Phillip C. Bauknight

Partner

New Jersey New York

908.516.1059

908.516.1051

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Overview

Phil represents and serves as trusted counsel for employers in a broad range of employment, business, and labor issues. As part of his practice, Phil handles OSHA and workplace safety matters across the country. He routinely helps clients contest and litigate OSHA citations and has experience representing employers during OSHA inspections and investigations, conducting OSHA compliance audits, and defending whistleblower/retaliation claims as well as providing OSHA compliance counseling to clients.

Phil represents an array of clients, including those from the manufacturing, construction, technology, healthcare, franchising, retail, and financial services industries, including numerous publicly traded companies with nationwide and international operations. He regularly appears in federal, state, appellate, and administrative courts as well as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and various state agencies.

Phil’s litigation practice covers a broad range of employment law, including Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, CEPA, the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination, the New York City Human Rights Law, the New York State Human Rights Law, and other federal and state anti-discrimination and whistleblower laws. Phil also has extensive experience managing complex business and employment disputes and representing clients regarding enforcement of restrictive employment covenants.

Phil also advises and counsels his clients on employee hiring, discipline, and termination issues, performance management, discrimination, retaliation, employee leave, and disability accommodations issues. He is a skilled advocate, litigator, and counselor who is devoted to reaching efficient and practical solutions to real-world problems.

Phil is an active member in both his professional and personal communities. He was honored as a 2023 “Leader in Technology” by NJBiz and was selected as a “New Leader of the Bar” in the New Jersey Law Journal’s 2020 Professional Excellence Awards. Phil also serves on the Executive Committee for the New Jersey American Society of Safety Professionals (NJASSP). Phil previously served as an Executive Committee Member of the National Black Lawyers and was selected to their Top 40 under 40 List from 2015 to 2020. He is also a former Trustee of the West Orange Scholarship Fund.

Phil is an experienced public speaker known for his dynamic and engaging style and author who presents and writes on a range of employment issues, including those related to workplace safety and business issues. He frequently speaks at legal seminars for organizations such as Thomson Reuters and Celesq and for professional organizations such as the Association of Corporate Counsel, the NJASSP, the American Society of Safety Professionals, the New Jersey Technology and Manufacturing Association, the Society for Human Resource Management, the National Association of Professional Employer Organizations, and many others. Phil also has been quoted and interviewed by premier publications such as CNBC, Bloomberg, the New Jersey Law Journal, The American Lawyer, Law.Com, NJ Biz, and SHRM among others.