Vincent N. Avallone

Vincent N. Avallone is a Partner in the firm’s Employment & Labor practice, based in Short Hills, New Jersey and New York, focusing on Employment Law. He concentrates in employment and labor law counselling and litigation, ERISA litigation, and commercial litigation.

In employment and labor law, he counsels management on the full spectrum of workplace policies and practices, including drafting employment agreements, noncompetition and confidentiality agreements, and separation agreements, conducting in-house training programmes, and advising clients on internal investigations, reductions in force and compliance matters.

Vincent represents employers in litigation and arbitration concerning a wide variety of claims, including employment discrimination, harassment, whistleblowing, family and medical leave, wage and hour matters, employment contract disputes, enforcement of confidentiality and non-compete agreements, and claims under ERISA relating to employee and retiree benefits. He appears regularly before state and federal courts in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania, as well as other states, and before federal, state and local administrative agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Relations Board, the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and the New York Division on Human Rights.

In commercial litigation, Vincent represents clients in litigation and arbitration of business disputes, including claims alleging breach of contract, fraud, misappropriation of trade secrets, unfair competition, business torts, and violations of the Robinson-Patman Act and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO).

His representative experience includes obtaining a jury trial verdict in federal court in New York dismissing all claims against a global financial services company alleging disability discrimination, failure to accommodate, harassment and retaliation; obtaining summary judgment in New Jersey state court dismissing race discrimination claims against a finance company; obtaining summary judgment affirmed on appeal on whistleblower claims against a global pharmaceutical company; obtaining jury trial verdicts in federal courts in New Jersey and Virginia dismissing sex harassment and retaliation claims against a land service agent and a pharmaceutical company; obtaining complete dismissal in federal courts in Colorado and Virginia of age discrimination, retaliation and wage and hour claims against pharmaceutical companies; obtaining dismissal of wage, commission and bonus claims in arbitration in New York for a global technology services provider; obtaining summary judgment in federal court in New York dismissing age and sex discrimination and retaliation claims against a global bank; obtaining a preliminary injunction in federal court in New Jersey for a national litigation support provider against a former executive and competitor arising from breach of a non-compete and non-solicitation agreement; obtaining summary judgment in federal court in Michigan dismissing age discrimination claims against a global consumer products company; obtaining complete dismissal of claims in California state court and a SLAPP award in defence of claims by a former executive; and obtaining a $2.5 million international arbitration award in favour of a graphic arts equipment and supply manufacturer, with a no cause award in defence of the distributor’s claims for breach of contract, Robinson-Patman Act violation and RICO.

Prior to joining the firm, Vincent served as a prosecutor and then as a criminal defence lawyer with the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, where he defended several highly publicised cases of sexual harassment. While in the Army, he also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the office of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

He is recognised by Chambers USA for Labor & Employment in New Jersey (2007–2026), is listed in The Best Lawyers in America for Litigation – Labor and Employment in Newark, NJ (2013–2027), and has been named to the New Jersey Super Lawyers list.

His practice areas include commercial litigation, consumer products and services, employment and labor, employment disputes, financial institutions, human resources advice and counselling, industrials, internal corporate investigations, labor relations and collective labor law negotiation, life sciences and health care, litigation and dispute resolution, occupational safety and health, transportation and infrastructure, and wage and hour litigation. He holds a JD from Rutgers School of Law (1993), where he was Articles Editor of the Rutgers Computer & Technology Law Journal, and a BA from Princeton University (1990).