Michael Lebowich '94 (ILR)

Michael Lebowich ’94 (ILR) is a partner in Proskauer’s labor and employment law department and co-head of the labor-management relations group. He represents and counsels employers on a wide range of labor and employment matters, with a particular interest in the field of traditional labor law.

Michael acts as the primary spokesperson in collective bargaining negotiations, regularly handles grievance arbitrations, assists clients in the labor implications of corporate transactions, and counsels clients on union organizing issues, strike preparation, and day-to-day contract administration issues. He also has significant experience in representation and unfair labor practice matters before the National Labor Relations Board.

His broad employment law experience includes handling of race, national origin, gender, and other discrimination matters in state and federal court. A significant amount of his practice is devoted to counseling clients regarding the application and practical impact of the full range of employment laws that affect employers, including all local, state, and federal employment discrimination statutes, the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and state labor laws.

Michael has substantial experience in a wide variety of industries, including entertainment, broadcasting, newspaper publishing and delivery, utilities, and lodging. He represents such clients as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Daily News, ABC, the New York City Ballet, the New York City Opera, the ASPCA, Pacific Gas and Electric, Host Hotels and Resorts, and The Broadway League (as well as many of its theater owner and producing members). Michael also has significant public sector experience representing, among others, the City of New York and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

Michael has regularly guest lectured at Columbia Business School, the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, the New York University Tisch School for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management, and is a board member of the Cornell School of Industrial & Labor Relations Alumni Association.