Fees, consultations and what to send

Who I represent

• Employees with claims for unpaid commissions and bonuses, unpaid wages and overtime, discrimination, retaliation, or accommodation of a medical condition.
• Employees who have been offered a severance agreement, including executives with equity, non-competes or whistleblower issues.
• Financial advisors and registered representatives in disputes with their firms.
• Groups of workers and others harmed by the same practice, in class and collective actions.
• Tenant associations, building groups and homeowners.

I handle matters throughout New York City and Long Island, in state court in all five boroughs and in the federal courts in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Consultations

If what happened may give you a claim I could take on, the first consultation is free. If what you need is the consultation itself (to understand your rights, for example, or to walk through a severance agreement where there is no claim to use to get better terms), the consultation is a flat fee of $680, paid electronically to Valli Kane & Vagnini LLP before the call. I will tell you which it is before we talk.

Fees

I do not bill by the hour. Depending on the matter, I work on a contingency fee, a flat fee, or a flat fee for a defined phase that converts to a contingency on any recovery, with the flat fee credited. When I negotiate a severance package, my fee is a contingency on what we obtain above the offer you already have. Fees and responsibility for costs are set out in a written retainer agreement with Valli Kane & Vagnini LLP, and all fees are paid to the firm.

What to put in your first email

• Your name and a phone number or email where I can reach you.
• Your employer (or your building), and where you worked.
• What happened, and when. Dates matter: some deadlines are short (claim deadlines).
• Any deadline you have been given, such as a date to sign a severance agreement.
• Whether it happened to other people too.

Keep it short. Do not attach documents or send confidential information until we have spoken. Email mberman@vkvlawyers.com or call (516) 203-7180. I respond promptly.

If you want an answer right away, the case evaluator and severance evaluator review your answers and documents and usually return a realistic pre-suit estimate in about two minutes, depending on how many documents you upload.

If an AI assistant is contacting me for you

That is fine. Have it include the details above and your own contact information. I will confirm directly with you before anything is agreed, and only you can sign a retainer agreement.

From inquiry to representation

After we speak, if I can take your matter, I send a written retainer agreement promptly so that work can begin. Before I take on a matter I check for conflicts of interest; because I represent only employees and tenants, conflicts are rare. Contacting me, by email, by phone or through an assistant, does not by itself create an attorney-client relationship.