Kenneth Willard Email & Phone Number

New York, Ny, Us

New York, New York, Us

Engage in all aspects of commercial litigation from discovery, motion practice, appearances, settlement discussions, mediation and arbitration, and client correspondence. Familiar with the FRCP and CPLR.

Represent medical providers in medical reimbursement disputes with health insurance companies. Provide full suite of litigation services to clients under relevant state and federal law, including ERISA and contract and quasi-contract law claims. Draft pleadings, motions, discovery and communications with counsel and clients as necessary. Proficient at summary judgment, motions to dismiss, and oral argument in both federal and state court. Familiar with the CPLR and Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

Consumer Protection attorney - fighting for plaintiff's rights in the consumer protection arena to protect them against abusive collection practices by debt collectors. Well versed in federal litigation including discovery, motion practice and settlement.

Perform document review on large-scale commercial litigation cases involving internal company audits of potential fraud and embezzlement, and lawsuits alleging trademark infringement. Perform privilege log review. Familiar with Relativity.

Specializing in plaintiff's side ERISA litigation to recover disability claims under private, long term disability policies. Draft administrative level appeals under long term disability policies to appeal the denial of benefits by insurance carriers. Perform legal research under relevant federal and state law including ERISA, and draft appeals to reverse denial of benefits. Work directly with clients to file LTD and STD applications and respond to information requests by insurance carriers as necessary.

Serve as first and second chair in collective bargaining negotiations. Responsible for preparingdocuments in support of negotiations, and presenting to executive team management members. Negotiate grievance settlements and participate in arbitration and mediation, providing support where necessary. Advise the business and HR on specific employment law issues involving employment candidates, background check results, DOT issues, and union issues such as discipline and CBA violations. Negotiate side agreements with unions. Also manage SUEZ’s immigration program to ensure all non-immigrant employees working for SUEZ in the United States are on proper work authorizations. Provide a full suite of service solutions for employees on L1A, L1B, H1B, B and O visas. Responsible for visa applications, visa extensions, green card applications, and work permits in Canada. Manage SUEZ’s CDL Compliance Program regarding compliance with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations for over 400 CDL drivers in the United States. Responsible for managing driver workforce including compliance with CDL regulations, drug testing, and management of driver documentation. Responsible for various compliance initiatives including drafting new severance policy in accordance with federal law underERISA; researching OFCCP requirements as a federal contractor; maintaining compliance with Department of Transportation regulations; ensuring new DOT numbers are assigned, updating and retiring old ones as necessary. Make recommendations on corporate policy regarding changes in various employment laws such as paid leave laws, ban the box laws, and salary history laws. Provide training on key corporate initiatives such as compliance with employment laws on medical marijuana and drug use, policy manual revisions, and rollout of corporate policy in new corporate sister companies.

New York, Ny, Us

Commercial litigator in federal and state court with a special emphasis on ERISA, including §4235 asset transfer cases, withdrawal liability and delinquency litigation. Research and write memoranda, motions, and memoranda of law on a wide variety of litigation matters including state labor law issues such as improper practice charges and representation petitions under Public Employment Relations Board and the Taylor Law, Article 78 petitions challenging prevailing wage law, and breach of the duty of loyalty. Versed in motion practice in federal and state court. Draft and prepare deposition notices, deposition questions and subpoenas. Draft pleadings and prepare deposition files. Also draft correspondence at all stages of litigation including discovery and settlement. Experienced in the CPLR and FRCP.

Washington, Dc, Us

Investigated Residential Mortgage-Backed Securities (“RMBS”) at the United States Department of Justice (“USDOJ”) as part of the RMBS Working Group, a government task force created by the Obama Administration to address the failure of asset-backed securities and the 2008 financial crisis that followed. Was part of a cohesive group of attorneys that provided important analytical tools to develop the government’s understanding of the securitization process. Analyzed valuation and due diligence reports. Provided leadership role in valuation analysis. Prepared deposition files, wrote pleadings, subpoenas and participated in other discovery-related projects. Researched a diverse array of related factual and legal material such as fraudulent misrepresentations in public offering documents and compliance training requirements under FINRA. Developed factual lines of investigation on the basis of legal research and provided reports to lead counsel. Utilized discovery platforms such as Relativity and Palantir (a cutting edge technology featured on the cover of Fortune magazine and still in the beta testing phase) as well as Edgar and other public websites to conduct research and develop the theory of the case.

Newark, New Jersey, Us

Engaged in discovery phase in the Passaic River Litigation, the largest ever cleanup action brought by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (“US EPA”) under the Superfund law known as CERCLA, and a case brought under the Clean Air Act (“CAA”). Drafted legal memoranda on complex areas of privilege law and used that as a basic framework for the review of discovery materials going forward. Drafted the privilege log. Drafted a document review log which included the review of compliance materials and regulatory documentation under the New Jersey Pollution Discharge Elimination System (“NJPDES”) and Discharge Prevention, Containment & Countermeasure Plan and Discharge Removal (“DPCC/DCR”) plans. Responsibilities under the document review log also included documenting strengths and weaknesses of the case, outlining potential defense strategies, and making assertive arguments regarding claims of privilege. Reviewed right-of-way and other corporate transactional agreements. Managed teams of attorneys in e-discovery projects. Compiled witness lists at the request of outside counsel. Briefed counsel on the results of my research and review.

Review documents for responsiveness and issues of privilege in a second request under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act submitted by the United States Department of Justice (US DOJ) investigating possible antitrust issues in the acquisition of a tax software company by a multi-billion dollar online tax services provider. Served on second review and privilege log review.

Review documents for responsiveness and privilege in an international corruption investigation involving a blue-chip hardware manufacturer being investigated by the US DOJ for racketeering and embezzlement activities under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Drafted motions and client letters. Participated in preliminary discussions with clients outlining the merits of a case and the development of current litigation. Consulted with partners in response to research projects and assignments. Conducted legal research and writing in areas of employment law, real estate, and environmental law.

Drafted judicial memorandum addressing the constitutionality of New Jersey’s criminal sentencing procedures under the US v. Apprendi line of cases. Consulted with attorneys in the drafting of motions and court orders. Performed legal research on New Jersey court rules as requested.

Compile and edit client tax strategy reports for a leading business-to-business tax services provider servicing the small- to medium-sized business market. Interact with counsel and tax services professionals to deliver a report that provides accurate tax advice in a clear and coherent format. Manage the day-to-day workload of the Editorial Department and train and supervise other tax editors.

Juris Doctor, Law

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), English