Edward Sample Email & Phone Number

New York City Metropolitan Area

• Responsible for planning, leading, developing and executing Pagaya's policies, benefits, and People operations across the US. In partnership with department leadership, responsible for building and driving people related talent development and management initiatives, leadership development and succession planning. Additionally, facilitate and manage all employee relations on behalf of the company with the aim of creating a safe, fair, healthy, and balanced workplace environment.• Define and execute on the overall people ops and technology strategy which will include but not limited to compliance, immigration, onboarding, offboarding, compensation and benefits, equity ops, contingent workforce, payroll, and HR systems and technology.• Work with legal/compliance and finance teams to oversee legal and regulatory topics that relate to people operations, including immigration and other employment-related areas.• Revamp benefits package and maintain a comprehensive roster of other perks including wellness programs, employee discounts, etc. including any regional/location-specific programs.• Partner closely with cross-functional teams such as talent acquisition, finance, and legal to build clear and concise processes.• Partner with team leads and managers to evaluate current team structure and skills, org design, talent gaps and hiring plan to achieve business goals.• Drive implementation and adoption of key people analytics to help drive thoughtful, data-driven people decisions.• Stay up to date with HR related legal guidelines. Ensure compliance with all federal, state and local employment laws and ensure appropriate controls and documentation are followed to meet all requirements.• Act as an advocate for employees internally and as an ambassador for Pagaya externally.

Greater New York City Area

• Serve as primary business partner responsible for ensuring global employee relations practices within the organization.• Provide daily counsel to business partners and human resources personnel across the country on issues of employee relations, compensation, benefits, wage and hour, training, staffing, workforce planning/job re-leveling, performance management and skill assessment. Partner with team to determine and execute organizational objectives and strategies that support the culture, company direction and business needs of the organization.• Spearhead thorough, confidential investigations of complex employee relations issues and recommend solutions that are in alignment with the company's core values.• Corporate-wide responsibility for employment law compliance and modification of existing employment practices, policies, legal guidelines and procedures; stay abreast of legal issues relating to employment and employees; responsible for annual update of employee handbook and company’s policy and procedure manual.• Defend company in various labor and employment matters before federal and state courts and administrative agencies, including mediations, arbitrations and hearings. Prepare the company’s response to all EEOC charges with a 100% success rate for 7 straight years.• Conceptualized, drafted and implemented the company’s first GDPR and CCPA compliant privacy policy. Leveraged exceptional communication and interpersonal skills to gather a team of professionals from across the company to act as designated experts as well as for collaborative information sharing. • Direct the organization's diversity and inclusion and employee reward and recognition programs. • Responsible for employee relations activities including the development of the company’s first workforce flexibility policy in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, special events, employee advocacy, monitoring, reporting and conflict resolution.

Greater New York City Area

• Passionately represent client interests in labor and employment matters before federal and state courts and administrative agencies. Heavy litigation experience in legal actions alleging violations of Title VII, Section 1981, Section 1983, FLSA, FMLA, ADA and NYSHRL. Proven success achieving case dismissals, advantageous settlements, positive decisions and favorable verdicts in federal and state court trials, arbitrations and mediations. • Attend court hearings and conferences; draft and argue dispositive motions; draft briefs, pleadings, discovery and settlement agreements; conduct and defend depositions and trials. Provide legal analysis and client advice on employee relations issues; HR policy and practice review.

Greater New York City Area

• Negotiate and draft employment contracts, new company-wide severance agreement templates and EEOC position statements; Manage the administration and tracking of employment agreements. Counsel business partners on employment matters and oversee employment-related litigation, including defense of legal actions alleging violations of Title VII, ERISA, FLSA and FMLA; provide client advice on employee relations issues; HR policy and practice review.

Bryan/College Station, Texas Area

• Represent the State of Texas in legal proceedings to establish, enforce and modify court orders for child support and medical support. Prepare case files for docket for all legal actions: paternity, SAPCR’s, modification and enforcement of child support and medical support; Review and file TOAA’s; Provide legal analysis, direction and information to Child Support Officers, Legal Tech’s, office management and private attorneys.

Greater New York City Area

• Represent the City of New York in labor and employment matters before federal courts; draft motions and applications in defense of legal actions alleging violations of Title VII; counsel parties, prepare witnesses, and heavy deposition experience in the defense of major employment discrimination class action against F.D.N.Y., the City and the Mayor. • Advise and counsel City agencies with respect to litigation strategy, adopting and implementing workplace policies and procedures and training management regarding employment laws and regulations.

Greater New York City Area

• Represent commercial and investment banks, insurance companies, hedge funds, equipment leasing companies and manufacturing companies in labor and employment matters before federal and state courts, administrative agencies and arbitration panels. • Heavy litigation experience in plaintiff and defense discrimination actions alleging violations of Title VII, ADEA, ADA, ERISA, FLSA and FMLA; disputes involving the enforcement of employment contracts and restrictive covenants; tort claims arising out of the employment relationship such as fraud and breach of contract; and successful defense against Sarbanes-Oxley whistleblower complaints. • Draft motions and applications, including dispositive motions, motions for summary adjudication and motions for injunctive relief. Conduct depositions in the representation of a major equipment leasing company. Conduct four-day whistleblower trial before MSPB. Prepare and respond to discovery requests and collaborate closely with clients in gathering and preparing discovery responses. • Counsel employers in adopting and implementing workplace policies and procedures, negotiate and draft employment and separation agreements, settlement agreements and restrictive covenants, train management regarding employment laws and regulations, and conduct workplace internal investigations.

Doctor Of Law (J.D.), Law, Tulane Law School Merit Scholarship Recipient

Activities and Societies: Senior Managing Editor, The Sports Lawyers' Journal, Member, Tulane Civil Litigation Clinic; Moot Court Trial.

Bachelor Of Business Administration (B.B.A.), Finance, General, Cum Laude

Activities and Societies: Ray L. Hunt Leadership Scholar, Dean's List, Golden Key National Honor Society, Responsible for interviewing.