Dorina Cela

Dorina listens with heart and fights with purpose for employees whose voices have been ignored, dismissed, or silenced.

• Lawdragon 500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers, 2026
• Author, “What Is Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace?”, Lawyer Monthly, 2019
• Member, National Employment Lawyers Association/New York
• Member, New York City Bar Association
• Member, American-Albanian Bar Association

Dorina is a seasoned employee rights attorney at Phillips & Associates and a dedicated advocate for workers who have been mistreated, silenced, discriminated against, harassed, or retaliated against in the workplace. Her work is driven by a deep commitment to fairness, dignity, and equality, and by a firm belief that every employee deserves to be heard, respected, and protected.

Since joining Phillips & Associates in 2014, Dorina has devoted her practice to representing employees in workplace discrimination, sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, gender discrimination, race discrimination, retaliation, hostile work environment, and other employment-related matters. She has advocated for clients in state and federal courts, mediations, arbitrations, and before administrative agencies. Through compassionate, strategic, and relentless representation, Dorina has successfully negotiated and litigated claims on behalf of her clients, prevailed against motions to dismiss and motions for summary judgment, tried cases and arbitrations, and helped secure millions of dollars in recoveries for her clients.

Dorina is committed to representing employees who have experienced sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, gender discrimination, retaliation, and other forms of workplace misconduct. She understands that coming forward can be frightening, deeply personal, and emotionally overwhelming, particularly for employees who understandably fear losing their jobs, reputations, financial security, or sense of safety at work.

Dorina listens with heart, counsels with clarity, and advocates with determination. Her clients often turn to her during some of the most difficult moments of their lives, and she works to ensure they feel supported, informed, and empowered throughout the legal process.

A meaningful part of Dorina’s practice is her advocacy for pregnant employees and working mothers. She represents employees who have been pushed out, denied reasonable accommodations, treated differently after announcing a pregnancy, retaliated against for requesting leave or workplace adjustments, or subjected to bias because of pregnancy, childbirth, or caregiving responsibilities. Dorina is committed to holding employers accountable when they punish women for becoming mothers or force them to choose between their health, their families, and their careers.

Dorina has achieved significant results in matters involving pregnancy discrimination, sexual harassment, race discrimination, public accommodation discrimination, retaliation, and hostile work environment claims. Her work has contributed to important court decisions under federal, state, and city civil rights laws, including cases addressing pregnancy discrimination, the rights of individuals subjected to sexual harassment in medical settings, and the broader protections available to employees under the New York State and New York City Human Rights Laws.

Dorina approaches each case with compassion, focus, and persistence. She understands that every client’s experience is unique, and she takes the time to listen carefully, explain the legal process clearly, and build a strategy tailored to the facts, evidence, and client’s goals. Known for combining empathy with strength, Dorina is both a compassionate counselor and a fierce advocate for employees seeking justice.

After earning her B.A. from Hunter College, where she double majored in political science and psychology, Dorina attended law school to pursue her longstanding passion for human rights advocacy. She earned her J.D. from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, where she received awards recognizing her study of international human rights law and pro bono legal services.

Dorina is fluent in Albanian and is admitted to practice law in New York and Florida, as well as before the U.S. District Courts for the Southern, Eastern, Western, and Northern Districts of New York.

For employees facing harassment, discrimination, retaliation, or abuse of power in the workplace, Dorina brings compassion, strength, and relentless advocacy to the fight for dignity, accountability, and justice.

Pregnant Employees Aren't A Burden

Notable Decisions

Dorina and her team have achieved significant results in employment discrimination, sexual harassment, pregnancy discrimination, retaliation, hostile work environment, and civil rights matters. The examples below reflect court rulings in which claims were allowed to proceed after defendants sought dismissal before trial. Notable matters include:

• Pregnancy discrimination and maternity leave termination: Dorina and her team defeated summary judgment on behalf of a pregnant employee who alleged that she was terminated during maternity leave because of her gender and pregnancy. The court allowed claims for gender discrimination, pregnancy discrimination, failure to provide reasonable accommodation, and employer liability to proceed. The ruling recognized that a jury could question the employer’s stated reasons for termination, including where the employee had worked for years without formal performance discipline and where the employer admitted she would still have been employed if she had not taken maternity leave.
• Pregnancy discrimination and retaliation involving schedule removal and termination: Dorina defeated summary judgment on behalf of a pregnant employee who alleged that she was sent home, removed from the schedule, and ultimately terminated because of pregnancy discrimination and retaliation. The court allowed both claims to proceed, finding that a jury should decide whether the employer’s stated reasons were a pretext for unlawful conduct.
• Sexual harassment in a medical office setting: In a significant public accommodation decision, Dorina and her team obtained a ruling recognizing that patients, not only employees, may bring sexual harassment claims under the New York City Human Rights Law when harassment occurs in a medical office. The decision helped confirm that individuals subjected to sexual harassment in certain public-facing settings may have legal protections beyond the traditional workplace.
• Race discrimination, hostile work environment, and retaliation involving long-term harassment: Dorina and her team defeated a motion to dismiss on behalf of a Black female employee who alleged years of racial harassment, denied promotions, and eventual termination. The court allowed race discrimination, retaliation, hostile work environment, and aiding-and-abetting claims to proceed. The decision also applied the broader amended New York State Human Rights Law standard for hostile work environment claims.
• Race and national origin discrimination involving termination: Dorina and her team partially defeated summary judgment on behalf of a Black woman of Haitian origin who alleged race discrimination, national origin discrimination, hostile work environment, and retaliation. The court allowed key discrimination and retaliation claims to proceed, finding that a jury should decide whether the employer’s stated reason for termination was pretextual.
• Race discrimination and retaliation in education: Dorina and her team partially defeated summary judgment on behalf of an Afro-Latino teacher who alleged race discrimination and retaliation. The court allowed claims against the school district to proceed, finding that a jury could consider evidence of increased scrutiny, unexplained student transfers, and a termination recommendation following the teacher’s discrimination complaint.
• Civil rights discrimination in a public accommodation: Dorina and her team defeated a motion to dismiss on behalf of a Black patron who alleged that he was falsely accused of credit card fraud and removed from a restaurant in front of his young child. The court allowed the patron’s civil rights and state law discrimination claims to proceed.
• Sex discrimination, failure to promote, and retaliation involving a female physician: In litigation involving a female physician who alleged sex-based failure to promote and retaliation, the court allowed key claims to proceed, finding that a jury could consider whether the employer’s stated reasons for denying promotion were pretextual and whether adverse action followed the physician’s harassment complaint.

Dorina’s litigation work reflects both legal skill and human-centered advocacy. She understands that behind every motion, deposition, negotiation, and courtroom argument is a person whose career, dignity, financial stability, and wellbeing are at stake.

Published Articles

• “What Is Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace?”, Lawyer Monthly, 2019

Professional Associations

• National Employment Lawyers Association/New York
• New York City Bar Association
• American-Albanian Bar Association

Admissions

• New York
• Florida
• U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
• U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York