Joseph Gallagher is a partner in Harris St. Laurent & Wechsler’s Employment and Commercial Litigation groups. He represents individuals and business entities in a wide variety of commercial disputes, and his employment practice focuses on advising high net-worth individuals on their onboarding and separation agreements, restrictive covenants, and in partnership disputes. He has particular experience helping clients navigate matters in the financial services sector.
Notable Litigation Matters
Mr. Gallagher regularly represents clients in state and federal court, in arbitration, in mediation, and in private negotiations. His notable matters include:
i) Representing, in the Delaware Court of Chancery, a UK-based military communications technology company and its owner against the company’s key hardware supplier in litigation over exclusive sales rights and board composition issues.
ii) Representing a group of former employees of a high-profile failed bank in litigation seeking unpaid compensation, and defending a client group leader from the same bank in a federal securities fraud lawsuit.
iii) Representing 42 former employees of BuzzFeed in arbitration and litigation against the company in a dispute arising out of BuzzFeed’s disastrous de-SPAC transaction at the end of 2021.
iv) Representing, with David Wechsler, a high-profile activist investor in arbitration against his former business partner over significant break-up payments.
v) Representing a leading metaverse company in a variety of commercial and employment disputes in New York state court and in arbitration.
Mr. Gallagher also regularly advises high-ranking employees regarding restrictive covenants and compensation disputes.
Education
Mr. Gallagher graduated from Williams College, phi beta kappa, in 2003, and from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2008.
Admissions
Mr. Gallagher is admitted to practice in the State of New York, the S.D.N.Y., and the E.D.N.Y.
Updated Sep 2024
