Dorina Cela

Dorina is a seasoned employee rights attorney whose work is driven by a strong passion and commitment to fairness and equality in the workplace.

After earning her B.A., with a double major in political science and psychology, from Hunter College, Dorina chose to attend law school motivated by a longstanding desire to dedicate her career to advocating for human rights. She obtained her J.D. from Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, where she received awards for her study of international human rights law and pro bono legal services.

Since beginning her work as an employee rights advocate with Phillips & Associates in 2014, Dorina has represented clients subjected to workplace discrimination in state and federal courts, mediations, arbitrations, and administrative agencies. Through her compassionate and diligent advocacy, she has negotiated and litigated on behalf of her clients, including through trials and arbitration, successfully opposed motions to dismiss and for summary judgment, and secured millions of dollars in client recoveries. She approaches each matter with the understanding that every client’s experience is unique and that effective representation requires compassion, careful attention, clear communication, and persistence.

Dorina is the author of “What Is Pregnancy Discrimination in the Workplace?” published in Lawyer Monthly in 2019. She is fluent in Albanian and admitted to practice 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. Dorina is a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association/New York, the New York City Bar Association, and the American-Albanian Bar Association.