Overview
Melanie is a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group and concentrates her practice on counseling and defending management-side employers in all areas of employment litigation, wage and hour claims, EEOC and unfair labor practice charges, OSHA investigations, and audits and investigations by the Department of Labor and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services/Homeland Security. Melanie partners closely with human resources and labor relations professionals to provide counsel on all aspects of the employment relationship; conducts internal investigations involving discrimination, harassment and ethics violations; and provides workforce training on anti-discrimination, diversity and inclusion, and ethics compliance.
Melanie is the firm's liaison to the Law Firm Anti-Racism Alliance and a member of the New Jersey and New York State Bars, and serves on the New Jersey State Bar Committee on Higher Education, a member of DRI and serves on its Publications Committee, and teaches a class on employment law at Rutgers University School of Management and Labor Relations.
Recognition
- New Jersey Rising Stars® (2014-2017)
News
Articles
- Porzio's 2023 Employment Law Year in Review, 12/29/2023
- Two New Laws Change Landscape for New Jersey Employers, 8/31/2023
- Employer Monitoring and Surveillance of Employees in the Work-From-Home Setting, 3/13/2023
- Porzio's 2022 Employment Law Year in Review, 12/28/2022
- Employers Must Recognize And Support Male Victims of Sexual Harassment In The Workplace, June 2022
- The New Jersey Legislature Tried To Carve Out NJLAD Claims From Mandatory Employment Arbitration Agreements: State Courts Said "Not So Fast" , April 2022
- Porzio's Employment Law Year in Review, 1/10/2022
- OSHA's Emergency Temporary Standard Goes Into Effect January 10, 2022, 1/03/2022
- President Biden Takes a Tough Stand On Employer-Mandated Vaccination And Testing, 9/10/2021
- Misclassification of Employees As Independent Contractors Recently Became More Costly, 8/19/2021
- State of New Jersey Mandates Vaccinations/Testing for Certain Workplaces, 8/02/2021
- Employers Will Soon Face Increased Scrutiny Of Restrictive Covenants With Employees, 7/27/2021
- Compulsory COVID-19 Vaccination Policies in the Employment Context, 6/02/2021
- CDC Guidance Update For Vaccinated Individuals/Employees, 3/08/2021
- Employers Contemplating Compulsory COVID-19 Vaccination Policies: Choice or Mandate, 10/27/2020
- Returning to Work Amid COVID-19: What Employers Should Know About Assessing And Accommodating At-Risk Employees, 7/14/2020
- OSHA Enforcement Guidance for Recording Cases of COVID-19 Goes Into Effect Today, May 26, 2020, 5/26/2020
- The NLRB Sets the Stage for a Sea of Change in Employment Practices for 2020, 2/26/2020
- Overruled: the NLRB Restores Employers' Rights, 1/23/2020
- Purple Communications, Inc. Overruled: Employees have no presumptive statutory right to use employer equipment, 12/18/2019
- Fat-Shaming in the Workplace: It's Not Nice, But is it Unlawful?, 10/10/2019
- Parental Leave Policies: Getting Yours Just Right, 6/17/2019
- I Hear You Knocking . . . But You Can’t Come In!, 2/19/2019
- To Pay or Not to Pay: An Exception to Compensating Employee Breaks, 5/31/2018
Speaking Engagements
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"A DAY IN THE LIFE: Starring Workplace Injuries and Workers' Compensation Claims," 16th Annual Porzio Employment Law Forum, 10/01/2024
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"Hiring, Respecting, and Thriving With Transgender and Nonbinary Employees," Presenter, Porzio Employment Law Forum, Morristown, NJ, 10/04/2023
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"Porzio's 2023 School Safety Symposium", 6/01/2023
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"Service v. Support Animals: Handling Accommodation Requests in Employment and School Settings," Porzio Employment Law Forum, 11/02/2022
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"Hot Topics In Employment Law," Morris County Chamber of Commerce, Human Resources & Talent Committee, 3/08/2022
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"The Old School and the New - Considerations for School Re-Opening," Porzio Webinar, 7/07/2020
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"Business as (Un)Usual: Securing your Business In the Months to Come," Porzio Webinar, 4/29/2020
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"Ethical Issues Attorneys Face in Representing Cannabis Businesses," NBI's Marijuana Business Law in NJ, Newark, NJ, 12/04/2019
- "Introduction to the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance," Paralegal Association of New Jersey, Dinner Meeting and Installation of Officers, June 8, 2021.
- "ADA Accommodations for At-Risk Employees," Strafford Publications Webinar, January 27, 2021.
- "Workplace Security, Safety Controls, and Employer Regulatory Compliance," Porzio Employment Law Forum, October 27, 2020.
- "The Old School and the New - Considerations for School Re-Opening," Porzio Webinar, July 7, 2020.
- "Business as (Un)Usual: Securing your Business In the Months to Come," Porzio Webinar, April, 29, 2020.
- "Ethical Issues Attorneys Face in Representing Cannabis Businesses," NBI's Marijuana Business Law in NJ, Newark, NJ, December 4, 2019.
- "Oh S#@*! (they’re) Here Again! Effective Handling of OSHA / PEOSH Inspections, Citations, & Penalties," Porzio Employment Law Forum, October 2019.
- "Threats and Violence: Response, Mitigation and More," National Business Institute, Newark, NJ, February 27, 2019.
- "Immigration and Schools: Legal Essentials," National Business Institute, Newark, NJ, February 27, 2019.
- "New Developments in New Jersey's Mandatory Paid Sick Leave," New Jersey State Bar Association's Corporate Counsel Institute, New Brunswick, NJ, January 31, 2019.
- "New Developments in New Jersey's Mandatory Paid Sick Leave," Porzio Employment Law Forum, Morristown, NJ, October 3, 2018.
- "The FMLA and Other Leave Issues," National Business Institute, Princeton, NJ, July 17, 2018.