In this episode of Lawyers Who Care, host Andrew Samalin speaks with Jennie Woltz, co-founder of Woltz & Folkinshteyn in Stamford, Connecticut. Jennie works with both employers and employees across a broad range of employment and labor law matters, helping businesses de-risk their HR functions, reduce litigation exposure, and build workplace cultures where people can thrive.

Jennie shares how a background in anthropology and an early interest in people and culture eventually led her away from complex commercial litigation and toward labor and employment law — the closest thing, she says, to being an anthropologist in a professional setting. She breaks down the employment risks that catch most employers off guard, from retaliation and leave administration to wage misclassification, and explains why proactive legal counsel almost always saves more than reactive litigation.

She also describes how she and her partner launched their firm during the COVID-19 pandemic and responded to the crisis by creating an entirely new legal services model — the Employment Law Co-op — designed to help nonprofits and essential service providers stay compliant with a rapidly shifting body of new laws in real time.

Topics covered:

From anthropology major to labor and employment attorney
The most overlooked legal risks employers face
Discrimination, retaliation, wage and hour, and leave administration
Why proactive employment law counsel prevents costly disputes
Launching a firm during COVID and building a new legal services model
The Employment Law Co-op and how it protected nonprofits during the pandemic
Why AI is not a substitute for trusted legal advice

Connect with Jennie Woltz:

Email: jwoltz@wfpclaw.com

Phone: (203) 276-0792