THOMPSON WIGDOR & GILLY LLP
Douglas H. Wigdor is a founding partner of Thompson Wigdor & Gilly LLP.
As a former Federal
Law Clerk in the Eastern District of New York, Assistant District Attorney and senior lawyer at one of
the nation's largest and most prominent management-side labor and employment law firms, he has
extensive trial experience in both state and federal court having successfully tried numerous cases
in both venues. Two peer review studies, The Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers, have
recognized Mr. Wigdor as one of the nation's leading labor and employment lawyers. Mr. Wigdor has
also received an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell indicating that his peers rank him as one of the
preeminent lawyers in the labor and employment field.
Mr. Wigdor's handling of numerous high profile cases has resulted in frequent appearances on
national television and being quoted in world-wide publications. Recently, Forbes Magazine documented in a cover story Mr. Wigdor's representation of a group of women in a gender
discrimination class action against Citigroup. In connection with that representation, Mr. Wigdor
coined the phrase "Recessionary Discrimination" to characterize the growing trend by companies of
using mass lay-offs to cover-up the discriminatory treatment and/or impact on groups of women,
people of color and those over 40.
Mr. Wigdor has been interviewed on Nightline, Good Morning America, CNN American Morning, Your
World with Neil Cavuto and many other television shows including regular appearances on CNBC,
ABC News, CBS News and NBC News. Mr. Wigdor is frequently quoted as a legal expert in
newspapers and magazines including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, London Times, Daily
Telegraph, London Independent, USA Today, New York Post, Daily News, EuroMoney and Der Spiegel.
Mr. Wigdor is also a lecturer, editor and author of articles on employment and criminal related
subjects, having been quoted frequently in the New York Law Journal, presenting lectures to various
Bar Associations and publishing articles in numerous journals. Mr. Wigdor has the rare qualification
to practice law in both the U.S. and U.K. as a qualified solicitor in England and Wales. Mr. Wigdor's
practice focuses on litigation and counseling of individuals and companies in connection with a
wide array of employment issues, criminal matters and international issues:
- a group of women in a gender discrimination case against Citigroup;
- a group of people of color in a race and national origin claim against Bank of America;
- individual women in an alleged gender discrimination class action complaint against Dresdner Kleinwort;
- the former Tour Manager of 'NSYNC' in a lawsuit against 'NSYNC';
- numerous investment bankers against their Wall Street employers and in conjunction with negotiating
employment and severance agreements;
- several employees in claims of race discrimination against Radianz, Reuters and Equant;
- a marketing expert in an age discrimination case against a hedge fund; and
- several celebrity models, actors, actresses and well-known chefs in various legal disputes.
On the management side, Mr. Wigdor has represented:
- a large cell-phone company in a purported class action brought by the EEOC;
- one of the largest investment banks in South America in defending a purported claim of sexual
harassment;
- a world-wide express delivery service in several claims of discrimination;
- a number of firms in the financial services and public relations industry in claims of discrimination and
violations of the wage and hour laws; and
- several New York City restaurants involved in wage and hour litigation.
Unlike many employment lawyers, Mr. Wigdor routinely tries cases in federal and state court as well
as arbitrations at FINRA and the American Arbitration Association. Some of his recent successes
include a disability discrimination case against Wal-Mart that resulted in a $7.5 million verdict — one
of the largest verdicts ever in a single plaintiff case under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Mr.
Wigdor also won an approximate $8 million verdict in the Southern District of New York on behalf of
the former Editor-in-Chief of the Source Magazine who was retaliated against after she complained
of gender discrimination. On the management side, Mr. Wigdor recently won the dismissal of all
claims brought by a woman alleging age and gender discrimination against her former investment
banking employer. The arbitration lasted two weeks and the Panel dismissed the Claimant's
charges following the cross examination of Claimant and the motion for a directed verdict. Mr.
Wigdor also secured the complete acquittal, after trial, of a Hollywood Video Store manager faced
with a 25 count indictment and 135 years in prison. Additionally, Mr. Wigdor won an arbitration
before FINRA on behalf of three senior traders on Wall Street whose employer committed fraud and
breach of contract.
Mr. Wigdor had the honor of serving as a Federal Law Clerk to United States District Judge Arthur D.
Spatt and was appointed as an Assistant District Attorney in Suffolk County, New York where he
investigated, prosecuted and tried hundreds of criminal matters ranging from robberies and
burglaries to complex schemes to defraud. Mr. Wigdor was rapidly promoted to the Complex
Litigation Bureau where he both litigated and supervised the litigation of white collar — complex
financial crimes, including organized crime, bank fraud, insurance fraud, tax evasion, identity theft
and elder abuse. Because of the breadth of his criminal litigation experience, Mr. Wigdor was
appointed under the Federal Criminal Justice Act to serve a three year term, in the Eastern District
of New York, as a criminal defense lawyer in selected criminal cases.
Prior to founding Thompson Wigdor & Gilly LLP, Mr. Wigdor was a senior lawyer in the Labor and
Employment Section of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP where he litigated cases on behalf of Fortune
500 clients on issues relating to a broad range of U.S. and U.K. labor and employment matters.
While at Morgan Lewis, Mr. Wigdor headed the international labor and employment practice;
regularly performed sexual harassment prevention and diversity training, including training to
television commentators and financial executives; and acted as co-counsel in the successful defense
of one of the nation's leading defense industry contractors accused of age discrimination before a
jury trial in federal court.
Based upon Mr. Wigdor's expertise in labor and employment law, he was appointed to the
Arbitration Panel of the Eastern District of New York. Mr. Wigdor has also held legal positions at the
United States Securities and Exchange Commission, the United States Senate, the Washington, D.C.
Corporation Counsel and the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
Mr. Wigdor received his undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis, cum laude, where he was a member of the Varsity Tennis Team; a Masters Degree from Oxford University in
England; and his Juris Doctor from Catholic University School of Law in Washington, D.C.,
graduating in the top of his class. Mr. Wigdor was a Senior Staff Member on the Catholic University
Law Review and an Editor of the Oxford International Review. While at Oxford, Mr. Wigdor received
a coveted "Full-Blue," was a member of the Vincent's Club and was the President of his College
Student Body. Mr. Wigdor is an active alumnus at Washington University, Catholic University and
Oxford, hosting annual events at his offices for all three and as a member of the Washington
University Alumni and Parent Admissions Program. Mr. Wigdor was also recently recognized by St
Cross College, University of Oxford as alumnus of the year for his contributions to the College.
Mr. Wigdor is an active and philanthropic member of his community. Mr. Wigdor serves on the legal committee of the Forest Hills Gardens Association and was a former member of the Board of Trustees at the Kew Forest School. He is also an active member of the Forest Hills Men's Club, the Oxford &
Cambridge University Club in London, the West Side Tennis Club and the Engineers Country Club.
For the last several years, Mr. Wigdor has had the privilege of managing two baseball teams in the
Forest Hills Little League and coaching a basketball team at the Forest Hills YMHA and Forest Hills
Community House. Mr. Wigdor is a former member of the Governing Committee of the Oxonian
Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing heads of state to address its members. In
addition, Mr. Wigdor was selected as a member in both the Alexander Hamilton and Theodore
Roosevelt Inns of Court wherein he worked together with other selected lawyers and state and
federal judges in the analysis of current legal issues.
Mr. Wigdor has represented clients in matters before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, FINRA, the American Arbitration Association, the New York State Division of Human Rights, and the Workers' Compensation Board. Mr. Wigdor is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York and the Suffolk County Bar Association. Mr. Wigdor is admitted to practice before the Southern, Eastern, and Northern Districts of New York, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Wigdor is also admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and the United Kingdom. |
Douglas H. Wigdor,
Founding Partner
tel: (212) 257-6800
Education
- J.D., Catholic University School of Law
• Senior Staff Member, Catholic University Law Review
- M.Lit., Oxford University
• Editor, Oxford International Review
• Recipient of "Full-Blue"
• Member, Vincent's Club
• President, Student Body
- A.B., cum laude, Washington University
• Member, Varsity Tennis Team
Admissions
- New York State Bar
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York
- U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Pennsylvania
- Washington, D.C.
- United Kingdom
Member
- Association of the Bar of the City of New York
- Suffolk County Bar Association
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