Lecturer Bios
Louis Pechman, Esq.
Louis Pechman represents both employers and employees before federal
and state courts and government agencies in all areas of workplace law,
including employment discrimination, union-management relations,
employment contracts, ERISA, non-competition agreements, independent
contractor issues, and wage/hour disputes. As a practitioner for over twenty
years in the labor and employment field, Mr. Pechman offers both individual
employees and employers practical guidance on improving the employment
relationship and, where appropriate, terminating that relationship.
Prior to forming his partnership ten years ago with Laurie Berke-Weiss,
Mr. Pechman has worked as a labor and employment attorney at three
Manhattan law firms, as in-house labor counsel with the New York Daily News,
and as a Field Examiner with the National Labor Relations Board. Admitted to
the New York and New Jersey Bars, he is a graduate of the Cornell University
School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the Fordham University School of
Law.
A frequent contributor to the New York Law Journal and other business
and legal publications, Mr. Pechman often gives presentations on employment
law topics, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, sexual harassment,
and the development of human resource policies and procedures. He has
lectured at the Fordham University School of Law, New York University, the
Extension Division of the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor
Relations, and the American Bar Association. From 1994 through 1998, he was
Chair of the New York County Lawyers' Association Committee on Labor
Relations and Employment Law. Since 1996, Mr. Pechman has developed and
moderated NYCLA's annual program on "How to Handle an Employment
Discrimination Case."
Jeffery A. Meyer, Esq.
Jeffery Meyer is a partner in the Labor & Employment practice group. Jeff represents clients ranging from small businesses to large corporations in all aspects of labor and employment law. Jeff’s wage and hour practice focuses on the hospitality industry, including restaurants, catering halls and other food service providers.
Armando Ortiz, Esq.
Mr. Ortiz represents clients in single plaintiff, collective, and class actions seeking to recover overtime, minimum wages, and other owed compensation. He also represents clients in a wide range of employment disputes, such as claims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation under both federal and state law. Prior to joining Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP, Mr. Ortiz gained valuable experience litigating wage & hour and employment discrimination cases at a well-known Florida wage and hour practice. In addition, Mr. Ortiz has litigated cases arising under the False Claims Act, The Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA), and the Florida Insurance Unfair Trade Practices Act. Mr. Ortiz is licensed to practice law in the states of New York, Massachusetts, and Florida, and the United States District Court for the Southern, Eastern, and Northern Districts of New York, the District of Massachusetts, and the Southern and Middle Districts of Florida. He graduated cum laude from Suffolk University Law School and received his undergraduate degree in Psychology with minors in Music and History from Boston College. While in law school, Mr. Ortiz interned with the Honorable Robert Tochka in one of Boston's busiest courthouses working exclusively on criminal matters. Mr. Ortiz was also a member of the Journal of High Technology Law, which published his student note promoting the use of a virtually dormant antitrust doctrine in modern markets. He also volunteered his time with the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, assisting its Advocacy and Law Enforcement divisions in passing a new animal cruelty statute.
Honorable Ramon E. Reyes
Ramon E. Reyes, Jr. entered service as a United States Magistrate Judge in the Eastern District of New York in February 2006. At the time of his appointment he was an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, serving as a Deputy Chief of Civil Appeals. Prior to becoming an Assistant United States Attorney,
Judge Reyes was an associate in the New York office of O’Melveny & Myers LLP, a law clerk to the late-Honorable David G. Trager, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of New York, and a legislative attorney for the New York City Council. From 2000-2003 he served as a member of the United States Magistrate Judge Merit
Selection Panel for the Eastern District of New York. Judge Reyes is an Adjunct Professor of Clinical Law at Brooklyn Law School, currently on sabbatical. Judge Reyes holds a BS from Cornell University, a JD from Brooklyn Law School, and an LL.M. from New York University School of Law. While at Brooklyn Law School, he served as Editor
in Chief of the Brooklyn Journal of International Law, was a member of the Moot Court Honor Society, and was a Fellow in the Center for the Study of International Business Law. Judge Reyes is a member of the Latino Judges Association, Hispanic National Bar Association, Puerto Rican Bar Association, Federal Bar Council, and Federal Bar
Association. Judge Reyes also currently serves as President-Elect of the Federal Magistrate Judges Association. In 2005, Judge Reyes received the Commander’s Award for Civilian Service from the Department of the Army. The Brooklyn Law School Alumni Association as honored Judge Reyes as the 2012 Alumnus of the Year, and the
Federal Bar Association honored him with the inaugural Jack B. Weinstein Mediation Settlement Award in 2016.