Nicole Lancia

Nicole Lancia is Of Counsel in the firm’s New York City office, where she is a member of the Labor Relations practice group.  She represents management in traditional labor matters, including litigation in federal and state courts as well as before administrative tribunals such as the National Labor Relations Board.  Nicole’s practice focuses on providing advice and counsel to unionized and non-unionized employers, tailored to the individual needs and interests of each client.

Prior to joining Jackson Lewis, Nicole spent her career in public service as an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board and the U.S. Department of Labor.  After graduating from Georgetown University Law Center, Nicole joined the National Labor Relations Board’s Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation Branch in Washington, D.C.  For six years, she wrote appellate briefs and presented oral argument in federal circuit courts of appeals on various issues, including pretextual discharges, coercive interrogations, unilateral changes in terms and conditions of employment, and the propriety of presidential Board appointments under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act.  In 2016, Nicole returned to her native New York in the NLRB’s Region 2 office as an integral part of the trial litigation team in McDonald’s USA, A Joint Employer.  She also investigated numerous unfair-labor-practice charges, conducted representation elections, drafted settlement agreements, and ensured compliance with notice-posting, reinstatement, and backpay remedies.  In 2020, Nicole joined the Contempt, Compliance, and Special Litigation Branch, where she handled contempt proceedings in the D.C. Circuit, worked on district court subpoena enforcement and bankruptcy matters, and provided internal guidance on whether a lawsuit involving New York Labor Law was pre-empted by the National Labor Relations Act.  

From 2022 to mid-2024, Nicole expanded her knowledge of federal labor law as a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Labor, New York Solicitor’s Office.  There, she primarily litigated workplace safety and health claims before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission, as well as Fair Labor Standards Act cases involving child labor, minimum wage, and overtime violations in the New York and Puerto Rico federal district courts.  

Outside of her professional commitment to labor-management relations, Nicole works tirelessly to advance DEI initiatives as Chair of the Phi Beta Kappa New York Chapter’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, participates on the NYSBA’s Committee on Workplace Rights and Responsibilities, and regularly presents CLE webinars with the New York State Bar Association, City Bar Association of New York, and Practicing Law Institute on topics such as AI in the workplace, effective oral argument, and implicit bias and bullying. 

Honors and Recognitions

• U.S. Department of Labor, Public Service Recognition Award for Enforcement and Litigation, New York Solicitor’s Office Wage and Hour TRO Team (2023) 
• National Labor Relations Board, Certificate of Commendation for Use of Bilingual Skills (2018-2020)
• National Labor Relations Board, Certificate for Conspicuous Achievement in Litigation Preparation and Execution for McDonald’s USA (2016)

Pro Bono and Community Involvement

• Habitat for Humanity, Global Village Volunteer 
• Hand in Hand Ministries, Volunteer 
• National Black Law Students Association, Moot Court Judge

Speeches

• “The Supreme Court and Affirmative Action: Fairness or Failure?”, Phi Beta Kappa New York Chapter (New York, NY February 2024) (moderator)
• “AAPIs in the Labor Movement: A (Work)Force to Be Reckoned With,” Phi Beta Kappa New York Chapter (New York, NY, May 2023) (moderator)
• “Community, Diversity, and Engagement,” Phi Beta Kappa Trennial Council Meeting (Virtual, August 2021) (presenter)
• “The Art of Oral Argument,” City Bar Association of New York (New York, NY, January 2021) (presenter)
• “The Art of Lawyering During and After the Pandemic: Keeping Your Composure While Dealing With Biases and Bullying,” Practicing Law Institute (New York, NY, October 2020) (panelist)
• “‘Employing’ AI: Explaining AI, Algorithmic Bias, and the Workplace,” New York State Bar Association (New York, NY, March 2020) (panelist)

Published Works

• “New Rule, New York: A Bifocal Approach to Discipline and Discrimination,” 22 GEO. J. LEGAL ETHICS 949 (July 2009) (Comment) [Author]
• “The Entrance, Emergence, and Eradication of Blackness in Mexico, 2007 GEO. U. MENTIS VITA (SOC.SCI. & INT’L REL.) 120 [Author]
• “The Color of Oppression: Race and Discourse,” 2 EUDAIMONIA: GEO. PHIL. REV. 59 (2005) [Author]
• “Ethnic Politics in Nigeria: The Realities of Regionalism,” National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Capital Scholar (2005) (Online Article) [Author]