We Are Hiring: AI-Powered Litigation Associate (Remote) — The Dugger Law Firm, PLLC

Who We Are

The Dugger Law Firm, PLLC is a small, mission-driven, exclusively plaintiff-side employment law firm that represents New York City employees in discrimination, retaliation, and wage-and-hour cases. We combine the use of traditional civil rights laws with underutilized New York City discrimination law to help improve the experience of being an employee in New York City.

How We Work

You will work remotely, with court appearances, depositions, mediations, and in‑person work in NYC only as required by litigation.

Why This Is Different

You’ll be advancing the firm’s litigation with the latest AI tools and AI-driven litigation strategies. You’ll collaborate closely with our Director of AI & Product, who drives firmwide AI systems and product strategy, in order to operationalize cutting‑edge AI litigation workflows across legal research, drafting, e‑discovery, and firm knowledge management capacities.

Role Overview

• Title: AI Litigation Associate (Employment Law)

• Location: Remote (NY practice focus; periodic NYC in‑person work)

• Schedule: 50 hours/week

• Reports to: Principal and collaborates with the Director of AI & Product

What You’ll Do

• Manage an active litigation docket of 5–10 matters

• Manage cases from filing through resolution

• Draft complaints, discovery requests and responses, and motions

• Lead e-discovery and discovery processes

AI‑Accelerated Litigation

• Use and help refine best‑in‑class AI litigation technology to draft pleadings, memos, research summaries, deposition prep materials, and discovery responses

Client & Court Practice

• Run strategy calls, prepare clients and witnesses, conduct/defend depositions, argue motions, conduct electronic discovery, engage in settlement negotiations, attend mediations and conferences

What You’ll Bring

• Admission: New York bar (in good standing)

• Experience: 2–6+ years of civil litigation (employment discrimination/wage‑hour preferred), including motion practice, e-discovery experience, and depositions.

• Writing: Exceptional brief‑writing

• AI Fluency: Hands‑on use of modern legal AI tools (or a demonstrable capacity and commitment to learn fast) and enthusiasm for operating within AI litigation workflows

• Traits: Reliability, self‑direction, excellent time management in a remote setting, professional and intellectual curiosity, and a bias for creative impact‑oriented litigation on behalf of NYC workers

Compensation & Benefits (NYC Pay Transparency)

• Base Salary: $115,000.

• Performance Bonus: 10% of total net attorneys’ fees collected for the firm above $115,000 from assigned litigation matters.

• Health insurance (75% employer-paid).

• 401(k) match (100% of employee contributions up to the first 3% of pay and 50% of employee contributions on the next 2% of pay).

• 3 weeks of PTO in year one (4 weeks thereafter).

How to Apply

Email dlfapplications@theduggerlawfirm.com with subject line “AI Litigation Associate Application” (applications that do not follow these directions will not be considered). Please attach your resume, a cover letter (including a one‑paragraph example of how you’ve used AI to improve litigation work), and a writing sample of a legal brief or motion letter you primarily authored. Application deadline is December 5, 2025.

DLF is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from attorneys of all backgrounds who share our commitment to advancing workplace justice.

We Are Hiring: Associate Position (Remote) With The Dugger Law Firm, PLLC

Associate (Remote Position) - The Dugger Law Firm, PLLC

About Us: The Dugger Law Firm, PLLC (“DLF”) is a private law firm committed to challenging employment discrimination and wage theft in New York City. Focusing on representing NYC employees in discrimination, retaliation, and wage and hour matters, DLF has consistently advanced traditional as well as underutilized NYC law-based legal claims.

DLF has also developed a substantial practice representing employees with mental health disabilities seeking protected leaves of absence under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Family and Medical Leave Act, New York State Human Rights Law, and New York City Human Rights Law.

Position Overview: Associate

Location: Remote

Schedule: Working hours are strictly limited to a total of forty hours per week.

Responsibilities:

• Drafting demand letters

• Drafting administrative charges

• Client intake

• All aspects of the firm’s litigation matters (after probationary period of six months)

Qualifications:

• Admitted to the New York bar

• Experience in employment discrimination law

• Strong legal research, writing, and analytical skills

• Strong interpersonal skills

• Legal creativity and curiosity

• Interest in impact litigation

• Time management skills, organizational skills, and initiative required for remote work

Compensation and Benefits:

• Salary: $80,000 - $100,000 (depending on experience)

• Three weeks of annual PTO (four weeks after first year of employment)

• Top-tier health insurance

Application Deadline: Applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

How to Apply: Interested candidates should email their resume and cover letter to cd@theduggerlawfirm.com. Please include “Associate Application” in the subject line. DLF is an equal opportunity employer. We appreciate your interest in joining our team dedicated to making a positive impact in the field of employment law and the public interest.

The Dugger Law Firm Has Filed a Disability Discrimination Class Action on Behalf of Professor Jan Ramjerdi and a Class of CUNY Faculty Challenging Denials of Remote Work Accommodations and FMLA Leave

Plaintiff Professor Ramjerdi (“Plaintiff”) has served as a tenured Associate Professor of English at Queensborough Community College (“QCC”) since September 1, 2009, and has taught at QCC since 2003.

On May 7, 2024, Plaintiff filed a class action complaint against the City of New York (“NYC”), the City University of New York (“CUNY”), QCC, CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez (in his official capacity), QCC President Christine Mangino, QCC Human Resources Director Martha Aspromatis, QCC Human Resources Director for Benefits Ysabel Macea, QCC ADA Compliance Coordinator/Assistant Vice President for Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Amaris Matos, and former QCC Interim Executive Director for Human Resources Sangeeta Noel (collectively, “Defendants”).

The class action complaint’s allegations include an alleged policy, pattern, and/or practice of: (1) illegal denials of mental health disability-based fully remote work accommodation requests by full-time faculty; (2) illegal denials of requests for FMLA leave by full-time faculty based on a pending disability-based accommodation request and/or the permanent nature of the disability or serious health condition; (3) retaliation against full-time faculty for requesting disability-based fully remote work accommodations and/or FMLA leave; (4) an illegal medical separation policy that permitted the separation of full-time faculty without consideration or evaluation of their entitlement to a disability-based reasonable accommodation; and (5) illegal provision of unprotected “general accommodations” of fully remote work instead of protected disability-based accommodations, among other challenged practices alleged to violate the Rehabilitation Act, FMLA, and/or New York City Human Rights Law (“NYCHRL”).

The class action complaint alleges that all, or almost all, CUNY faculty taught fully remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, from mid-March 2020 through the spring 2021 semester (approximately three academic semesters). The class action complaint additionally alleges that, for the spring 2022 semester, CUNY announced a 70/30 In-Person/Remote policy requiring 70% in-person courses and 30% remote courses, including that, “[a]side from unusual circumstances, all full-time faculty members should teach at least one in-person course on campus.”  Plaintiff alleges that Defendants repeatedly illegally denied Plaintiff’s, and a class of full-time faculty members’, requests for mental health disability-based fully remote work accommodations because of the 70/30 In-Person/Remote policy.

The class action complaint further alleges that, after initially filing pretextual and/or retaliatory disciplinary charges against Plaintiff, NYC, CUNY, and/or QCC applied their medical separation policy to medically separate Plaintiff in furtherance of their retaliation and/or discrimination.  The class action complaint alleges that they did so by circularly relying on the very mental health disabilities that Plaintiff had sought a fully remote work accommodation and FMLA leave to address, as the primary basis for Plaintiff’s medical separation. The class action complaint alleges that this medical separation policy was a policy, practice, and/or standard operating procedure of NYC, CUNY, and/or QCC of failure to accommodate disabilities, retaliation for requesting a fully remote work accommodations and/or FMLA leave, and interference with disability and/or FMLA rights.

The class action complaint additionally alleges disparate impact violations, violations of FMLA notice rights, and Rehabilitation Act medical inquiry violations.

The fifteen-count class action complaint seeks, from some or all Defendants, back pay, front pay and/or reinstatement, compensatory damages, nominal damages, actual damages, liquidated damages, declaratory relief, injunctive relief, as well as punitive damages against the QCC individual defendants sued in their individual capacities.

Plaintiff’s requested class-wide injunctive relief seeks an injunction: (1) prospectively exempting disability-based fully remote work requests from the 70/30 In-Person/Remote Policy; (2) requiring the creation and funding of an independent office and/or ombudsman to objectively evaluate all disability-based remote work requests and FMLA leave requests; (3) requiring the re-evaluation of all disability-based remote work requests and FMLA leave requests within the last three years by an independent office and/or ombudsman; (4) reinstatement of all class members terminated or medically separated because of an illegal denial of a disability-based fully remote work accommodation and/or FMLA leave request; and (5) reclassification of time illegally categorized as an unauthorized absence as a protected authorized absence, under the Rehabilitation Act, FMLA and/or NYCHRL.

The case is Ramjerdi v. The City of New York, et al., No. 1:24-cv-03380-NGG-RML and is before U.S. District Judge Nicholas G. Garaufis and Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Press release is available here. Media Contact: Cyrus E. Dugger, The Dugger Law Firm, PLLC - (646) 560-3208 - cd@theduggerlawfirm.com.

The Face Modeling Competition Winner Devyn Abdullah Files Complaint Seeking Payment of Withheld Portion of Ulta Beauty Contract Award Against Direct Model Management, Inc. and Owner Mykola Webster

On April 21, 2015, The Dugger Law Firm, PLLC filed a federal complaint on behalf of Devyn Abdullah, the first winner of The Face television modeling competition, against her former modeling agency, Direct Model Management, Inc., as well as Direct owner and president Mykola Webster, and Direct head of finance Atiff Joseph, for violations of federal and state wage and hour laws, as well as breach of contract.  

The complaint alleges that Defendants misclassified Ms. Abdullah as an independent contractor in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act and the New York Labor Law.

Among other violations, Ms. Abdullah alleges that Defendants withheld, and otherwise failed to pay her, at least $13,000 of her wages from The Face competition award of a $50,000 contract with Ulta Beauty. 

The complaint also alleges that Defendants failed to pay Ms. Abdullah for work with several additional modeling industry clients.

Ms. Abdullah seeks payment of minimum wages, payment of unpaid earned wages, liquidated damages with respect to minimum wages that were eventually paid but were not paid promptly, reimbursements for illegal deductions, additional associated liquidated damages, as well as damages for breach of contract and New York Labor Law recordkeeping violations.

The case is Abdullah v. Direct Model Management, Inc., et al., No. 15 Civ. 03100, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

For more information contact Cyrus E. Dugger at cd@theduggerlawfirm.com or (646) 560-3208.