Rick Ostrove, Esq.
Litigation Partner
(516) 873-9550
Rick Ostrove is principal trial counsel for Leeds Brown Law, P.C. Rick has won numerous jury verdicts including a $15M verdict in a sexual harassment case, one of the largest jury awards to an individual plaintiff in an employment discrimination case. During the same year, he obtained a $5.25M award in a workplace retaliation claim. He has won two other trials with verdicts exceeding $1M as well as numerous other civil rights trials. On three occasions, Rick has appeared in Verdict Search’s publication Top New York Verdicts.
Rick was recognized by the Labor and Employment Law Committee of the Nassau County Bar Association for having “the highest level of character, integrity, professional expertise and leadership in the field of labor and employment law.” For each of the past six years, Rick has been selected to the New York “Super Lawyers” list, as published with the New York Times Magazine. No more than five percent of the lawyers in the state are selected by the research team at Super Lawyers to receive this honor.
After winning a First Amendment trial, United States District Court Judge Joseph F. Bianco published a decision describing Rick as “an experienced lawyer, with almost two decades of experience in employment litigation and extensive trial experience.” Judge Bianco awarded Rick’s client attorneys’ fees “at the high end of the range” based upon the Judge’s “own observations of Ostrove’s abilities over the course of this litigation. In particular, Ostrove’s performance.” The Judge cited a case stating that such rates “are reserved for expert trial attorneys with extensive experience before the federal bar, who specialize in the practice of civil rights law and are recognized by their peers as leaders and experts in their fields.”
United States District Judge Arthur D. Spatt commented that “Mr. Ostrove is one of the premiere trial lawyers in the field [of employment law] and has tried many cases before me. Mr. Ostrove is outstanding.” Similarly, United States District Judge Joanna Seybert, described Rick as having a “marvelous way with juries” and achieving “fantastic results.”
Although his primary practice areas are employment and civil rights law, Rick has extensive experience handling complex litigation, including commercial, estate, and matrimonial litigations. As lead trial counsel in a federal Unfair Competition case, he managed more than a dozen lawyers from four separate law firms; the action involved over fifty deposed witnesses and approximately twenty expert reports. After closing statements, United States District Judge Leonard D. Wexler described the trial performance as “fantastic,” “superb,” and “excellent”. Judge Wexler added in his published post-trial decision, “[t]his case was highly contested and well tried by all counsel. Indeed, the court is hard pressed to recall a trial in which the claims of the parties was so competently and clearly presented by counsel to a jury.”
Rick was lead trial counsel in Quinn v. Nassau County, the first case where a court held that workplace harassment of a municipal employee based on sexual orientation violates the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In a separate case, Manning v. Nassau County, he used this theory to obtain a $1.5M emotional damage verdict.
Rick frequently appears as a speaker on issues involving civil rights. He has appeared on The O’Reilly Factor, Court TV, and other media outlets. One of his trial victories that garnered national attention was featured on ABC’s 20/20. He has lectured about employment law and trial advocacy nearly 50 times including at continuing legal education classes hosted by the New York City, Nassau County, and the Suffolk County Bar Associations.
Rick is the former Chairperson of the Nassau County Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law committee. He is admitted to practice in all State and Federal Courts in New York as well as the United States Supreme Court, and he has successfully argued numerous appeals to the Second Circuit and the New York State Appellate Division.
Rick joined Leeds Brown Law’s predecessor firm in 1996 and became a partner in 2000. Rick graduated seventh in his class from Hofstra University School of Law, where he was a member of the Hofstra Law Review. Rick holds a Bachelor’s Degree of Science in Business Administration from the University at Albany, where he graduated cum laude.
Year Joined Organization
- 1996
Bar Admissions
- New York
- U.S. Supreme Court
- Eastern District of New York
- Southern District of New York
Education
- Hofstra University School of Law, Hempstead, New York
Law Review: Hofstra Review, Member - University of Albany
Bachelor’s Degree of Science
Honors: Cum Laude
Major: Business Administration
Published Works
- Employment Law, Nassau Law Journal
Classes / Seminars Taught
- “Sexual Harassment in the #MeToo Era” – Nassau County Bar Association, Nov. 15, 2018
- “Associational Discrimination in the Employment Context” – Nassau County Bar Association, April 10, 2018
- “Effective Closing Statements – Strategies for Winning” – Nassau County Bar Association, October 30, 2017
- “ADA Direct Threat Defense” – Nassau County Bar Association, February 14 2017
- “Drugs and Alcohol in the Workplace: Marijuana and Other Considerations” – National Business Institute, November 2, 2016
- “Employment Law: 2015 Comprehensive Guide” – National Business Institute – November 4, 2015
- “Basics of Employment Discrimination” – Nassau County Bar Association – April 29, 2015
- “Win at Trial with Persuasive Closing Arguments and PowerPoint Presentations” – New York City Bar Association – Jan. 15, 2014
- “Forging a Path: Dissecting Controversial Health Legislation in the Workplace” – Hofstra University School of Law – Nov. 1, 2013
- “Epilepsy and Employment” – NYU Langone Medical Center: Finding a Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures (FACES) – Sept. 24, 2013
- “Persuade the Judge & Jury in Your Opening & Closing Arguments Using Storytelling, Body Language, PowerPoint & More…” – New York City Bar Association – April 22, 2013
- “Human Resource Law”- Jackson Lewis Breakfast Series – April 11, 2013
- “Human Resource Law: What You Need to Know Now”- National Business Institute – April 17, 2013
- “Jury Selection in State and Federal Court” – Nassau County Bar Association – Mar. 11, 2013
- “Americans with Disabilities Act: Claims by Employees for Reasonable Accommodations; Leaves of Absence; and Ramifications of Disciplinary Proceedings under the Circumstances” – Nassau County Bar Association and Suffolk County Bar Association – Dec. 3, 2012
- “Annual School Law Conference: Americans with Disabilities Act Panel” – Federal Court Bar Association (N.D.N.Y.) – Nov. 29, 2012
- “16-Hour Bridge-the-Gap: Sway the Judge and Jury: Persuasive Opening and Closing Arguments” – New York City Bar Association – December 7, 2011
- “Hot Topics in Employment Discrimination Law”- Nassau County Bar Association and Suffolk County Bar Association – Dec. 5, 2011
- “Basics of Employment Law: Retaliation, Discrimination, and Wage & Hour”- Nassau County Bar Association – Oct. 12, 2011
- “Sway the Judge and Jury: Persuasive Opening & Closing Arguments” – New York City Bar Association – Sept. 29, 2010
- “Roundtable Discussion Regarding Recent Supreme Court Cases” – Nassau County Bar Association Labor and Employment Committee – Jan. 14, 2011
- “Basics of Employment Law” – New York City Bar Association – Dec. 7, 2010
- “16-Hour Bridge-the-Gap: Corporate and Litigation” – New York City Bar Association – Sept. 29, 2010
- “Annual Supreme Court Review: Cases Relevant to Labor & Employment Law” – Nassau County Bar Association – June 8, 2010
- “Technology and the Workplace” Suffolk County Bar Center – Nov. 6, 2009
- “16-Hour Bridge-the-Gap: Corporate & Litigation” – New York City Bar Association – Oct. 16, 2009
- “Dean’s Hour – New Haven Firefighters, Sotomayor & The Supreme Court’s 2009-10 Term” – Nassau County Bar Association Labor & Employment and Civil Rights Committees – Sept. 8, 2009
- “Recent Second Circuit Cases in Employment Law” – Nassau County Bar Association Labor and Employment Committee – Nov. 12, 2014
- “Persuasive Opening and Closing Arguments and Dynamic Presentations” – New York City Bar Association – Nov. 5, 2012
- “Title VII of the Civil Rights Act: Vance v. Ball State and University of Southwestern v. Nassar” – Labor and Employment Relations Association: New York City Chapter – Mar. 13, 2014
- “Effective Trial Techniques: Examining Witnesses & Navigating Objections” – New York City Bar Association – June 11, 2009
- “Olsen et. al. v. County of Nassau et. al.: A Discussion” – Nassau County Bar Association Labor and Employment Committee – Dec. 9, 2008
- “Hot Topics in Labor & Employment Law: Pregnancy Discrimination” – Nassau County Bar Association – May 6, 2008
- “Damages in Employment Law Cases: How to Calculate & Assess the Settlement Value” – New York City Bar Association – Mar. 11, 2008
- “Sexual Harassment Basics” – Nassau County Bar Association – April 19, 2007
- “Employment Discrimination From the Plaintiff’s Perspective” – Zurich Insurance Company – April 12, 2007
- “Valuation of an Employment Discrimination Case” – Nassau County Bar Association – Dec. 12, 2006
- “Adverse Employment Action and Title VII” – Nassau County Bar Association – Oct. 2006
- “Fundamentals of Employment Law” – New York City Bar Association – Aug. 9, 2006
- “Employment Law” – Suffolk County Bar Association – June 6, 2006
- “Gender Discrimination: Differences Between Private and Public Sector” – New York City Bar Association – May 23, 2006
- “Employment Discrimination” – Long Island Associates of Assistant Superintendants for Personal – Dec. 10, 2003
- “Age Discrimination” – The Greens at Half Hollow – Jan. 10, 2007“Recent Cases in Gender Litigation” – The Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (GenderPAC) – May 18, 2001
- “Recent Developments & Hot Topics in Employment Law” – New York County Bar Association – July 19, 2007
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