James Halter has extensive experience litigating on behalf of clients in federal and state courts and before arbitration panels. His experience covers a wide range of employment-related and general commercial litigation matters. Mr. Halter represents clients in a variety of fields, including wealth management, equity trading, investment banking, private equity, and other financial-services industries.
Mr. Halter routinely counsels individuals and businesses on all aspects of the employment relationship, including negotiating employment contracts, separation agreements, non-compete and non-solicitation agreements, and other employment-related issues. Mr. Halter has successfully represented employees in wrongful termination and defamation claims against their former employers. Mr. Halter has also successfully represented clients in the entertainment industry in matters arising under the Copyright Act and state law for theft of television program pitches. Mr. Halter has also represented corporate clients for breach of contract and employment claims.
Mr. Halter began his career as an Assistant District Attorney in New York where he investigated and prosecuted a wide range of felonies. He then joined the New York office of a large international law firm where he specialized in complex commercial litigation and white-collar criminal litigation. Mr. Halter’s extensive experience includes numerous successful jury and bench trials and arbitrations.
REPRESENTATIVE EXPERIENCE
- Represented hundreds of clients in federal and state courts, as well as in arbitration.
- Successfully represented a FINRA-registered person in a FINRA arbitration against UBS Financial Services for wrongful termination and defamation in connection with a false Form U5.
- Recovered wrongfully-forfeited deferred compensation on behalf of a former employee of Citibank, N.A. in an arbitration before the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR, a division of the American Arbitration Association).
- With respect to an arbitration brought on behalf of an investment bank, defeated multiple attempts that a mortgage lender and servicer filed in both the United States District Courts for the Central District of California and Southern District of New York to avoid the arbitration.
- Negotiated hundreds of employment contracts and separation agreements.
- Successfully represented clients in disputes concerning brokerage accounts.
- Regularly represent clients in FINRA regulatory investigations.
- Successfully represented dozens of clients before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and in federal court regarding claims of discrimination and retaliation.
- Represented writers and originators of a television series in a landmark case in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals regarding breach of an implied promise to pay reasonable compensation for the use their concept, setting the standard for such cases in New York.
- Successfully represented investment bankers in state and federal court concerning breach of contract claims.