Ian Carleton Schaefer

Ian Carleton Schaefer is a Partner in Dentons' Employment and Labor group, resident in the New York office. His practice focuses on Employment Law, advising global employers on their most critical, high-stakes workplace and crisis management matters.

For over two decades, Ian has advised global employers, from professional sports leagues and clubs to Fortune 100 companies and emerging company clients, particularly on matters with significant reputational, cultural and enterprise-wide impact. He is frequently called upon when organisations face allegations of misconduct, workforce disruption, or moments of heightened public scrutiny regarding major restructuring, reorganisation or global policy initiatives.

Ian leads companies through sensitive internal investigations involving individual or organisational misconduct and serves as a strategic advisor on large-scale workforce restructurings and reorganisations, reputation management issues, workplace audits related to classification and pay equity, and complex executive and C-suite transitions. He regularly counsels boards and senior leadership on executive compensation, employee relations strategies and risk mitigation during periods of organisational change. When litigation arises, Ian is a formidable advocate in both federal and state court and in arbitration.

He is recognised for his thought leadership on evolving legal, social and digital developments, including issues arising from social justice movements, pay equity initiatives, artificial intelligence and pay transparency requirements. He is in high demand to design and deliver bespoke trainings for large-scale workforces and executive teams addressing anti-harassment, non-discrimination, executive leadership and communications best practices. He is frequently quoted by national and international media outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Politico, Bloomberg Law, CBS, PBS, SHRM and Law360.

Previously, Ian was a partner at several international law firms, where he served in leadership roles within his practice group and co-authored successful briefs in the landmark US Supreme Court decision 14 Penn Plaza v. Pyett, which reshaped longstanding labour law precedent. He also spent a decade serving as Head of Employment Law for BT Americas, Inc., a subsidiary of British Telecommunications plc, where he was responsible for all litigation and employment matters in the Americas.

His experience includes successfully defending a prominent luxury retail client against a high-stakes class action alleging violations of Washington State's new Wage Transparency Act, achieving a successful summary judgment for a major healthcare company defeating claims of age discrimination and retaliation, and serving as principal investigator for a professional sports club facing allegations of harassment, age discrimination and retaliation. He has also led the investigation and resolution of a claim against a C-suite executive of a global publicly traded technology company alleging sexual harassment and sexual assault without any resultant litigation or public relations exposure.

A classically trained musician and an advocate for arts education, Ian has served as a Member of the Board of Directors of Jazz at Lincoln Center and currently as President of the Board of Trustees (and alumnus) of the Grammy Award-winning New York Youth Symphony. He is a member of the American Employment Law Council (AELC) and serves as Management Chair of the International Labor & Employment Law Section of the American Bar Association.

He holds a JD, cum laude, from Fordham University School of Law (2004), where he was Symposium Editor of the Fordham Urban Law Journal, and a BS from Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations (2001). He is recognised by The Best Lawyers in America for Employment Law – Management and by The Legal 500 United States for Workplace and Employment Counseling, Labor and Employment Disputes (including Collective Actions): Defense, and Sports.