Matthew J.Gagnon

Partner

Matt has the rare combination of knowledge, experience, and judgment to develop and implement proactive solutions to address novel workplace issues in an ever-changing legal and regulatory environment.


More About Matt

Matt’s practice focuses on helping employers navigate the evolving landscape of federal and state wage and hour and anti-discrimination laws, and defending employers against all manner of employment litigation and government-initiated investigations and litigation. He has extensive experience counseling and defending clients with a national presence in a wide range of industries, including franchisors, hospitality and restaurant companies, staffing companies, retailers, financial institutions, and educational institutions. His expertise covers the full scope of claims and theories involving allegations of sex, race, and national origin discrimination, age discrimination and Older Worker Benefit Protection Act violations, pay discrimination claims, sex harassment issues, failure to accommodate and disability discrimination claims, breach-of-contract and employment-at-will lawsuits, and wrongful discharge disputes. He also has experience managing administrative agency investigations, including systemic initiative, pattern-and-practice and disparate impact claims involving unequal pay, hiring and pre-employment testing, background checking, promotion, and reasonable accommodation processes.

Matt draws on his extensive experience defending some of the largest, highest-stakes workplace class actions to counsel employers on how to address new and developing workplace issues and to steer complex litigation toward a successful resolution. For instance, he has successfully defended franchisors against claims that they should be held liable, along with their franchisees, as a joint-employer of franchisee employees. This theory, had it been successful, would have upended the entire franchise business model. Matt has also successfully defended clients against discrimination claims brought by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and private litigants alleging race, gender, and age discrimination on behalf of large, nationwide classes.

Matt relies on his vast experience and knowledge of employment litigation to anticipate and prepare for the inevitable challenges and difficulties that come with managing the modern workplace. He has assisted clients in designing and implementing leave of absence and disability accommodation management systems, large pay equity and exempt-status and pay practice audits, and assessments of employee engagement, hiring processes, and independent contractor and other alternative worker arrangements. Matt's comparative advantage is his ability to see every workplace challenge within the context of each client’s unique set of circumstances and to think creatively about solutions that fit within and advance their larger strategic goals and objectives.

  • JD, Columbia University Law School

    Columbia Human Rights Law Review articles editor
    Public Interest Law Initiative intern in Transitional Societies
    Tenants' Rights Project

  • BS, University of Wisconsin - Madison
  • Illinois
  • New York
  • US Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit
  • US District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas
  • US District Court, Western District of Arkansas
  • US District Court, Northern District of Illinois
  • US District Court, Southern District of Illinois
  • US District Court, Eastern District of New York
  • US District Court, Southern District of New York
  • US District Court, Western District of Tennessee