Employment Law From Both Sides
Most employment law firms pick a side. They represent workers, or they represent companies, and their websites tell you which one before the first paragraph ends.
We made a different choice, and it's deliberate: Danny Grace PLLC represents both employees and employers. Not in the same dispute, of course — but across our practice, every day. It means that when we advise a worker, we know exactly how the employer's counsel is thinking, because on other days we are that counsel.
And when we defend a business, we know precisely how a plaintiff's case gets built, because we build them.
We know both sides. That's not a slogan here. It's the practice.
For Employees
New York City workers are protected by three overlapping layers of law — federal, state, and the New York City Human Rights Law, which is among the most protective in the country. We help employees use them:
- Discrimination and harassment — race, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, immigration status, and the other categories city and state law protect
- Retaliation and whistleblower claims — when raising a concern cost you your job or your standing
- Unpaid wages and overtime — misclassification, off-the-clock work, tip violations, and unpaid commissions
- Severance review and negotiation — what the agreement actually says, what it's worth, and what to ask for before signing
- Employment contracts and restrictive covenants — non-competes, non-solicits, and what they really allow
We're honest at the first meeting about whether a claim is strong, what it's realistically worth, and what pursuing it will ask of you. Employees deserve a clear-eyed advisor, not a cheerleader.
For Employers
Most of the businesses we advise aren't giant corporations. They're the restaurants, shops, agencies, and growing companies that keep this city running — often immigrant-owned, often navigating New York's employment rules for the first time. We help them:
- Get compliant before problems start — handbooks, policies, wage-and-hour practices, required notices, and hiring paperwork done right
- Handle hard situations correctly — terminations, accommodations, complaints, and investigations
- Respond to claims and agency matters — EEOC, the State Division of Human Rights, Department of Labor audits, and litigation defense
- Structure the workforce — offer letters, contractor-versus-employee decisions, commission agreements, and severance packages
For hospitality employers especially, employment law rarely arrives alone — it comes braided with the lease, the liquor license, and the immigration status of the kitchen. Because we practice liquor licensing, immigration, and business law under the same roof, we see the whole board, not one square.
Comprehensive Employment Law Representation
Why Both Sides Hire Us
- A founder who has lived both sides of a workplace. Danny Grace arrived in New York as an immigrant — born in Limerick, Ireland, trained at the University of Limerick School of Law, admitted in New York in 2011, founder of this firm in 2012. He has been the newcomer reading an offer letter in an unfamiliar legal system, and he has spent more than a decade advising the businesses that write them. That double vision — insider and outsider, employee and employer — is the firm's founding perspective, and it has earned him selection to Super Lawyers every year from 2022 through 2026.
- Courtroom-tested procedural depth. Managing Attorney Douglas Mace spent eight years as a law clerk inside Kings County Civil Court before private practice — years spent watching cases won and lost on procedure, evidence, and preparation. When a matter must be litigated, that insider's understanding of how New York courts actually work travels with your file.
- Federal statutory firepower. Associate attorney Yuting Li, a Chicago-Kent College of Law graduate admitted in both Illinois and New York, focuses on the federal employment-discrimination framework — the Title VII, ADA, ADEA, and FLSA layer — alongside New York's own statutes. Three attorneys, three vantage points, one standard of preparation.
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What Both Sides Get Here
A Clear-Eyed Advisor
Employees deserve honesty about a claim's strength, not a cheerleader. You'll get it.
Compliance Before Crisis
Handbooks, wage practices, and notices done right is the cheapest work we sell.
Three Layers of Law
Federal, state, and the New York City Human Rights Law, used together.
Built for Small Employers
The restaurants, shops, and growing companies meeting New York's employment rules for the first time.
Where Employment Meets Immigration
I-9 duties, sponsorship, and a workforce on visas — all advised by one firm.
Why Both Sides Hire Danny Grace
We Know Both Sides
Not a slogan here. On other days we are the counsel across the table, and the advice reflects it.
Federal and State Depth
Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA, and the FLSA alongside New York's notably protective statutes.
Hospitality Fluency
Tip credits, spread-of-hours, and service charges, in the industry with the most intricate wage rules.
Court-Ready When Needed
Litigation led by an attorney who spent eight years inside the New York court system itself.
A New York employment practice that has sat in both chairs.
At Danny Grace PLLC, we represent employees and employers — never on opposite sides of the same matter, but across our practice every day. When we advise a worker, we know how the company's counsel is thinking. When we defend a business, we know how a plaintiff's case gets built.
Our Mission
To handle every workplace matter with the fairness we would want for ourselves.
Our Standard
Clear-eyed advice, documented compliance, and outcomes that hold up to scrutiny.
Advising New York Employees and Employers With Practical, Honest Legal Counsel
Counsel With Context
Advice shaped by knowing exactly how the other side prepares.
Plain Communication
A handbook or agreement your team can't understand won't be followed.
The Whole Board
Employment questions rarely arrive alone — the lease, the license, and the visa come too.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you represent employees or employers?
Both — never on opposite sides of the same matter, but across our practice we act for each. Clients on either side benefit from counsel that knows exactly how the other side prepares.
How long do I have to bring a discrimination claim in New York?
Deadlines vary by law and forum — some administrative routes have short windows, while city and state court claims generally allow more time. Because the clock depends on facts and forum, the safe move is to get specific advice promptly.
What is my employment case worth?
It depends on lost wages, emotional-distress evidence, the strength of documentation, and the employer's conduct. We give employees a realistic range at the outset — including when the honest answer is that a claim isn't worth pursuing.
I was just fired. What should I do first?
Don't sign anything on the spot. Save your documents — offer letter, reviews, emails, the termination letter — request your final pay, and have any severance agreement reviewed before the deadline in it expires.
Is my non-compete enforceable in New York?
New York courts scrutinize non-competes and enforce them only within reasonable limits — and the law in this area has been shifting. Bring the agreement in; the answer turns on its exact language and your role.
I'm an employer and just received an EEOC or Division of Human Rights complaint. Now what?
Calendar the response deadline immediately, preserve all related documents, and don't contact the complaining employee about the claim. A measured, well-documented agency response often determines the whole trajectory of the matter.
Can you audit our business before there's a problem?
Yes — a compliance review of handbooks, wage practices, classifications, and required postings is one of the least expensive things an employer will ever buy from a law firm, compared to the alternative.
Do you handle wage cases for restaurant and hospitality workers — and employers?
Yes, on both sides of the industry. Tip credits, spread-of-hours, service charges, and pay-notice rules are a specialty of New York hospitality law, and hospitality is one of this firm's core industries.
My workforce includes employees on visas. Does that change my employment law obligations?
The protections and wage rules apply regardless of immigration status — and employers carry added I-9 and sponsorship-related duties. This intersection of employment and immigration law is exactly where our combined practice earns its keep.
What does hiring you cost?
Employee representation may be hourly, flat-fee (for reviews and negotiations), or contingency depending on the matter; employer work is typically hourly or flat-fee by project. We explain the structure clearly before any engagement begins.
How Can We Help?
