US
ESMeet Our NYC Employment Lawyers
Fitapelli & Schaffer, LLP is a New York City employment law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of workers nationwide. Our team of partners, associate attorneys, and paralegals has recovered more than $100 million for employees in wage and hour, overtime, discrimination, and wrongful termination cases. Below, meet the attorneys and staff who lead our firm’s practice.
Joseph A. Fitapelli
Partner
Co-founder of the firm, Joseph leads large-scale class and collective wage actions against major national employers and has been repeatedly named to Super Lawyers' list of top New York attorneys.
Brian S. Schaffer
Partner
Co-founder of the firm, Brian is an aggressive class-action litigator who has been appointed class counsel in numerous high-profile wage, harassment, and discrimination cases.
Frank Mazzaferro
Partner
Frank litigates single-plaintiff, collective, and class wage and hour actions, and also represents clients in national consumer class actions.
Armando Ortiz
Partner
Armando represents workers across hospitality, energy, security, construction, health care, and banking in wage and hour and discrimination litigation, and has been a Super Lawyers Rising Star since 2017.
Dana Cimera
Associate
Dana represents employees in wage and hour class actions along with discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and disability accommodation claims.
Hunter Benharris
Associate
Hunter represents employees in wage and hour litigation as well as discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and disability accommodation matters.
David Sack
Associate
David represents clients in wage and hour class actions and related employment disputes, including discrimination and retaliation claims.
Katherine Bonilla
Associate
Katherine represents workers in wage and hour class actions and has handled discrimination and harassment matters before the EEOC and NYS Division of Human Rights.
Molly Lakis
Paralegal
A fluent Spanish speaker, Molly supports the firm's investigations and serves as a translator for Spanish-speaking clients.
Nicole D'Apice
Administrative Assistant
Nicole supports case research, data entry, and client correspondence to help keep matters on deadline.
Dianni Rodriguez
Administrative Assistant
A native Spanish speaker, Dianni serves as a primary liaison between the firm and its Spanish-speaking clients.
Kellee Beck
Administrative Assistant
Kellee supports daily office operations and serves as a point of contact between attorneys and clients throughout discovery.
Rose Trinidad
Administrative Assistant
Rose supports office operations including translation, correspondence, and client files, and serves as a fluent Spanish-language liaison for clients.
Steven Mitchell Sack
Of Counsel
For nearly 40 years, Steven has advised employees and executives on severance, contracts, and discrimination claims, and has authored 19 books on workplace rights.
Why Choose Our NYC Employment Law Firm
- Decades of combined experience exclusively in employment law
- Over $100 million recovered for employees nationwide in wage and hour, discrimination, and wrongful termination cases
- Free consultations and contingency-fee representation
- Recognized by Super Lawyers and national legal media
- Direct attorney access — no call centers, no case-runners
Bar Admissions, Law School & Case Focus
| Attorney | Bar Admissions | Law School / Degree | Case Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph A. FitapelliPartner | NY State; S.D.N.Y., E.D.N.Y., W.D.N.Y.; 2nd Cir. | New York Law School (J.D.); B.A. English cum laude, St. Francis College | Large-scale wage & hour class/collective actions; consumer class actions |
| Brian S. SchafferPartner | NY State; S.D.N.Y., E.D.N.Y., N.D.N.Y., W.D.N.Y.; 2nd Cir. | New York Law School (J.D., Dean's List); B.A. Philosophy, Politics & Law, Binghamton University | Class/collective wage & hour actions; sexual harassment, discrimination, wrongful termination |
| Frank MazzaferroPartner | NY State; S.D.N.Y., E.D.N.Y. | New York Law School (J.D.); B.A. Communications, SUNY Fredonia | Wage & hour class/collective actions; consumer class actions |
| Armando OrtizPartner | NY, MA, FL; multiple federal districts (S.D.N.Y., E.D.N.Y., N.D.N.Y., D. Mass., S.D./M.D. Fla., D. Colo., D.N.D., W.D. Ark.) | Suffolk University (J.D., cum laude); B.A., Boston College | Wage & hour across hospitality, energy, security, construction, health care, banking; discrimination/harassment/retaliation; TCPA, False Claims Act, ERISA |
| Dana CimeraAssociate | NY, NJ; S.D.N.Y., E.D.N.Y. | New York Law School (J.D.); B.S. Finance, Rutgers University Business School | Wage & hour class/collective actions; discrimination, harassment, retaliation, disability accommodation, FMLA, breach of contract |
| Hunter BenharrisAssociate | NY; S.D.N.Y., E.D.N.Y. | Brooklyn Law School (J.D.); B.A. Political Science, Penn State University | Wage & hour class/collective actions; discrimination, harassment, retaliation, disability accommodation |
| David SackAssociate | NY | Touro Law Center (J.D.); B.A. Information Management & Technology magna cum laude, Syracuse University | Wage & hour class/collective actions; discrimination, harassment, retaliation |
| Katherine BonillaAssociate | NY; S.D.N.Y. | Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law (J.D.); B.A. Political Science & Global History cum laude, John Jay College | Wage & hour class/collective actions; discrimination, harassment, retaliation |
| Steven Mitchell SackOf Counsel | NY | Boston College Law School (J.D.); B.A. magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, SUNY Stony Brook | Severance negotiation, executive contracts, discrimination, wage and hour |
Track Record of Results
Our attorneys have secured record-setting verdicts and settlements for workers across industries, from retail and restaurant employees to bank loan officers and airline staff. Below are examples of recent case results.