Lauren M. Paxton
Prior Experience

Lauren spent her early career as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Delaware, where she investigated and prosecuted criminal and civil cases. During her six-year tenure, Lauren successfully tried to juries both criminal and civil matters, with a focus on federal employment crimes including embezzlement, trade secret theft, and fraud. Lauren also defended the government in employment litigation in federal court.

Lauren then served as Enforcement Counsel with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority in New York. At FINRA, Lauren investigated and arbitrated matters involving employee embezzlement, theft, and regulatory violations in the securities industry.

Before joining Calcagni & Kanefsky, Lauren practiced in the New Jersey office of a regional boutique firm, where she advised on employment issues for mergers and acquisitions, navigated executives and management through employment transitions, served as outside employment counsel to privately held businesses, handled government investigations, and led employment and commercial litigation.

Lauren began her legal career in the New York office of a large national firm, where she focused on commercial litigation and corporate restructuring.

REPRESENTATIVE MATTERS
  • Conducted workplace investigations on behalf of government entities, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations.
  • Represented executives and other senior professionals in internal investigations in a number of industries, including finance, healthcare, professional services, consumer packaged goods, pharmaceuticals, athletics, and food and beverage.
  • Litigated and achieved favorable settlements in compensation and restrictive covenant disputes, on behalf of management and professionals.
  • Represented businesses in state and federal government audits concerning misclassification of independent contractors and other wage and hour issues.
  • Successfully defended employers in federal court litigation concerning claims of sexual harassment and discrimination.
  • Appointed to serve as outside investigative counsel to the Governor of the State of New York, led a team investigating employment complaints in the Executive Chamber.
  • Achieved precedent-setting ruling in appeal of tax discovery issue in employment litigation.
  • Provided general employment compliance counseling and human resource guidance to local, regional, and national organizations.
  • Advised hedge funds, private equity firms, financial advisors, real estate investors, management consulting firms, and a variety of organizations in the blockchain/cryptocurrency industry, on workplace disputes and contentious employee separations.
  • Negotiated employment agreements for executives and other professionals in finance, emerging technologies, consulting, professional services, and healthcare.
  • Advised executives and management on employment issues in mergers and acquisitions, restructuring, and other business transitions.
LEADERSHIP & RECOGNITION

Lauren frequently presents on employment law issues, and she has been quoted in national publications including Newsweek and Forbes magazine.

Lauren is the Past Chair of the Employment Law Section of the New York County Lawyers’ Association (NYCLA).

Lauren has delivered presentations for the Healthcare Businesswoman’s Association Annual Conference, the Society of Human Resource Management Annual Legal Update, and the Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association.

Lauren is a regular panelist in continuing legal education programs hosted by NYCLA, as well as the New York City Bar Association and the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Lauren’s contributions to national publications include the following:

“Employer ‘Hounding’ Worker for His Baby’s Birth Certificate Sparks Debate,” Newsweek (Mar. 9, 2023), available here.

“Impact Of Covid On Civil Rights In Workplace Will Be Focus Of EEOC Hearing,” Forbes (Apr. 27, 2021), available here.

“EEOC Hearing Highlights Covid’s Many Challenges For Companies And Workers,” Forbes (Apr. 28, 2021, available here.

“CFO Job-Hopping: How Much Is Too Much?,” CFO Magazine (Apr. 8, 2021), available here.

Lauren is a published academic writer. Her writings include:

“Networking in the Internet Age,” American Bankruptcy Institute Annual Meeting (2010); and “Take this Cash,” FINalternatives, Hedge Fund and Private Equity News (March 2008), reprinted in Asset Based Financing Journal, Vol. 6., No. 5. (May 2008).

Lauren is an active member of the Brooklyn Law School alumni community, having volunteered for many years with the Dean Jerome Prince Memorial Evidence Competition, the Student Labor and Employment Law Association Alumni Panel, the Mentoring Program, and the Annual Business Boot Camp.