PRACTICE AREAS
EDUCATION
Pace University School of Law, White Plains, New York
(J.D. – 1994)
Honors: magna cum laude
Honors: Graduated 4th in class
Honors: Dean’s List & Ranking Scholar all semesters
Honors: Book Awards in Legislation & Contracts
Cornell UniversityIthaca, New York
(B.A. – 1988)
Honors: cum laude
Honors: Cornell Tradition Scholar
Honors: Dean’s List
Honors: Senior Honors Thesis (St. Augustine’s Theory of Time)
Major: Philosophy
About
Professional Background
A member of the firm with more than 25 years’ experience, Ms. Pacaro focuses her practice in the areas of employment law, litigation, and general business counseling. She routinely defends companies in litigation pending in federal and state court as well as before the EEOC, PHRC, PCHR, NJDCR, DOL, OSHA, and other government agencies.
Representative litigation matters include:
Defending 20+ pizza franchises in a wage and hour lawsuit involving 1,100 plaintiffs in a hybrid collective and class action pending in the MDPA.
Defending management in a case with multiple employers and insurance carriers against claims brought by a former employee under the ADA, wage and hour laws, E-FMLA, and NJ leave laws.
Representing a number of prestigious museums, libraries, and community-service non-profits in legal disputes brought by terminated employees variously claiming age, sex, race, and disability discrimination, in each case successfully settling all claims prior to suit to preserve the non-profit’s reputational interests through unusually extensive settlement-related discovery and tolling agreements.
Defending pipe manufacturer in an OSHA inspection, following work-related death of an employee.
Defending several package delivery subcontractors in a wage and hour class action lawsuit involving 30,000 employee plaintiffs and 550 package delivery subcontractors, pending in the WDPA.
Representing regional equipment company in Department of Labor Wage and Hour Law Division Investigation and subsequent appeal, successfully settling all claims on favorable terms during pendency of appeal.
She also regularly provides business owners, managers, and human resource professionals with legal counsel in all aspects of employment law, including matters relating to workplace harassment, discrimination, and retaliation; wage and hour law and I-9 compliance; OSHA matters; whistleblower claims; and all other aspects of legal compliance during the employment life cycle, to help ensure her clients proactively manage their risks, respond to situations, and comply with the law.
In the Hiring Process:
Ms. Pacaro provides legal counsel and assistance with:
Employment Agreements.
Independent Contractor Agreements.
Offer Letters
Restrictive Covenants (to address concerns about competition, solicitation, and protection of company’s confidential business information)
Background Checks
Immigration Law Compliance
Drug and Alcohol Testing
Counseling, Drafting, and Training on Harassment, Discrimination, Retaliation, Diversity, Equity,
Inclusion, and OSHA workplace safety
During Employment:
Ms. Pacaro provides legal counsel and assistance with:
Employment Law Risk Assessments and Check-Ups
Employee Handbooks, Policies, and Procedures
Wage and Hour Law Practices, Commission Structures, and Bonus Plans
Independent Contractor Concerns
DOL Complaints and Investigations
Documenting and Addressing Work Performance Concerns, Absenteeism, Theft, Drug and Alcohol Use, and Other Disciplinary Matters
Documenting, Investigating, and Addressing Claims of Harassment, Discrimination, and Retaliation
FMLA Leave and Other Types of Leave
Reasonable Accommodations Based on Disability and Religion
Joint Employer Concerns
OSHA Complaints and Investigations
Other Issues of Health, Safety, Security, and Privacy in the Workplace
When Employment Ends
Ms. Pacaro provides legal counsel and assistance with:
Terminations, Resignations, Job Abandonment, Furloughs, Layoffs, and Reductions in Force
Severance Agreements
Severance Agreements
Compensation Required upon Separation
Protection and Return of Company Property and Confidential Information
Enforcement of Non-Compete and Non-Solicitation Agreements through Cease and Desist Letters, Negotiations, and Legal Action
Unemployment Compensation
Defamation, Disparagement, and Responses to Reference Requests
Ms. Pacaro draws on her extensive past experience as outside and in house counsel to provide both her established regional and national business clients and her start-up clients with advice and assistance that is user-friendly and targeted to meet their actual needs. By developing ongoing relationships with her clients, she becomes a trusted partner working side by side with them over the years to proactively help them manage their risks and respond to employment situations as they develop. A representative sampling of her clients includes medical, dental, and health care technology companies; construction, industrial, and manufacturing companies; online retail and wholesale businesses; non-profit organizations; and accounting firms and law firms of all sizes.
Ms. Pacaro conducts seminars and training sessions for clients and human resource professionals on various issues in employment law such as harassment, discrimination, retaliation, business torts, wage and hour law, and OSHA compliance. She has also published articles on OSHA inspections, e-discovery, and various “hot button” issues in employment law, and is the author of the Health and Safety Law chapter in the Pennsylvania Human Resource Manual (publication available on Amazon.com)
Prior to joining SOGT Law, Ms. Pacaro spent 15 years gaining “big firm” experience as an employment lawyer and litigator at the Philadelphia law firm, Cozen O’Connor. She also has several years’ experience working in-house as General Counsel to tech and health sector start-ups, and was most recently a named Partner at a “boutique” law firm in Montgomery County.
Ms. Pacaro graduated from Cornell University, cum laude with a B.A. in Philosophy. She then continued her education at Pace University School of Law, where she was Editor of the Law Review and received her J.D., magna cum laude, graduating 4th in her class (top 2%). She is admitted to the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bars, and to the bars of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, and the District Courts for the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Pennsylvania, and the District of New Jersey.
She is a member of the Pennsylvania State Bar Association, the New Jersey State Bar Association and a member of the American Bar Association Section, Labor and Employment Law. She is also actively involved in her community, serving on the Board of Directors of the West Point Foundation (the sponsoring organization of her local community’s boy scout troop) and as a certified 3rd Degree Black Belt instructor in Taekwondo at her local martial arts school.