Rachel Demarest Gold

Rachel Demarest Gold is Director of the Firm’s Employment Law Practice.

A former Bronx Assistant District Attorney and Assistant Attorney General, Rachel prosecuted some of the first labor felonies. As NYS Department of Labor Deputy Commissioner and Special Counsel, Rachel oversaw all enforcement divisions of the agency. This included the Office of Special Investigations, the Unemployment Insurance Division, and the multi-agency Joint Enforcement Task Force. Today, Rachel’s singular experiences help to distinguish AF’s Employment Practice from any other. In addition to the litigation and compliance services offered by most firms, AF has unparalleled qualifications for workplace investigations, training, and regulatory agency defense.

Rachel’s career also includes time as in-house counsel to her family’s Brooklyn-based manufacturing business, as a lobbyist, and as staff to elected officials both in the courts and legislature. She brings these experiences to bear on servicing small business clients, helping Chambers of Commerce and other Employer membership organizations shape their government priorities and initiatives, and to add strategic advice to the value we deliver to all the Firm’s clients. Rachel received her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School where she was President of the Student Bar Association and a Notes and Comments Editor for the Brooklyn Journal of International Law. She has a BA in Political Science and Italian Studies from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.

Rachel has a long history of civic service. Former positions include: President, DUMBO Neighborhood Association; Chair, Independent Neighborhood Democrats Executive Board; Member, Brooklyn Bridge Park Local Development Corporation Board; Member, Atlantic Yards Community Development Corporation Board; Member, Oak Island Beach Association Board; and Acting State Chair and Treasurer of the New York State Women’s Equality Party.

She now volunteers her time as Deputy Law Chair of the Kings County Democratic County Committee, Vice Chair of the Labor and Employment Committee of the Brooklyn Bar Association, Member of the Workforce Development Committee of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, and Member of the Nassau County Bar Association.

Rachel has subject matter expertise in:

• Labor and Employment Law
• State and Federal Regulations and Regulatory Agencies
• Criminal Labor Prosecutions
• Workforce Policy and Development Issues

Her diverse practice focuses on defending employers against State and Federal labor and employment claims, including those before the:

• New York State Division of Human Rights
• New York State Labor Department
• New York State Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board
• New York State Workers’ Compensation Board
• New York State Department of State
• New York City Commission on Human Rights
• U. S. Department of Labor
• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• National Labor Relations Board

She is a regular contributor to media outlets, frequent public speaker, and conducts programs that provide both continuing professional education as well as essential information for Employers. Rachel is admitted to practice law in the State of New York, the Eastern District of New York, the Southern District of New York, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court.