Darrell S. Gay

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

Meeting of February 28, 2007, Washington D.C. to Launch E-Race Initiative

Mr. Gay represents corporate and government clients in labor, employment discrimination, and employee relations matters. He represents management in defense of discrimination, employment contract, harassment, wrongful discharge lawsuits and wage and hour issues. Mr. Gay also represents clients with traditional labor matters, including union negotiations, elections, arbitrations, unfair labor practice charges and union avoidance. In addition, Mr. Gay serves as chief negotiator for his clients during collective-bargaining sessions.

Mr. Gay has handled and managed significant cases involving single and multiple plaintiffs, single and multiple defendants, cases with allegations of serious continuing violations, and high profile media cases. Mr. Gay not only has experience before administrative agencies, Federal and State courts, but also has handled investigations conducted by the New York State Attorney General's office. Mr. Gay also provides clients with counsel and representation relative to traditional labor issues and has assisted clients with union concerns from union organizing issues, arbitrations to collective bargaining. In addition, Mr. Gay has counseled and provided assistance to clients with global issues, such as managing their data protection concerns and preparing international harassment training.

Prior to joining DLA Piper in October 2005, Mr. Gay was a partner and head of the labor and employment practice at Coudert Brothers LLP. Previously, Mr. Gay headed an employment and labor law boutique for several years in New York City. Mr. Gay served as a Commissioner with the New York State Civil Service Commission. Also, Mr. Gay was formerly associated with the Metropolitan Hospital Medical Center, New York, N.Y., as Director of Labor Relations/Labor Counsel and with the National Labor Relations Board, Region 2, New York, New York as an attorney.

A well-known leader in professional circles and in the community, Mr. Gay has played a critical role in founding and leading several organizations. He is one of the original founding former board members of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, an organization that advocates the expanded hiring, retention and promotion of minority attorneys in corporate law departments and law firms. He is the chair and a founding board member of the National Employment Law Council, the leading association of minority management-side employment lawyers. Mr. Gay chaired the task force merging the historical Harlem Lawyers Association and the Bedford Stuyvesant Lawyers Association to form the Metropolitan Black Bar Association, the largest minority bar in New York State.

Mr. Gay has appeared on many radio and television talk shows including "Court TV," "The Phil Donahue Show," and "Straight Talk", and is a frequent speaker for the ABA, NBA, NELC, MCCA, PLI and other programs at various law schools on a host of topics related to labor and employment law.

Mr. Gay previously chaired the Labor Law and Commercial Law sections of the National Bar Association and is a member of the American Bar Association and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York. He is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

Courts and Forums

• United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
• United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
• United States District Court for the Northern District of New York
• United States District Court for the Western District of New York
• United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• All New York state courts
• Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Professional Memberships

• American Bar Association Labor Law Section/Equal Employment Opportunity Committee
• Founding Former Member of the Board, Minority Corporate Counsel Association
• Coordinator and Founding Member of the National Employment Law Council
• Coordinator and Founding Member of the Committee of Minority Labor Attorneys
• Member, Association of The Bar of The City of New York

Appointments

• Commissioner, New York State Civil Service Commission
• Member, Governor's Task Force on Sexual Harassment
• Member, Human Rights Arbitration Advisory Committee
• Member, Board of Advisors, New York State Division of Human Rights
• Member, City of New York Manhattan Community Board No. 4

Honors

• New York Super Lawyers 2006
• Lawyer of the Year, May 2005, Metropolitan Black Bar Association
• Who's Who in American Law, 2005-2006
• Leadership New York I
• Forty Under Forty", Crain's New York, 1990

This page was last modified on April 11, 2007.