Ira M. Saxe

Partner

Overview

Ira provides management-side labor and employment litigation defense before federal and state courts in class and collective actions, single-plaintiff litigation, and administrative agency proceedings. His practice also includes a variety of other federal, state, and local wage and hour; discrimination; breach of contract; wrongful discharge; labor; and workplace tort claims.

In addition to litigation defense, Ira provides counsel to a variety of workforce sizes, including but not limited to, those with modest in-house counsel presence, in connection with a broad array of employee relations issues, including wage and hour, human resources management, employment mobility, and equal employment opportunity matters. He advises management on complex issues arising in employment actions (including, but not limited to, individual or group terminations from employment), and he prepares and reviews personnel policies, employee handbooks, employment agreements, and other employment-related materials to ensure a compliant and effective employment platform. Ira prides himself on his responsiveness and consistent availability to assist clients in effectively addressing employee relations challenges in real time.

Ira’s wage and hour practice includes advising and counseling on complex issues of classification of workers as employees or independent contractors, overtime exemptions (including the federal Motor Carrier Act exemption), and compensation practices regarding mobile workforces and tipped employees.

Before entering private practice, Ira worked as a field examiner intern at the National Labor Relations Board, where he investigated unfair labor practice charges and processed representation petitions. He later worked as a compliance specialist, senior compliance specialist, and acting deputy assistant director with the City of New York, where he conducted and supervised compliance reviews of contractors' compliance with applicable equal employment opportunity/affirmative action requirements, and negotiated related corrective action agreements.

Career & Education

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    • Fordham University School of Law, J.D.
    • Cornell University, M.I.L.R.
    • State University of New York at Albany, B.A.
    • Fordham University School of Law, J.D.
    • Cornell University, M.I.L.R.
    • State University of New York at Albany, B.A.
    • New York
    • Supreme Court of the United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
    • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
    • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
    • U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York
    • New York
    • Supreme Court of the United States
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
    • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
    • U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
    • U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
    • U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York
  • Professional Activities and Memberships

    • Member of the American Bar Association
    • New York State Bar Association
    • New York City Bar Association

    Professional Activities and Memberships

    • Member of the American Bar Association
    • New York State Bar Association
    • New York City Bar Association
Ira Saxe has been a trusted business partner and advisor since I first met him in 2004. Not only has he been able to provide value added legal counsel on myriad employment law topics, Ira has been able to garner the trust of the companies where I have worked. Ira and his team have always proven to be a valued resource.

— Longstanding Client

Ira's Insights

Webinar | 02.22.24

Third Thursday: New York State and Local Employment Law Updates

Please join us for the next edition of Third Thursday – Crowell & Moring’s Labor and Employment Update, a webinar series dedicated to helping our clients stay on top of developing law and emerging compliance issues.

Representative Matters

  • Denial of two California state-wide class certification motions (covering thousands of hourly employees), one seeking compensation for time spent at the workplace prior to their scheduled start time and the other challenging protective vest practices.
  • Summary judgment in California State Court on claims of wrongful termination in violation of public policy, breach of implied contract, defamation, and unfair business practices.
  • Summary judgment in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida defeating FLSA collective action overtime compensation claims covering mixed fleet drivers, based on the federal Motor Carrier Act exemption.
  • Reversal by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia of a decision by the NLRB that the client violated its duty to bargain in good faith by unilaterally imposing, after impasse, a work assignment provision under the Management Rights provision of its final offer.
  • Summary judgment in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York defeating race discrimination and retaliation claims.
  • Voluntary dismissal with prejudice, without any payment, following threatened sanctions motion, of a New Jersey Superior Court action alleging race and national origin discrimination; defamation; negligent hiring, training, and retention; malicious prosecution; and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Ira's Insights

Webinar | 02.22.24

Third Thursday: New York State and Local Employment Law Updates

Please join us for the next edition of Third Thursday – Crowell & Moring’s Labor and Employment Update, a webinar series dedicated to helping our clients stay on top of developing law and emerging compliance issues.

Recognition

  • Thomson Reuters: Stand-out Lawyers, 2023
  • New York State Bar Association: Empire State Counsel, 2009

Ira's Insights

Webinar | 02.22.24

Third Thursday: New York State and Local Employment Law Updates

Please join us for the next edition of Third Thursday – Crowell & Moring’s Labor and Employment Update, a webinar series dedicated to helping our clients stay on top of developing law and emerging compliance issues.

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Ira's Insights

Webinar | 02.22.24

Third Thursday: New York State and Local Employment Law Updates

Please join us for the next edition of Third Thursday – Crowell & Moring’s Labor and Employment Update, a webinar series dedicated to helping our clients stay on top of developing law and emerging compliance issues.