Anne Sekel is a zealous advocate for her clients — whether the task at hand is identifying and mitigating employment-related litigation risk or aggressively defending an employer’s most challenging discrimination or other employment and complex commercial claims.
A partner and litigation lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP, Anne is the managing partner of the firm’s New York office.
Anne views herself as an extension of employers’ human resources and in-house legal departments. She steeps herself in her clients’ businesses to ensure that she provides the most tailored and practical advice possible. Anne assists clients with a broad range of complex commercial and employment litigation matters, including employment discrimination and retaliation, trade secrets/non-competes, commercial and financial fraud, breach of contract, and insurance broker professional liability claims. She is a member of the firm’s Business Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Labor & Employment Practices, and has successfully represented clients in all phases of commercial disputes, ranging from pre-litigation dispute resolution through trial or arbitration.
Anne has served in leadership roles within the firm throughout her career, including as the representative of the New York office on the firm’s Associates Committee and then as the committee’s national chair. She also has served on the firm’s Women’s Network and as the Litigation Department’s training partner and the New York Office’s Litigation Department chair.
Representative Experience
- Successfully negotiated favorable settlements of professional liability claims asserted against global provider of risk management, insurance and reinsurance brokerage, and human resources solutions and outsourcing services.
- Has significant trial experience in the Supreme Court of the State of New York and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
- Regularly represents clients in the Superior Court of New Jersey.
Awards and Recognition
- New York Super Lawyers® (2017-2024)
- New York Business Journal’s Woman of Influence (2022)
- New York Super Lawyers – Rising Stars® (2013-2016)
- Foley & Lardner “Carl Hitchner Mentor of the Year” Award (2016)
Community Involvement
- Chair, New York State Bar Association, Commercial and Federal Litigation Section (June 2023 – May 2024)
- Member, Board of Trustees, Loyola School, a co-ed, Jesuit, independent school in Manhattan
Pro Bono
- For more than 15 years, represents Nest Inc., a nonprofit organization that has been a leading advocate for the responsible growth and creative engagement of the artisan and maker economy globally.
- Represented a death row inmate in his post-conviction efforts to have his death sentence vacated.
Presentations and Publications
- Author, “What’s Old is New Again: The DOL’s ‘New’ Proposed Rule on Independent Contractors Returns to a Pre-Trump Test for Worker Classification,” Labor & Employment Law Perspectives, Oct. 17, 2022
- Author, “New Jersey’s ‘Ban’ Against Mandatory Arbitration Provisions Suffers Another Setback,” Labor & Employment Law Perspectives, March 21, 2022
- Author, “ICYMI: New York City Amended Its Fair Chance Act, and the Changes are Significant,” Labor & Employment Law Perspectives, Oct. 4, 2021
- Author, “New York Enacts COVID-19 Vaccination Leave Law,” Labor & Employment Law Perspectives, March 22, 2021
- Author, “DOL Proposes Changes to Financial Reporting Requirements for the Largest and Most Prominent Unions,” Labor & Employment Law Perspectives, Oct. 5, 2020
- Author, “The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (‘CARES Act’): Understanding How its Paycheck Protection Program Incentivizes Employers to Retain or Rehire Employees,” Labor & Employment Law Perspectives, March 30, 2020
- Author, “No Summer Break for New York State’s and New York City’s Anti-Sexual Harassment Protections,” Labor & Employment Law Perspectives, July 16, 2018
- Author, “New York City Mandates Cooperative Dialogue for Accommodation Requests,” Labor & Employment Law Perspectives, April 23, 2018
- Author, “Off-Duty Emails May Be Compensable (or Not),” Labor & Employment Law Perspectives, August 14, 2017
Choosing Substance Over Form: New Jersey Supreme Court Declares That Non-Disclosure Clauses Masquerading as Non-Disparagement Provisions Are Banned
Anne Sekel Comments on New York’s Pay Transparency Measures Against Third Parties
New York “Denies Access” to Employers Seeking Login Credentials for Employee’s Social Media Accounts
Foley Attorneys Named to 2023 New York Metro Super Lawyers and Rising Stars Lists
Anne Sekel Discusses Labor Department’s Upcoming Worker Classification Rule
