Morristown, NJ employment law attorney Claudia Reis talks about her approach to handling age discrimination cases. She explains that age discrimination cases can often involve a level of subtlety not typically seen in other types of discrimination cases. For instance, an employer might include a disproportionate number of older employees in a layoff. At first glance, it may appear routine—“I was laid off along with 30 other people”—but uncovering the pattern requires careful analysis.

Her approach is methodical. She examines what occurred in the workplace leading up to the alleged discrimination, but she does not stop there. She also investigates what happened after her client was terminated to understand how the workplace has evolved and continues to evolve. This includes reviewing promotions, hires, raises, terminations, layoffs, and the ages of both employees and decision-makers.

In particular, she focuses on the aftermath of layoffs: whether jobs are eliminated or if, after a few months, younger employees are hired for the same positions. She has observed a common practice where employers lay off older employees, then later repost the same positions under new titles with identical duties, often filled by younger workers.

Handling these cases requires patience, attention to detail, and investigative skill. By carefully piecing together the facts and observing patterns over time, she can build a comprehensive understanding of potential age discrimination in the workplace.