LexisNexis Practice Guide: Pennsylvania Labor and Employment

Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith is a national full-service law firm, with more than 1,700 attorneys and 55 offices in 32 states and the District of Columbia. It offers legal practice in more than 40 specialties and a multitude of sub-specialties associated with each practice area. Lewis Brisbois’ attorneys reflect the communities in which they live, and the firm’s vibrant culture has fostered a diverse group of professionals committed to promoting the best interests of their clients, their communities, and the legal profession. The firm’s size and significant geographic coverage allows it to provide clients with consistent and dedicated representation throughout the country.

The firm’s Labor & Employment Practice represents clients in all phases and types of employment litigation, counseling, and training. Attorneys in this practice have extensive experience in handling state and federal litigation from commencement of the action through appeal, addressing all disputes from the simplest unemployment claim to complex appellate matters. They represent clients before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and its state equivalents including the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, unemployment agencies, OSHA, the National Labor Relations Board, state departments of labor, and other government agencies concerned with employment law and regulations. Lewis Brisbois’ Labor & Employment Practice boasts several members of the prestigious American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), who handle numerous lawsuits each year, and who participate in complex arbitrations and administrative hearing proceedings.

Eric J. Bronstein is a partner in the Philadelphia office of Lewis Brisbois and a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment Group. His practice is focused upon and he has extensive experience in handling discrimination litigation and employment law matters from inception through the appellate process, including before administrative agencies, involving claims brought under Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, and the New Jersey Law against Discrimination. Mr. Bronstein has also counseled employers on issues such as sexual harassment investigations and compliance with the Age Discrimination in Employment Act and Americans with Disabilities Act.

Mr. Bronstein has been appointed as a Hearing Committee Member serving the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He has been repeatedly selected as a Pennsylvania “Super Lawyer” by Law & Politics Magazine. Mr. Bronstein has been recognized as one of the region’s top attorneys in employment law by Suburban Life Magazine. He also has an “AV” Peer Review Rating by Martindale Hubbell (highest such rating available to an individual lawyer, reflecting professional excellence and the highest levels of professional legal skills, ethics, and integrity).

Mr. Bronstein is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Middle Districts of Pennsylvania, the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the Supreme Court of New Jersey, the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and the United States Supreme Court. He has also been admitted to practice in numerous other District Courts and Circuit Courts of Appeals throughout the United States.

Mr. Bronstein received his J.D. from the Temple University School of Law, where he was a Member and Note/Comment Editor of the Temple Law Review, and a B.A. from the University of Delaware. He resides in Haverford, PA with his wife and two children.

Adam E. Collyer is a partner in the Pennsylvania offices of Lewis Brisbois, a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice, and Vice Chair of the ADA Compliance and Defense Practice. He is an experienced litigator and counselor, representing businesses in labor and employment matters including those involving discrimination, retaliation and harassment, and wage and hour violations.

In that capacity, Mr. Collyer has tried cases and appeared on behalf of clients in both federal and state court, as well as in arbitration and proceedings before administrative agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, the United States Department of Labor, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Mr. Collyer also assists clients with proactive solutions to their compliance obligations under federal, state, and local laws, and advises them on employment agreements, severance packages, and restrictive covenants.

Mr. Collyer represents clients of all types in single plaintiff and class and collective action litigation, and has extensive experience in providing guidance to multistate operators in the quick service and fast casual restaurant industries. He also counsels franchisors and large franchisees on the intersection between legal compliance and their internal operations.

Tova Rabin is an associate in the Philadelphia office of Lewis Brisbois and a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment Group. She handles a wide range of matters including discrimination under Title VII, violations of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act and the New Jersey Law against Discrimination.

Prior to joining Lewis Brisbois, Ms. Rabin worked for a plaintiff's labor and employment firm, where she represented clients before state and federal courts and administrative agencies in disputes involving employment discrimination, retaliation, workplace sexual harassment, and violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act. While there, she was recognized in the 2024 Edition of “Best Lawyers: One to Watch.”

Ms. Rabin is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the United States District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Pennsylvania, the Supreme Court of New Jersey and the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. She received her J.D. from Drexel University Kline School of Law and a Bachelors in Business Administration from Temple University. Ms. Rabin dedicates her contributions made in this Practice Guide to her late fiance, Brian Blomain, Esq.

Andrew A. Carpenter is an associate in the Pittsburgh office of Lewis Brisbois and a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment Group. He received his J.D. from Duquesne University School of Law (2018) with a concentration in Labor and Employment Law. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from West Virginia University (2015), where he majored in History.

During his law school career, Mr. Carpenter held internship positions with the Steelworkers, the U.S. Department of Labor – National Labor Relations Board, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia. He was also a Research Assistant for a Professor teaching Evidence. Mr. Carpenter also received CALI Awards in Labor Law, Constitutional Law, Business Planning, Federal Tax Law, and Remedies.

After graduating law school, Mr. Carpenter worked for several mid-size law firms, where he focused on cases related to insurance defense litigation, employment discrimination litigation, wage and hour litigation, and more. Throughout his legal career, Mr. Carpenter has worked on labor and employment-related cases on both the plaintiff and defense sides. Mr. Carpenter also previously served as an adjunct professor at Bethany College (West Virginia), teaching several Business Law courses.

Mr. Carpenter is admitted to the Bars for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, State of West Virginia, and several federal district courts.