Legal Expertise

Loren L. Forrest Jr. focuses his practice on labor and employment law, representing management in a broad range of litigation, labor relations, and human resources counseling matters. He has extensive experience representing clients before federal and state courts in New York and Connecticut, as well as before agencies such as the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), New York State Division of Human Rights, and Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities. Loren also handles labor and employment disputes through arbitration.

Loren advises employers on compliance with federal and state labor laws, including those arising under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), and provides counsel on employment policies and practices such as employee handbooks, disability accommodations, anti-harassment training, and wage and hour compliance. He represents clients in breach of contract, defamation, and restrictive covenant matters and counsels on complex wage and hour issues, including white-collar exemptions, employee misclassifications, and tip pooling regulations. He frequently advises hospitality clients on service charge and commission-based pay issues and represents home healthcare agencies in a range of employment and traditional labor matters.

Loren has deep experience addressing anti-harassment and discrimination issues, employee accommodations, and discipline matters. He also counsels non-unionized employers on the evolving application of the NLRA, including employees’ use of social media and the expanding definition of “protected concerted activity.” In addition, he represents clients in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) access and accommodation cases and has negotiated voluntary compliance agreements with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to resolve federal and state disability access claims.

Representative Matters

• Obtained successful dismissal of a New Jersey Law Against Discrimination complaint from federal court brought by an independent contractor alleging racial discrimination in the termination of a contract by national railroad company.*
• Obtained successful summary judgment and dismissal of a Title VII complaint alleging discrimination from federal court, where the plaintiff alleged that she was jointly employed by two nonprofit defendants.*
• Advised professional sports teams regarding ADA accommodations as well as anti-harassment and anti-discrimination training.*

*Indicates matters handled prior to joining MSK. 

Professional, Business and civic Affiliations

• Fellow, Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD), 2016 

Other Career Experience

• Partner, Holland & Knight LLP