Overview

Paul Piccigallo represents employers in various areas of labor and employment law. His principal focus is the defense of class and collective action lawsuits under federal and state wage and hour laws, including both white collar misclassification actions and actions brought on behalf of hourly employees seeking to recover unpaid minimum, regular, and overtime wages. Paul also routinely advises employers on wage and hour and other employment-related compliance issues, and is particularly knowledgeable about New York wage-hour law. Paul’s experience also includes a secondment for a multinational mass media company, where Paul provided in-house legal advice regarding a variety of employment-related issues.

Paul’s recent experience includes:

  • Obtaining a favorable decision dismissing novel prevailing wage claims brought under New York law against a large utility company
  • Representing large utility and tech companies in nationwide class and collective actions, and successfully obtaining an order denying conditional certification in a Fair Labor Standards collective action brought in New York on behalf of thirty thousand employees
  • Advising employers on complex commission issues brought under New York law, including preparing executive and commission agreements and litigating claims for unpaid commissions and bonuses
  • Representing clients under investigation by the United States Department of Labor for alleged violations of wage-hour laws, including issues relating to overtime, spread of hours payment, frequency of pay and meal breaks
  • Providing advice and counsel to clients regarding COVID-19 impact issues, including reductions in pay for exempt and non-exempt employees, and compliance with federal and state sick laws
  • Providing training to clients and conducting audits on wage-hour issues, in order to ensure compliance with federal, state and local laws

Paul is an active member of Littler's Wage and Hour Practice Group Core Team and Littler's Class Action Practice Group, and also serves as one of the firm’s Alumni Ambassadors. Paul also serves as the Wage and Hour Practice Group’s liaison to Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute, is a member of the firm’s Good Faith Defense Taskforce, and is a frequent contributor to the firm’s New York wage and hour-related publications.

Prior to entering private practice, Paul served as Deputy Special Counsel at the New York State Department of Labor where he represented the department before courts and administrative bodies. During his time with the department, Paul represented the department in dozens of administrative hearings, including in matters where eight figures were in dispute, and assisted in drafting state-wide wage-hour regulations in effect today.

During law school, Paul externed for Judge Francis M. Allegra of the United States Court of Federal Claims and Judge Arthur J. Gajarsa of the United State Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Professional & Community Affiliations

Member

New York State Bar Association

Member

Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce

Member

Pro Bono Partnership

Recognition

Named, Ones to Watch

The Best Lawyers in America®

2023-2025

Winner, Thought Leadership Award

Mondaq

Spring 2024

News, Analysis & Press

NY Enacts Law Making Wage Theft Larceny

Law360

September 6, 2023

Abortion Rights Bolstered at State Level

SHRM Online

November 9, 2022

Speaking Engagements

CDPAP Restructure: What Happens Now?

Webinar

June 18, 2024

New York Employment Law Updates

LeadingAge New York HR Summit NYC

April 4, 2024

Pressing Employment Law Issues Facing Financial Service Centers

Financial Service Centers of New York (FSCNY) Annual Conference & Expo, Queens, NY

April 11, 2023

The Seven Deadly Sins of Incentive Compensation Plan Hell

September 13, 2022

Virtual Hospitality Roundtable

July 14, 2022

New York City Pay Transparency Law: What Employers Need to Know

Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce

March 30, 2022

When Every Day is "Blursday" - Wage and Hour Compliance for a Remote Workforce

New York, NY

October 7, 2021

Workforce Developments Relating to the Pandemic Presentation

Financial Service Centers of New York (FSCNY) General Membership Meeting, Queens, NY

October 5, 2021

Are White-Collar Exemptions Being Met?

Lorman Education Services Webinar

September 30, 2021

Timely Talk About Wage and Hour Law: New York's Requirement and Recent Legal Developments

New York, NY

June 10, 2021

The COVID-19 Vaccine: Legal and Practical Implications for Employers

Financial Service Centers of New York (FSCNY) General Membership Meeting

February 16, 2021

Litigation Trends in a Post Pandemic World: Hot Topics, Claims and Jurisdiction

Financial Service Centers of New York (FSCNY) General Membership Meeting

September 15, 2020

Timely Talk About Wage and Hour Law: New York’s Requirements and Recent Legal Developments

October 31, 2019

New York Retail Industry: A Roundtable Discussion

New York, NY

October 15, 2019

Hot Topics in Labor & Employment Law: Compliance Issues for Financial Service Centers

Financial Service Centers of New York (FSCNY) General Membership Meeting, Queens, NY

September 10, 2019

Training the Trainer: New Workplace Laws and Training Requirements in the Post-#MeToo Era

Financial Service Centers of New York (FSCNY) Annual Conference & Expo, Brooklyn, NY

May 16, 2019

Hot Topics in Labor and Employment Law

Financial Service Centers of New York (FSCNY) Annual Conference & Expo, Brooklyn, NY

April 26, 2018

New York Paid Family Leave: What You Need to Know

Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce

January 24, 2018

Education

  • J.D., The George Washington University School of Law, 2013
  • B.A., University of Delaware, 2010

Bar Admission

New York

Courts

  • U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin