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.

Pay Transparency and Prompt Payment Policies Obtained by Jasmine Burgess in Major Model Misclassification Lawsuit Become Effective - The Matter Was Settled by the Parties on Mutually Agreeable Terms

On February 1, 2024, Plaintiff model Jasmine Burgess (“Plaintiff”) settled her putative class and collective action lawsuit against Defendant Major Model Management, Inc. (“Major”) and Defendant agency owner Guido Dolci (“Dolci”) (collectively, “Defendants”) alleging misclassification of Major’s signed models as independent contractors.

The matter was settled by the parties on mutually agreeable terms, on an individual basis, primarily resulting in Major adopting historic NYC modeling agency prompt payment and pay transparency policies concerning payments to its models.

The potentially industry-shaping prompt payment and pay transparency policies became effective April 1, 2024, and continue until February 1, 2034.

As background, Plaintiff’s Amended Complaint alleged that Major and agency owner Dolci had misclassified her, and other similarly situated signed models, as independent contractors, resulting in minimum wage violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”), as well as minimum wage, recordkeeping, illegal deduction, and failure to pay earned wages claims in violation of the New York Labor Law (“NYLL”). The Amended Complaint further alleged that Defendants had retaliated against Plaintiff for amending her complaint to add class action allegations.

In approving the settlement at a hearing on February 1, 2024, United States District Court Judge Rochon held that the settlement provides “the equivalent of class-wide injunctive relief for all of Defendants’ models over the next ten years,” and that “[b]ecause the FLSA does not provide injunctive relief for private parties for wage-and-hour violations, this relief goes beyond any that Plaintiff could have recovered under FLSA had she gone to trial.”

Specifically, under the settlement agreement, beginning April 1, 2024 (unless otherwise specified) until February 1, 2034, for all models currently signed with Major or who sign with Major, Major will:

(1)  provide models with access to a smartphone application, which application will provide, within three business days of the date of payment receipt by Major, information on any and all payments concerning and/or relating to the models’ work, including, the client name, invoice number, invoiced amount (not including Major’s agency and/or service fee), the receipt of payment by Major, and the payment amount received by Major, concerning each payment to Major, including with respect to all bookings and usages;

(2)  provide payment to models for their modeling work, including for their bookings and usages, without any requirement or need for them to request payment from Major, within thirty calendar days of Major’s receipt of payment concerning or relating to their modeling work (unless the model opts out of such automatic payment pursuant to the procedure described in the settlement agreement or does not submit his/her payment information);

(3)  electronically notify Major models of their scheduling information concerning all bookings, castings, options, go-sees, or similar scheduling, concerning any modeling work assignments, and/or engagements, promptly after the scheduling and finalization of such, bookings, castings, options, and/or go-sees; and

(4)  beginning in 2025, within thirty days of the end of each calendar year, for each model receiving a 1099 form, either provide (A) access to a smartphone application, which application will provide a statement for the preceding calendar year showing: (1) all bookings and/or engagements that occurred in the prior calendar year, identified by the client name and invoice number; (2) the amount invoiced by Major for each such booking and/or engagement; (3) the date the invoice was sent to the client for each such booking and/or engagement; (4) the amount paid by the client for each such booking and/or engagement (not including agency and/or services fees); (5) the receipt of payment by Major from the client for each such booking and/or engagement; and (6) the date and amount of payment to each model for each such booking and/or engagement; or (B) an email of a statement prepared by Major containing the foregoing information.

A copy of the entire settlement agreement is available here.

Plaintiff model Jasmine Burgess said:

“The policy changes that Major Model Management, Inc. and Guido Dolci have agreed to implement over the next decade will ensure timely payments to Major’s models and provide access to an app that will promptly indicate whether the agency received payment for models’ work. I believe that these policy changes will make Major Model a future leader among NYC modeling agencies concerning model pay timeliness and transparency and will eventually set a new standard for model pay practices for all NYC modeling agencies. I am pleased that, after several years of hard-fought litigation, and despite Major’s bankruptcy filing and discharge, ultimately, the matter was settled by the parties on mutually agreeable terms.”

The case was Burgess v. Major Model Management, Inc. et al., 1:20-cv-02816-JLR-GWG, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York before United States District Judge Rochon and Magistrate Judge Gorenstein.

Media Contact: Cyrus Dugger, Esq., The Dugger Law Firm, PLLC (646) 560-3208 cd@theduggerlawfirm.com

Court Grants Plaintiff’s Motion to Compel in Race Discrimination Case Against 643 Broadway Holdings LLC d/b/a Bleecker Kitchen & Co. and Joshua Berkowitz

On December 10, 2011, Michael S. Douglas, Jr. filed a race discrimination complaint in Manhattan Supreme Court against 643 Broadway Holdings LLC(d/b/a Bleecker Kitchen & Co.) and co-owner Joshua Berkowitz.   

The complaint alleges that Berkowitz racially harassed former Bleecker Kitchen & Co. restaurant manager Douglas during his employment with Bleecker.  The complaint further alleges that Berkowitz was not aware that Douglas, who is Filipino and African-American, was black, when Berkowitz, using coded words, counseled Mr. Douglas against hiring black servers.   

On March 2, 2016, the Honorable Eileen A. Rakower ordered Defendants to produce all of the hard copy and electronic documents sought in Plaintiff’s motion to compel, with the exception of documents related to Gold Bar or Defendants’ assets.

The Court further ordered Defendants to provide an affidavit from someone with knowledge of the search conducted concerning requests for which Defendants claim documents do not exist, or are not in Defendants', possession, custody, or control.

The Court’s Order is available here.

The case is Douglas v. 643 Broadway Holdings LLC d/b/a Bleecker Kitchen & Co. et al., Index No. 162179

Mr. Douglas is represented by Cyrus E. Dugger of the Dugger Law Firm, PLLC and James Halter and Asa Smith of Liddle & Robinson L.L.P.

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.

The Dugger Law Firm, PLLC Has Filed a Sex Discrimination Class Action Against the NYC Department of Education, Principal Rashaunda Shaw, Ast. Principal Dayne McLean, and Ast. Principal Sharon Spann

The Dugger Law Firm, PLLC and The Law Office of Daniela Nanau, P.C. have filed a sex discrimination class action lawsuit against the New York City Department of Education, Globe School for Environmental Research (“Globe”) Principal Rashaunda Shaw, Globe Assistant Principal Dayne McLean, and Globe Assistant Principal Sharon Spann. 

Plaintiff Lisa B. Deleo alleges violations of Title VII, the New York City Human Rights Law, and 42 U.S.C. § 1983.

The amended complaint alleges that Assistant Principal McLean repeatedly sexually harassed Ms. DeLeo, culminating in a confrontation in which Assistant Principal McLean sexually gyrated in front of Ms. DeLeo while she was alone in her office.  In addition, the amended complaint alleges that, following Ms. DeLeo’s complaints of harassment, the New York City Department of Education, Principal Shaw, Assistant Principal McLean, and Assistant Principal Spann retaliated against her because of her complaints.

The amended complaint also alleges that the New York City Department of Education, Principal Shaw, Assistant Principal McLean, and Assistant Principal Spann have created and/or permitted a sexually hostile and retaliatory hostile work environment for non-management female employees at Globe.

Ms. DeLeo seeks certification of a class of all non-management female employees at Globe, from January 2012 through the resolution of the lawsuit, against the New York City Department of Education, as well as Principal Shaw, Assistant Principal McLean, and Assistant Principal Spann in their individual capacities. 

The case is Deleo v. New York City Department of Education, No. 15 Civ. 00591, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.

The Dugger Law Firm, PLLC and Liddle & Robinson L.L.P. File Race Discrimination Claim Against 643 Broadway Holdings LLC (d/b/a Bleecker Kitchen & Co.) and Joshua Berkowitz

On December 10, 2011, Michael S. Douglas, Jr. filed a race discrimination complaint in Manhattan Supreme Court against 643 Broadway Holdings LLC  (d/b/a Bleecker Kitchen & Co.) and co-owner Joshua Berkowitz.  The complaint alleges that Berkowitz racially harassed former Bleecker Kitchen & Co. restaurant manager Douglas during his employment with Bleecker.  The complaint further alleges that Berkowitz was not aware that Douglas, who is Filipino and African-American, was black, when Berkowitz, using coded words, counseled Mr. Douglas against hiring black servers.  Mr. Douglas is represented by Cyrus E. Dugger of the Dugger Law Firm, PLLC and Michael Grenert of Liddle & Robinson L.L.P.