Orin’s commitment to employment law began in law school, where he volunteered to help workers challenge denials of unemployment insurance. “One time, after I helped someone get approved for unemployment insurance, he thanked me and said I had saved him from being homeless,” Orin says.
That desire for employment justice has stayed with Orin ever since. At his first law firm, Orin quickly found his way to employment law. He was part of the team representing employees of a rental car company who were misclassified as “managers” and were denied overtime pay, alleging violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the New York Labor Law. This case resulted in a landmark Second Circuit Court of Appeals decision, Myers v. Hertz, that has defined Fair Labor Standards Act practice in New York and elsewhere since 2010.
In 2013, Orin founded the Employment Division of Gardy & Notis, LLP, a prominent New York firm. At the Employment Division, Orin obtained results for his clients. He represented nurses and CNAs who were denied overtime pay due to an “automatic” pay deduction for breaks they didn’t take. He represented bus drivers who were denied overtime pay. He represented field technicians for a media company who were denied overtime pay. And he worked with high-level employees, including physicians, chief revenue officers, energy company executives, and human resources directors in negotiating employment contracts, non-compete agreements, severance agreements, and litigation to recover unpaid wages.
At the same time, Orin expanded his practice to represent employers, a natural progression that allowed him to support businesses in reaching their goals while ensuring compliance with employment law.
A recognized voice in the field of employment law, Orin has spoken at national employment law conferences, including events for the National Employment Lawyers Association/New York (NELA/NY), the American Bar Association’s Employment Rights & Responsibilities Committee, and the National CLE Conference in Vail, Colorado. He also teaches continuing legal education courses for the Marino Institute for Continuing Legal Education and Lawline CLE.
Orin has contributed to national and regional legal scholarship, having served as a regional editor for the American Bar Association’s treatise, Employment At Will, A State-By-State Survey (2nd Edition), as well as its annual updates from 2018 through 2022.
Orin often partners with attorneys in other practice areas or jurisdictions who need employment counsel in New York, collaborating with immigration lawyers, bankruptcy lawyers, corporate counsel, general practitioners, and out-of-state lawyers whose clients face New York employment law issues.