Jesse S. Weinstein

• Law Dragon 500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers, 2026
• Super Lawyers Rising Star Selectee, 2018-Present
• Member of the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forums
• Best of the Best Top 10 Labor Law Attorney
• The National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40, 2020
• Top 50 Jury Verdicts, Labor & Employment, 2022
• Lawyers of Distinction, Employment Law, 2021-2023
• New York State Bar Association, Committee on Veterans, Honor Roll, 2025
• Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch, 2026

Jesse Weinstein is a New York City-based employment lawyer and trial attorney, and a Partner at Phillips & Associates, where he represents employees and executives in sexual harassment, discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, and other high-stakes employment litigation.  He is known for combining strategic legal acumen with empathy and tenacity. His path to law was unconventional: after dropping out of high school, he enlisted in the United States Navy, serving four years as an Operations Specialist. Inspired during his service, he returned to education, earning an undergraduate degree from Pace University and a law degree from American University Washington College of Law.

Jesse began his career as an Assistant District Attorney in the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office, gaining extensive trial experience as first-chair counsel in jury and bench trials, and leading complex investigations and grand jury presentations. Since joining Phillips & Associates, he has secured nearly $50,000,000 in settlements for clients ranging from minimum wage workers to Fortune 500 executives, including high-profile individuals in the entertainment, financial services, healthcare, media, and technology industries throughout New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Jesse’s practice focuses on sexual harassment and assault, workplace discrimination, whistleblower retaliation, executive employment disputes, and complex trial litigation in state and federal courts.

Jesse has also developed a growing practice representing employees challenging the use of artificial intelligence, algorithmic decision-making, electronic surveillance, and other emerging workplace technologies that are used to discriminate against, monitor, or retaliate against employees.

Some of Jesse’s notable results include:

• A $2,000,000 settlement on behalf of an associate at a major financial institution involving claims of grooming, workplace sexual harassment, retaliation, and constructive discharge.
• A $5,250,000 settlement on behalf of a Big Law equity partner involving quid pro quo sexual harassment, whistleblower retaliation, and tortious interference.
• A $1,300,000 settlement on behalf of an HR executive against a publicly held financial institution for race discrimination and whistleblower retaliation.
• A $1,000,000 settlement on behalf of a managing director at a consulting firm who was terminated after reporting systemic unethical billing practices.
• A $1,500,000 settlement involving allegations of sexual assault and quid pro quo sexual harassment against a C-suite executive at a major New York City company.
• A $2,100,000 whistleblower retaliation settlement on behalf of an executive at a highly technical financial institution who was wrongfully terminated after raising concerns that his employer was misleading the government.
• Additional notable results include a $740,000 settlement on behalf of a Fortune 50 executive subjected to disparate treatment and tokenization on the basis of race; an $800,000 settlement on behalf of a pharmaceutical company executive wrongfully terminated based on age; settlements of $675,000, $535,000, and $400,000 against three separate major New York City financial institutions involving sexual assault and sexual harassment; and a $325,000 whistleblower settlement that resolved on the first day of trial.
• Most recently, Jesse tried a race discrimination case to unanimous verdict in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. In Pardovani v. Crown Building Maintenance Co. and Jazz at Lincoln Center, Inc. (15-CV-09065), the jury awarded $1,800,000 in damages and over $250,000 in attorneys’ fees after hearing evidence that the plaintiff was repeatedly subjected to racial slurs by non-Black supervisors.
• A $385,000 settlement on behalf of an HR executive at a large financial institution involving claims of whistleblower retaliation after raising concerns about wage and hour compliance issues.
• A $280,000 settlement on behalf of a Department Head on a major television production involving claims of race discrimination and sexual harassment.
• A $267,000 settlement on behalf of a Senior Vice President at a major financial institution involving claims of whistleblower retaliation after reporting inflated revenue statistics in disclosures to the government.
• A $400,000 settlement on behalf of a customer of a large bank involving claims of sexual harassment after being inappropriately touched and sexually propositioned by a branch manager.
• A $500,000 settlement on behalf of a music executive at a major record label involving claims of race discrimination, breach of contract, and wrongful termination.   
• A $400,000 settlement on behalf of a C-suite executive at a defense contracting firm involving claims of whistleblower retaliation after reporting concerns of bribery of government officials to superiors and the board of directors.
• A $338,000 settlement on behalf of a managing director at a global financial institution involving claims of pregnancy and caregiver discrimination following retaliation upon returning from maternity leave.

Jesse considers himself a "shape shifter," adapting his litigation strategy to the unique facts of each case through meticulous investigation, witness development, creative motion practice, and relentless trial preparation.

Having represented numerous clients in nationally recognized matters, Jesse has been quoted in leading media outlets, including The New York Post, CNN, AP News, NBC News, ABC News, Rolling Stone, BBC, and People Magazine, and has appeared on national and international television discussing significant developments in employment law. He also regularly appears on legal and business podcasts to discuss emerging workplace issues, including evolving culture on production sets, employment trends within large organizations, the impact of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in the workplace, and practical strategies for building legally compliant, respectful, and high-performing workplace cultures.

Beyond his litigation practice, Jesse is deeply committed to mentoring younger attorneys and developing the next generation of trial lawyers. He believes exceptional advocacy begins with preparation, integrity, and collaboration, and he is passionate about helping employers and employees alike create healthier workplace cultures. As a parent of two, Jesse remains committed to advancing fairness, accountability, and dignity in the workplace for current and future generations.

In the Media

• Blake Lively v. Justin Baldoni Legal Battle Sparks another Bitter Lawsuit, Page Six
• Ex-Daily Mail Reporter Sues Paper Over 'Retaliation' After Being Fired for Covering Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni Case, International Business Times UK
• Model who Alleges Kanye West Choked Her tells BBC She Felt 'Suffocated and Scared', The BBC
• 'It was Horrific': La Roux Backs Model Who Claims Kanye West Choked Her During Music Video, Rolling Stone
• Kanye West Accused of Sexually Assaulting and Strangling Model on Music Video Set, New Lawsuit Says, NBC News
• Kanye West Assault Lawsuit: La Roux Allegedly Called Ye's Behavior 'Horrific' in DM to Accuser, Complex
• Kanye West Accuses 'America's Next Top Model' Alum of Attempting to Silence Him with Assault Lawsuit (Exclusive], US Weekly Magazine
• Kanye West Assault Lawsuit: Actor & Model Jenn An Suing Ye Speaks Out, The BBC’s “Fame Under Fire” podcast with Anoushka Mutanda Dougherty
• Jesse Weinstein Interview | NYC Employment Attorney, Former Prosecutor & Navy Veteran on Workplace Rights, “Famous Interviews” podcast with Joe Dimino
• Episode 415. Jesse Weinstein. Employee Rights., “Up Next” podcast with Gabriella Mirobelli
• Where Workplace Risk Starts on Set Featuring Jesse Weinstein, “On Production” podcast with Cameron Woodward
• When Your Boss Asks You Out: Workplace Harassment, Retaliation & Your Rights | Jesse Weinstein, “Cut to the Chase” podcast with Gregg Goldfarb
• President Biden's Private Sector Business Mandate is 'Unprecedented', Daily Mail
• Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky Hit with Discrimination Lawsuit by Ex-Paralegal, The Philadelphia Inquirer
• At Talkspace, Start-Up Culture Collides with Mental Health Concerns, The New York Times
• Leading Employee Rights Advocate Jesse S. Weinstein Earns National Recognition, PR Newswire
• Top Five Employment Law Partners to Watch 2026, Magnate View Magazine, Cover Issue

Published Articles

• Why Whistleblowers Speak Out:  New York Labor Law §740 (NYLL §740), Retaliation Protections, and the Napheesa Collier Moment, Lawyer Monthly Magazine, Cover Issue, December 2025
• What Can We Learn from Harvey Weinstein's Conviction?, Lawyer Monthly Magazine, March 2020
• Law Partners:  A Prosecutor on What His Wife, a Defense Attorney, Taught Him About Justice, The Marshall Project, April 2017