Top best Employment Lawyers in Hartford | 138 available

Ryan A. O’Donnell is an associate in the Hartford office of Siegel, O’Connor, O’Donnell & Beck, P.C., where he represents public and private sector clients in labor and employment matters before state and federal courts and administrative agencies. Mr. O’Donnell specializes in collective bargaining negotiations and labor relations law.

My practice is dedicated to helping hardworking Connecticut employees who have been the victims of employer abuses in their workplace, including wrongful termination, discrimination, harassment, and unpaid wages or commissions. I make it my business to help employees protect their careers from employers who violate the law.. ---. Attorney Hayber is a passionate, creative and hard working advocate for employees. He has devoted his professional life to this calling and has represented employees in almost every occupation, including waiters and waitresses, automobile damage appraisers, custodians, truck drivers, teachers, assistant managers, and executive vice presidents.. He has a natural predisposition to represent the underdog. “I have always stood up for people in my life. In high school, I stood up to a coach who was bullying my teammates. I was suspended five days, but I couldn’t just sit there and let it go on without saying something.”. His clients provide inspiration as well. “One former client gave me a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King that he hung in his office cubicle during a period of harassment and retaliation. It reads, ‘Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.’ Today, these words inspire my work.”. Attorney Hayber graduated from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut and from the University of Connecticut School of Law. He is a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association and the Connecticut Employment Lawyers Association. He represents employees in state and federal courts, before the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities and the Department of Labor. He and his clients have successfully advanced the legal rights of employees in such areas as gender discrimination, overtime claims, workplace harassment, disability discrimination, and more. He is well respected among other lawyers and most of his work is referred to him by other attorneys.

Management-side labor & employment counseling, consulting, and litigation in the CHRO, EEOC and Connecticut state and federal courts.

I have practiced labor and employment law in Connecticut on behalf of individual employees and labor unions for twenty-nine years. I have advocated for clients in just about every area of employment law with the exception of workers compensation (workplace injury). I am proud to represent UE (United Electrical Workers) Local 222.

CORE COMPETENCIES:. Mr. Escalera applies a practical, common-sense, and cost-conscious approach to resolving employment disputes. His clients value his good judgment, leadership, and dedication to their best interests.. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:. For more than three decades, the emphasis of Mr. Escalera’s practice has been labor and employment law and litigation. Initially, Mr. Escalera served with the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps for nine years where he engaged in extensive criminal and civil litigation. Mr. Escalera was last stationed at the Pentagon where he served as lead counsel for the Army Litigation Division defending the Department of the Army in employment discrimination suits brought by civilian employees in many states. Since 1990, Mr. Escalera has been exclusively defending private and public sector employers in labor and employment matters. Mr. Escalera has defended numerous employment discrimination and wrongful termination suits in various state courts, federal district courts, and United States Courts of Appeal. Mr. Escalera has extensive experience in class-action litigation. Mr. Escalera is frequently retained to conduct independent internal investigations. He is a frequent lecturer on the Americans with Disabilities Act, sexual harassment, drug testing, wage and hour law, non-compete agreements, effective hiring and management of employees, and avoiding wrongful termination suits.. EDUCATION:. Mr. Escalera received his B.S. degree in history and diplomacy from Georgetown University, his J.D. degree from Washington College of Law, American University, and his Master of Law degree from The Judge Advocate General’s School.. BAR ADMISSIONS:. Mr. Escalera is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association (1981) and the Connecticut Bar Association (1991).. PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC ACTIVITIES:. Mr. Escalera is a member of the American Bar Association and the American Employment Law Council (AELC). Mr. Escalera has been a member of the AELC from 1994 to the present and served as a member of the Advisory Board for the AELC from 2019-2024 and served as Chair of the AELC Roundtable Committee from 2020-2024. Mr. Escalera was an Adjunct Professor at Rensselaer Graduate School for four years, where he taught a course on employment law to MBA candidates. Mr. Escalera was also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law for two years and served as a moot court judge for the law school. Mr. Escalera has served as a member of the Connecticut Bar Examining Committee (CBEC) since 2021 and has served as Secretary of CBEC from 2024 to the present. Mr. Escalera has served as the Firm Manager and President of Kainen, Escalera & McHale, P.C. from 2007 to the present.. Mr. Escalera has served on the Board of Directors of Leadership Greater Hartford for four years, the Hartford Food System for four years, and served as President of the Hartford Food System for three years. Mr. Escalera was a recipient of the Leadership Greater Hartford Community Leadership Recognition Award. In 1999, the Connecticut Bar Foundation selected Mr. Escalera to be named as a James W. Cooper Fellow in recognition of his legal work and service to the community. Mr. Escalera served on the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan YMCA of Greater Hartford from 2002-2004. Mr. Escalera served as a member of the Board of Directors of Family Life Education from 2014 to 2022 and served in various capacities, including Treasurer, Vice President, and President. From 2010 to the present, Mr. Escalera has served as Staff Judge Advocate for the Hilliard-Jones-Cookson Post No. 66 American Legion in Clinton, CT. Mr. Escalera has continuously served as the Memorial Day Parade Commander in Clinton for more than 20 years. Mr. Escalera participated as a youth soccer coach from 1991 to 2008. Mr. Escalera has been an active member of the First Church of Christ Congregational in Glastonbury, Connecticut since 1990 and has served in various capacities, including as President of the Board of Trustees from 2024-2025.. PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION:. In every year since 2005, Mr. Escalera has been selected to be listed in The Best Lawyers in America in the practice areas of Employment Law – Management; Litigation – Labor and Employment Law. Mr. Escalera has also been selected as a Connecticut and New England Super Lawyer®: Employment and Labor and Management Defense – Litigation in every year since 2007. Mr. Escalera was designated by Best Lawyers as the Lawyer of the Year for 2022 in Labor and Employment Litigation in Hartford, Connecticut. In addition, he has received the highest peer review rating of “AV-Preeminent” from Martindale-Hubbell.

Collin Udell’s appellate practice focuses on United States Supreme Court litigation and on complex or novel issues arising in other federal appeals. Collin has taken a central role in 32 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, some of which have been widely acknowledged as among the most important cases of the last few terms.In addition to her Supreme Court experience, Ms. Udell has also represented clients in a wide variety of cases in the federal courts of appeals, including matters involving statutory construction and labor and employment.. Ms. Udell also has significant clerkship experience, having clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit for the Honorable Bruce M. Selya; the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit for the Honorable José A. Cabranes; and the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut for the Honorable Robert N. Chatigny. She has also taught criminal law at the University of Connecticut School of Law.. LinkedIn bio at Follow me on at

As an employment law attorney, Erick Diaz defends the rights of workers across Connecticut. Issues can arise in the workplace, such as wrongful termination, discrimination, or harassment, and employees can take a stand against violations of their legal rights. Erick Diaz has helped dozens of hard working clients who have been treated unfairly by their employers to seek restitution for the illegal actions that have led them to lose their jobs or proper wages.. Erick Diaz studied Political Science at Yale University, where he earned his Bachelor's degree. He then obtained his Juris Doctor at Boston University's School of Law, and became licensed to practice in 2005. He is now licensed to practice in Connecticut, New York and District of Columbia courts, as well as the District Court for the District of Connecticut. He has helped clients in a range of situations, including class action law suits and challenging situations.. Erick Diaz has served in the past as the President of the Connecticut Hispanic Bar Association. He also shares his experiences and knowledge through publications regarding employment law issues.