Rachel Demarest Gold is a Partner at Abrams Fensterman LLP where she practices with the Firm’s Labor and Employment, Criminal, and Government Litigation, Law and Policy practice groups.
Ms. Gold is a subject matter expert in:
- Labor and Employment Law
- State and Federal Labor Regulations
- Criminal Labor Prosecutions
- Workforce Policy and Development Issues
She contributes regularly to both written publications and network television. Her diverse practice focuses on defending employers against State and Federal labor and employment claims, including those before:
- New York State Division of Human Rights
- NYS Labor Department
- NYS Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board
- NYS Workers’ Compensation Board
- NYS Department of State
- New York City Commission on Human Rights
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- National Labor Relations Board
In addition to her work before regulatory bodies, Ms. Gold represents employers in State and Federal Court litigation, provides training, and conducts internal complaint investigations. She also works with industry organizations to develop and promulgate their legislative agendas.
Ms. Gold started her career as a prosecutor in the Office of the Bronx District Attorney and, after a turn as an in-house counsel and working with and for the State Legislature, returned to prosecuting in 2007 as an Assistant Attorney General for New York State. There she led the development of a labor crimes unit built in response to then-new legislation establishing criminality in the exploitation of workers, and prosecuted theft on government contracts.
When the Attorney General became Governor in 2011, Ms. Gold was appointed Special Counsel for Labor and served as the Deputy Commissioner for Legislation, Policy, and Federal Affairs at the New York State Department of Labor.
Amongst her responsibilities at the Labor Department, Ms. Gold oversaw all criminal enforcement divisions of the agency which included the Office of Special Investigations, the Unemployment Insurance Division, and the multi-agency Joint Enforcement Task Force. She was responsible for all agency policy as well as legislation effecting Labor Department jurisdictions. Included in her portfolio were also the intergovernmental, outreach, and public speaking operations for the Labor Department.
Ms. Gold joined Abrams Fensterman in 2016.
Ms. Gold 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 earned a BA in Political Science from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.
Ms. Gold 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; and Acting State Chair and Treasurer of the New York State Women’s Equality Party.
She now volunteers her time with the Kings County Democratic Committee’s Law Committee, as Vice Chair of the Labor and Employment Committee of the Brooklyn Bar Association, as a Member of the Workforce Development Committee of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, and as a Member of the Nassau County Bar Association.
Ms. Gold 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.
Bar Admissions
- New York
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
Education
- Brooklyn Law School, Brooklyn, New York, J.D.
- President of the Student Bar Association
- Brooklyn Law Journal of International Law – Notes & Comments Editor
- Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, B.A. in Political Science; Minor in Italian Studies
Published Works and Media
- Interviewed on Yahoo Finance segment titled ‘Starbucks has a problem’: Labor experts evaluate increasingly messy union fight (August 2022)
- Interviewed on Latte with a Lawyer Episode 37 – Helping Employers Keep Up with Rules and Regulations in New York (June 2022)
- Interviewed on Fox5 News NY segment titled “After Roe: Abortion Pills” (June 2022)
- Interviewed on CBS News NY segment titled “Subway Mass Shooting Victim Suing Gun Manufacturer Glock” (June 2022)
- Interviewed on 1010 Wins segment titled “Next Steps in the Legal Process of the Mask Mandate” (April 2022)
- Interviewed on Pix11 News segment titled “Mask Mandate Confusion” (April 2022)
- Interviewed on Fox5 News NY segment titled “New Yorkers must still wear masks on public transit” (April 2022)
- Interviewed on CBS News NY segment titled “Legal expert weighs in on NYC’s vaccine mandate rollback for athletes, performers” (March 2022)
- Interviewed on Fox5 News NY segment titled “NYC vaccine mandate exemption likely to trigger new lawsuits” (March 2022)
- Quoted in Law360 article titled “Process Servers Win Collective Certification In OT Suit” (March 2021)
- Quoted in Newsday article titled “Updated EEOC guidance ‘reminding everyone of what they should be doing anyhow,’ expert says” (July 2020)
- Interviewed in Brooklyn Daily Eagle article titled “With NYC Poised to Reopen, Abrams Fensterman Attorney Explains What Employers Need to Know” (June 2020)
- Author in Brooklyn Daily Eagle article titled “New Developments For Employers During COVID-19” (April 2020)
- Quoted in Law360 article titled “Virus Relief Expands Paid Leave, With Growing Calls For More” (March 2020)
- Quoted in Long Island Business News article titled “What Employers Should be Doing to Prepare for Community Spread” (March 2020)
- Quoted in Crains New York Business article titled ” What to Know About Paid Sick Leave During an Outbreak” (March 2020)
- Quoted in Law360 article titled “Coronavirus Gives New Momentum To Paid Sick Leave Push” (March 2020)
- Quoted in Brooklyn Daily Eagle article titled “Brooklyn Bar Association CLE covers new sexual harassment laws in New York State” (October 2019)
- Contributor, New York State Bar Association, Lefkowitz On Public Sector Labor And Employment Law, 4TH ED., 2019 REVISION (July 2019)
- Quoted in article in Newsday titled “Drug Tests for NUMC Nurses Spur Lawsuit” (July 2018)
- Co-authored article in Best Lawyers Women in the Law edition titled “New York Takes Leave” (June 2018)
- Co-authored article in The Corporate Counselor titled “NY’s Paid Family Leave Program – What Employers Need to Know” (September 2017)
Professional Associations and Memberships
- New York State Bar Association, Member
- Brooklyn Bar Association, Vice Chair of the Labor and Employment Committee, Member
- Brooklyn Women’s Bar Association, Member