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At a Glance
| Founded by | Kenneth J. Katz and Michael W. Melinger; the firm states it has practiced for more than 10 years in employment law, civil litigation, and commercial collections (per the firm) |
| Focus | Employment law and civil litigation, with a mixed practice representing both employees and employers, alongside a separate commercial collections and judgment enforcement practice (per the firm; see disclosure below) |
| Office | 370 Lexington Avenue, Suite 1512, New York, NY 10017 (Midtown Manhattan) |
| Signature results | Firm states it has settled or recovered more than $15 million for clients across its employment, business, and collections matters combined, including a $750,000 commercial judgment recovery from a tenant who attempted to shield assets (per the firm) |
| Distinctive edge | An unusually broad-spectrum litigation shop: the same firm that negotiates a severance increase for a laid-off employee also enforces judgments and collects commercial debts for businesses (per the firm) |
| Fee model | Free initial consultations; fee structure varies by matter type and is not published in full, prospective clients should confirm directly |
| Known for | Severance negotiations, whistleblower matters, workplace discrimination and harassment claims, and commercial debt collection and judgment enforcement (per the firm) |
Katz Melinger occupies an unusual position in the New York employment law market: it is not a single-sided plaintiff or defense shop, but a firm that, by its own description, has represented “employers, employees, businesses, and individuals” for more than a decade, while running a separate and substantial commercial collections and judgment enforcement practice alongside its employment docket.
Origin and Background
The firm was built by founding principal Kenneth J. Katz alongside Michael W. Melinger, and its own LinkedIn profile describes more than ten years of “rigorous and effective advocacy for employers, employees, businesses, and individuals throughout New York City, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Westchester County and surrounding areas, and northern New Jersey.” That two-sided description is worth stating plainly rather than smoothing over: some of the firm’s own marketing pages describe its employment practice as “employee-side,” while its LinkedIn profile, Better Business Bureau listing, and Super Lawyers firm page describe a broader practice that also serves employers and businesses. Awesome Attorneys discloses this directly rather than resolving the discrepancy in either direction, consistent with treating mixed representation as a disclosed fact rather than a suppressed one.
What Makes This Firm Structurally Different
The firm’s defining structural feature is the breadth of what sits under one roof: employment law (for both sides of the employer-employee relationship, according to the firm’s own broader descriptions), general civil and business litigation, real estate matters, and a dedicated commercial collections and judgment enforcement practice. That last piece is unusual for a firm this size to maintain as a standing practice area rather than referring it out, and the firm’s own case results page leads with exactly that kind of matter — recovering $750,000 from a commercial tenant who had attempted to shield assets after defaulting on a ten-year lease.
Practice Areas
- Employment discrimination and harassment
- Severance negotiations
- Whistleblower representation
- Wage and hour disputes
- Commercial litigation and contract disputes
- Commercial collections and judgment enforcement
Track Record
The firm states it has settled or recovered more than $15 million for clients across its combined practice areas. Cited matters include a 15% severance increase plus extended health coverage negotiated for a laid-off employee, a whistleblower claim settled without litigation on behalf of a client who was demoted after refusing to falsify safety documents and reporting violations, and the $750,000 commercial judgment recovery described above. These figures span employment, business, and collections matters together rather than being broken out by practice area, and Awesome Attorneys did not independently verify each underlying figure against court dockets. Past results in any matter do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future matter.
Client Voice
Client reviews on the firm’s own site and third-party platforms are largely positive: one client wrote that Kenneth Katz “was clear and concise and responded to all of my inquiries right away,” while another, describing an employment arbitration matter, called the legal team’s “level of expertise and knowledge… very impressive.” A separate reviewer noted the firm represented them as a defendant in a commercial contract dispute, a useful reminder that the firm’s litigation docket runs in more than one direction. These are firm-published or platform-hosted reviews rather than independently sourced or verified accounts, and Awesome Attorneys treats them accordingly.
Beyond the Courtroom
Attorneys at the firm, including Nicole D. Grunfeld and Adam J. Sackowitz, are named alongside Katz on the firm’s attorney roster with practice areas spanning employment, business litigation, and creditor-debtor rights, reflecting the firm’s stated approach of building long-term client relationships across matter types rather than handling a single transaction and moving on; several client reviews describe having used the firm “multiple times” over the years for different needs.
Recognition
Katz Melinger PLLC has three attorneys named to the Super Lawyers or Rising Stars lists, per Super Lawyers’ own firm profile, with practice-area recognition spanning Employment & Labor, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation, and Creditor-Debtor Rights. New York does not maintain a formal board-certification system for employment law comparable to Texas’s TBLS, so Awesome Attorneys does not apply “specialist” language to any attorney at this firm on that basis; the credentials above are peer-nomination rankings, not government-conferred certifications.
New York Legal Backdrop
Employment discrimination and harassment claims in New York can generally be brought under the New York State Human Rights Law (Executive Law § 296) and the New York City Human Rights Law (NYC Administrative Code § 8-107). Following a 2023 amendment effective February 15, 2024, most NYSHRL discrimination and retaliation claims carry a three-year statute of limitations, matching the NYCHRL’s three-year window for civil actions (NYC Admin. Code § 8-502). Commercial judgment enforcement in New York is separately governed by Article 52 of the New York Civil Practice Law and Rules (CPLR), which generally allows a money judgment to be enforced for twenty years from entry. None of this is legal advice; a specific employment or commercial matter should be evaluated by a licensed New York attorney based on the actual facts and filing deadlines involved.
Awesome Attorneys Assessment
Katz Melinger’s clearest differentiator is genuine practice breadth: an employment and civil litigation firm that also runs a real commercial collections and judgment enforcement practice, useful for a client who may need more than one kind of representation over time. The honest limitation is exactly the flip side of that breadth: unlike firms built exclusively around plaintiff-side employee advocacy, Katz Melinger’s own marketing materials describe representing both employers and employees, which means an employee choosing this firm should confirm directly, before engagement, whether the firm has represented or currently represents any employer relevant to their specific dispute. For an individual or small business that wants one firm capable of handling an employment matter, a commercial dispute, and judgment enforcement without having to engage separate counsel for each, Katz Melinger’s combined practice is a reasonable one to have on a shortlist; an employee seeking a firm whose institutional loyalty runs exclusively to workers may prefer one of the plaintiff-only firms also profiled in this directory.
Methodology and Sourcing
This profile was researched from Katz Melinger’s own website (katzmelinger.com), including its about, case results, attorney roster, and advantage pages, cross-referenced against the firm’s LinkedIn company profile, Better Business Bureau listing, and Super Lawyers firm profile.
Publisher Disclosure and Independence Notice
Awesome Attorneys is an independent legal directory and editorial publication. This profile was not paid for, commissioned, or reviewed by Katz Melinger PLLC prior to publication. Awesome Attorneys does not endorse, recommend, or warrant any profiled firm, and inclusion in this directory is not a paid placement. “Awesome Attorneys” is a brand name only and does not constitute a rating or ranking claim. Facts stated are current only as of this profile’s research date.