBA & NYSASA 24th Annual Labor & Employment Law Conference
- 05.31.2014: High Stakes Bargaining With No Chips at the Table – NYSSBA & NYSASA 14th Annual School Attorney Law Conference
- 01.30.2014: The Implications of the Affordable Care Act for Municipalities – NYSBA Municipal Law Section Annual Meeting
- 11.19.2013: Affordable Care Act Presentation – Council of Licensed Physiotherapists of New York, Inc.
- 09.16.2013: Cutting-edge Labor and Employment Law Issues – St. John’s Law School Center for Labor & Employment 17th Annual Management Lawyer’s Colloquium
- 06.07.2013: Public Sector Legal Update- 23rd Annual Law in the Workplace Conference, SCBA Labor and Employment Law Committee and the Suffolk Academy of Law
- 01.24.2013: Getting Your Employees Back To Work: Municipal Employee Alphabet Soup Issues In a Nutshell (FMLA, ADAAA, GINA, HIPAA, GML & §207-a and c, CSL §§71-73) – NYSBA Municipal Law Section Annual Meeting
- 12.11.2012: Understanding Employment Discrimination – Expanded Laws and Emerging Issues – Winter Law Conference, NYSSBA State School Boards Association (December 11, 13, 2012 and January 10, 2013)
- 10.26.2012: What is New? What is the same? – NYSSBA & NYSASA 93rd Annual Convention & Education Expo
- 10.13.2012: Intended and Unintended Consequences of the Tax Cap: Collective Bargaining and Related Issues a Year Later – NYS Bar Association Municipal Law Section Fall Meeting
- 09.21.2012: Who’s the Boss? Co-, Joint and Other Complicated Private and Public Sector Employment Relations – NYSBA Labor & Employment Law Section Fall Meeting
- 06.03.2012: Navigating by the Stars, or Identifying a Clear Route – NYS Association of School Attorneys 12th Annual School Attorney Law Conference
- 01.27.2012: My Employee/Your Employee/Co-Employee? – NYS Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section Annual Meeting
- 05.11.2012: Romance in the Workplace – Long Island Association of School Personnel Administrators Annual Spring Meeting and Luncheon
- 11.01.2010: A Review of Recent Decisions at PERB – NYS Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section 35th Annual Fall Meeting
- 07.22.2010: Staff Reductions: Have You Missed Anything? – NYS School Boards Association 16th Annual Summer Law Conference
- 07.20.2010: Romance in the Workplace – NYS Association of Management Advocates for School Labor Affairs, Inc.’s NYS Association of School Personnel Administrators 33rd Annual Summer Conference
- 06.06.2010: How to Avoid Getting Burned: Ethical Issues in Representing Multiple Municipal Clients – NYSSBA & NYSASA 10th Annual School Attorney Law Conference
- 05.31.2009: Evaluation of Staff, Discipline and 3020-a –NYSSBA & NYSASA 9th Annual School Attorney Law Conference
- 05.18.2009: Municipal Law and the Economy – New York State City/County Management Association 51st Annual Training Conference
- 03.24.2009: The Capital Region Local Government Council: Municipal Labor and Employment Law in Tough Economic Times – The Center for Economic Growth’s Capital Region Local Government Council
- 01.29.2009: Municipal Labor and Employment Law in Tough Economic Times – NYS Bar Association Municipal Law Section Annual Meeting
- 12.08.2008: Labor Law Update (Teacher Tenure, Drug Testing, Screenings, FMLA, PERB Trends) – Nassau and Suffolk Academies of Law and Education Law Committees 2008 Annual School Attorney Law Conference
- 03.18.2008: Special Ethical Considerations in Public Section Labor Relations – Labor and Employment Section of the New York State Bar Association Public Sector Labor Law Conference
- 01.31.2008: PERB: Back to the Future? – New York State Bar Association’s Municipal Law Section Annual Meeting
- 10.25.2007: Contracts for Excellence:- The Present for Some/The Future for Others – NYSSBA & NYSASA 11th Annual Pre-Convention School Law Seminar
- 10.20.2007: Hot Topics in Public Sector Labor Law – NYS Bar Association Municipal Law Section Fall Meeting
- 09.30.2007: Collective Bargaining, Trends, Successful Strategies and Winning Results and Interest Based Bargaining – NYS Council of School Superintendent’s First Biennial Law Conference
- 08.02.2007: Avoiding Legal Vulnerabilities in the Hiring Process in the Electronic Age: Best Practices, Common Sense & More! – Western New York Education Law Conference
- 05.25.2006: Just Cause in the Public Sector – National Academy of Arbitrators Annual Meeting
- 03.18.2006: Communication About Ongoing Negotiations – NYS School Boards Association Seminar
- 01.26.2006: Impasse Resolution Procedures (Fact Finding, Interest Arbitration, Legislative Determinations): Best Practices – NYS Bar Association Municipal Law Section Annual Meeting
- 10.25.2005: Anticipating the Personal Disaster: Why You Should Have a Plan of Action for Your Practice, and How To Do It – NYS Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section’s Fall Meeting
- 06.04.2005: Managing the Progressively Disabled Employee – NYS School Boards Association 5th Annual School Attorney Law Conference
- 05.20.2005: The Decision Making Process/The Executive Session and The Award: How Interest Arbitration Really Works – NYS Public Employment Relations Board, Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the NYS Bar Association Labor and Employment Law Section Program
- 04.14.2005: When the Employment Case Walks in the Door – Nassau County Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Committee and Workers’ Compensation Committee Program
- 01.27.2005: Public Sector Employment Law Basics: From Pre-Hire to Termination – Annual Meeting of the NYS Bar Association Municipal Law Section
- 12.08.2004: Employee Hiring Process – Long Island Association of School Personnel Administrators
- 12.06.2004: School Finance Audits – Nassau and Suffolk Academies of Law 2004 Annual School Attorney Law Conference
- 10.07.2004: Communication in a Crisis – National School Boards Association Council of School Attorneys 2004 Advocacy Seminar
- 05.05.2004: School Law in New York – National Business Institute seminar
- 04.14.2004: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Civil Service Law but were too Confused to Ask – Nassau Academy of Law
PRACTICE AREAS:
Education, Employment, Labor, Litigation and Municipal
Richard K. Zuckerman represents management in all public and private sector labor and employment law areas, including collective bargaining, discipline and litigation-related matters. His public sector clients include cities, counties, fire and ferry districts, libraries, school districts, towns, villages and public utilities. He also serves as general counsel to school districts and as a hearing officer in General Municipal Law Section 207-a and 207-c disputes.
Mr. Zuckerman is a past Chair of both the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA’s) Local and State Government Law Section and NYSBA’s Labor and Employment Law Section, as well as a former President of the New York State Association of School Attorneys. He has also served as a member of the NYSBA’s House of Delegates. Mr. Zuckerman is a Fellow of the Governors of The College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, a Fellow of the American and New York Bar Foundations, and an Inaugural Member of the Board of Advisors for the St. John’s University School of Law Center for Labor and Employment Law. He is one of the co-editors for the New York State Bar Association’s treatise “Lefkowitz on Public Sector Labor and Employment Law, Fourth Edition” and was an editor for the American Bar Association’s treatise “Discipline and Discharge in Arbitration” and Supplement. In addition, he was a contributing author to the 6th edition of the ABA’s contract arbitration treatise “How Arbitration Works” (Elkouri & Elkouri), and has co-authored numerous practice-related articles.
Mr. Zuckerman has been named as a Best Lawyer in America© since 2012 and was twice named the Best Lawyers’ “Lawyer of the Year: Labor Law – Management” for Long Island, in addition to being named the 2015 New York City “Labor Law – Management “Lawyer of the Year.” He has also repeatedly been named a New York Super Lawyer® in Labor and Employment Law, a Who’s Who in American Law®, and a Long Island Business News’ Who’s Who in Labor Law. He has presented at numerous programs regarding various labor, education and employment law-related topics. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the federal Second Circuit Court of Appeals and the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, as well as New York State courts. Mr. Zuckerman is a graduate of the Columbia University School of Law, where he served as Director of the First Year Moot Court program. He graduated summa cum laude from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year and received the William J. Sullivan Award, the University’s most prestigious academic and service award.
