For more than 18 years, we have successfully fought for the rights of those hurt by layoffs, reductions in force, shutdowns, and bankruptcies. Our cases have shaped the laws that protect employees harmed by these harsh events.
About the Firm
The law requires notification prior to mass job losses so employees can prepare and look for other employment. It requires severance and back pay to many of those those discarded in corporate planned shutdowns. It also mandates that the payment of lost wages and benefits receive the highest priority in corporate bankruptcies. Our practice focuses on these areas of the law.
Our History
Our WARN practice was born in the first shutdown that kicked off the Great Recession in 2007. Over 12 years, Jack Raisner and Rene’ Roupinian built its national reputation. In January 2020, at the onset of the Coronavirus Pandemic, they launched Raisner Roupinian LLP, to maintain their active docket of WARN Act and severance cases. They are joined in southern California, by Gail Lin, a practicing WARN Act attorney for over 15 years, and by Isaac Raisner, an experienced employee rights litigator in Georgia.
Our historic victory in the United States Supreme Court restored the high priority for employee wages in bankruptcy. We have testified at the request of lawmakers on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures to strengthen the notice law for employees facing mass layoffs and shutdowns. In fact, our attorneys helped establish the first state law providing notice and mandatory severance for workers facing mass firings and layoffs. Our lawyers have won more than $100 million dollars for thousands of employees in our class cases.
Giving Employees a Seat at the Table
As major shutdowns unfold, the promises and commitments that many employers make to their employees evaporate. The laws that should prevent these layoffs without notice get ignored. Employees’ lives are turned upside down. They are left to fend for themselves, while still being responsible for their own financial obligations of paying mortgages, car payments, and medical expenses.
Across the table from employers and in our nation’s courts and conference rooms, we fight for those who worked hard. We negotiate and, if necessary, try cases so our clients receive fair and just compensation.
Recognized Experts
Since forming the firm, we’ve won several recent decisions: after hearing evidence at trial, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware undid its prior opinion and granted our class members’ WARN backpay claim its all-important wage priority treatment. In a rare grant, the New York bankruptcy court permitted us to amend our complaint by adding a defendant although it was after the close of discovery and summary judgment briefing.
Our legislative efforts have also led to successes. In Congress, a major strengthening of federal WARN Act was introduced by sponsors in the House of Representatives and Senate in November 2019. In a momentous win, the State of New Jersey enacted a first-in-the-nation law in January 2020. The bill not only expands that state’s own WARN law – already the toughest in the nation – it is the first to make severance pay mandatory for all those let go in mass layoffs and shutdowns. We were proud to be asked for our views by these lawmakers. In New Jersey, Jack Raisner was invited to testify at the Assembly and Senate hearings in support of this innovative and much-needed legislation.
