Shahan, Aaron R.

Widely recognized as a pioneer in Employment, Civil Rights and Anti-Discrimination law, Alan Serrins brings more than 35 years' experience to his field. He began working in employment discrimination law when the practice was first emerging. From the outset, Serrins developed a passion for the field and a deep commitment to advancing the rights of employees in the workplace.

Serrins' employment law career launched when he joined the New York City Human Rights Commission in 1977. Two years later, he was appointed General Counsel by the New York City Commission on Human Rights; then 28 years of age, he was the youngest General Counsel in the Commission's history. As General Counsel, Serrins was Chief Law Enforcement Officer of the agency and supervised a staff of 16 attorneys and 22 investigators. Under Serrins' guidance, the Commission prosecuted thousands of discrimination complaints in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodation. Serrins was also in the forefront of the newly emerging field of sexual harassment, having successfully prosecuted the Commission's first such case in 1979. In 1982, Serrins moved to Belfast, Northern Ireland as a consultant to the newly formed Fair Employment Agency of Northern Ireland, which modeled its law on the New York City Human Rights Law.

Upon his return to New York in 1984, Serrins moved into private practice founding Dienst & Serrins LLP, which would become a highly recognized, full-service litigation boutique over the next 16 years. Beginning in 2000, Serrins went on to co-found a successor firm, Queller Fisher Dienst Serrins Washor & Kool LLP, and subsequently founded Serrins & Associates, LLC. Serrins Fisher LLP was established in 2012.

Serrins has litigated dozens of cases from inception to verdict. His caseload has included claims under Title VII, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, The Americans with Disability Act, the United States and New York State Constitution, state and local discrimination laws, civil service laws, State Education law, and Federal and State False Claims Act (Qui Tam) and common law claims such as breach of contract.

Serrins regularly appears on behalf of clients before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, New York State Division of Human Rights, New York City Commission on Human Rights and all federal, state, and appellate courts throughout New York. He has also represented numerous clients at arbitrations and mediations before various administrative bodies.

In addition to his litigation practice, Serrins provides legal advice to clients with regard to drafting and negotiating employment agreements, severance agreements and executive compensation.

Notable Successes

Some of Serrins' recent notable achievements include:

• Resolving a racial discrimination suit arising from a high-level executive's termination of employment from a multi-media conglomerate. Through use of alternative-dispute methods, Serrins obtained a seven-figure settlement prior to the scheduling of trial in the Supreme Court of New York, Bronx County.
• Resolving a Sarbanes Oxley Whistleblower case filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, stemming from loss of employment by a financial controller who sought to rectify corporate fraud within the ranks of an international technology company.
• Successfully litigating before an administrative agency for a rape survivor victimized by her supervisor while performing cleaning services in New York City offices. The case became widely publicized, garnering attention for thousands of workers who endured sexual harassment and other hostile conditions in the commercial cleaning industry.

Other Work

In addition to his primary work representing victims of discrimination, Serrins serves as General Counsel for SilverSEAL Corporation, which was founded in 1988 to provide security-related services to corporations, government and private individuals. The Corporation, headquartered in New York City's South Street Seaport, employs over 300 security personnel and operates locations worldwide. As General Counsel of SEAL, Serrins provides advice and counsel to management on all business matters, including contract negotiation, investigating employee complaints and training management/employees on applicable federal, state, and local laws.