Sharon Parella is a partner in the Financial Services Group of Morrison & Foerster's New York office. Ms. Parella defends employers against discrimination, compensation and breach of contract claims in state and federal courts, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, fair employment practices agencies, arbitrations, mediations, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), and other regulatory agencies. She also has particular expertise in employment issues related to mergers and acquisitions, and significant restructurings and downsizings.
In conjunction with foreign counsel, Ms. Parella advises clients regarding U.S. employees abroad and on the application of U.S. employment laws to expatriate employees in the U.S. On a regular basis, she drafts and negotiates employment, separation, retention and consulting agreements. In addition, Ms. Parella counsels clients on issues of sexual harassment, workplace bullying, discrimination and employee misconduct, and provides training seminars on these and related topics for senior management, executives, human resources professionals, in-house legal counsel and employees. She also regularly advises on investigations of employee complaints of sexual harassment, discrimination and workplace bullying, as well as on whistleblower claims. Ms. Parella is a frequent lecturer and author on legal topics including defending sexual harassment and discrimination claims, and workplace bullying.
Ms. Parella received her B.A. from Barnard College and her J.D. from St. John's University School of Law, where she was Associate Articles Editor of the Law Review. She is admitted to practice in New York, as well as in the United States District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York and the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She is a member of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York.