Viclaro Research · Atlas recommendation study

The 10 New York City Employment Law (Plaintiff) firms AI assistants recommend most often

We put a versioned panel of buyer-style questions to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity. These ten firms appeared most frequently. Below, the aggregate ranking is paired with the actual questions that produced recommendations and short excerpts showing the surrounding response.

800 eligible responses 780 ranked firms 3,756 firm-response mentions Snapshot NYC-EMP-2026-09-v3.1
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The current top ten

Who appeared—and what buyers were asking

This is a ranking of AI recommendation visibility, not professional quality. A response mention means that an assistant named the firm in an eligible answer. One answer may name several organizations. Prompt wording is shown so each appearance can be interpreted in its original buyer context.

#1

Outten & Golden LLP

Named in 366 of 800 eligible responses (45.8%); named by 4 of 4 assistant families.

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ChatGPT Decision Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“I need an employment attorney in New York City this week. Severance deadline is Tuesday and I'm not signing without representation. Who actually takes on new clients in 48 hours?”
Read the response context

1. Outten & Golden LLP - Known for employee-side representation and quick response times. 2. Phillips & Associates - Specializes in employment law with a focus on discrimination and severance agreements. 3. The Ottinger Firm, P.C. - Offers rapid consultations and is experienced in severance negotiations. 4. Cary Kane LLP - Provides personalized service and is known for handling urgent employment law matters. 5. Wigdo…

Claude Decision Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“I make $19/hour at a New York City retail job. I have a real discrimination case but no money to hire anyone hourly. Who works contingency or pro bono for workers at my pay level?”
Read the response context

**Contingency (they get paid only if you win)** - **Outten & Golden** – Large plaintiff-side employment firm, handles discrimination on contingency for strong cases - **Wigdor LLP** – Aggressive NYC employment discrimination firm, contingency-based - **Shulman Kessler** – Worker-side firm, takes contingency discrimination cases - **Derek Smith Law Group** – High volume plaintiff employment, contingency, NYC-focused -…

Gemini Decision Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“OK I'm ready. Filing a discrimination case in New York City next week. Give me three plaintiff-side employment firms to interview. Mid-career professional, solid documentation, clean fact pattern.”
Read the response context

* **Outten & Golden LLP**: Known for high-profile plaintiff-side employment litigation, including discrimination and class actions. * **Wigdor LLP**: Specializes in representing employees in discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation cases. * **Phillips & Associates**: Focuses exclusively on representing employees in workplace discrimination and harassment lawsuits.

#2

Wigdor LLP

Named in 355 of 800 eligible responses (44.4%); named by 4 of 4 assistant families.

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Claude Decision Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“I need an employment attorney in New York City this week. Severance deadline is Tuesday and I'm not signing without representation. Who actually takes on new clients in 48 hours?”
Read the response context

**Firms/attorneys known for fast intake on severance matters:** **Plaintiff-side employment boutiques (NYC)** - **Wigdor LLP** – aggressive plaintiff firm, high-profile cases, responsive intake - **Outten & Golden** – largest plaintiff employment firm in NYC, dedicated intake team - **Phillips & Associates** – known for quick consultations, high volume intake - **Goddard Law PLLC** – smaller boutique, faster partner …

Perplexity Decision Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“OK I'm ready. Filing a discrimination case in New York City next week. Give me three plaintiff-side employment firms to interview. Mid-career professional, solid documentation, clean fact pattern.”
Read the response context

For a **clean, well-documented NYC discrimination case**, I’d start with these three plaintiff-side firms: **Wigdor LLP**, **Outten & Golden LLP**, and **Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight LLP**.[1][2][3] - **Wigdor LLP** — Widely cited as a top NYC plaintiff-side employment firm and specifically known for high-profile employee discrimination and retaliation cases.[1][4] - **Outten & Golden LLP** — Ranked #1 in the provi…

Gemini Decision Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“Best plaintiff-side employment firms in New York City for tech worker cases — age discrimination layoffs, RTO retaliation, performance-improvement-plan disputes. Who is actually on the side of tech workers here?”
Read the response context

* **Wigdor LLP:** Known for high-profile employment litigation, including discrimination and retaliation, often representing executives and high-level employees. * **Phillips & Associates:** Specializes in employment discrimination, including age discrimination and retaliation, with a strong presence in NYC. * **Outten & Golden LLP:** A leading plaintiff-side firm with extensive experience in class actions and indivi…

#3

Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight

Named in 240 of 800 eligible responses (30.0%); named by 4 of 4 assistant families.

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ChatGPT Decision Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“OK I'm ready. Filing a discrimination case in New York City next week. Give me three plaintiff-side employment firms to interview. Mid-career professional, solid documentation, clean fact pattern.”
Gemini Decision Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“Give me three NYC employment plaintiff firms to interview for my retaliation case in New York City. I want a range — one big-name aggressive firm, one boutique, one that's more relationship-based. Mid-six-figure earner.”
Claude Decision Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“Three plaintiff firms in New York City for sexual harassment in a surgical residency. Female chief resident at a major NYC academic hospital, attending with prior unreported complaints, ACGME implications. Need firms that have handled the medical-training context — not just general SH.”
Read the response context

**Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight** — Deep bench on institutional sex discrimination in professional/academic hierarchies; has handled graduate medical education cases and Title IX/Title VII overlap. **Phillips & Associates** — High-volume NYC plaintiff SH firm; specific experience with hospital and healthcare workplace cases, familiar with the attending-resident power dynamic. **Wigdor LLP** — Strong on high-profile …

#4

Phillips & Associates

Named in 211 of 800 eligible responses (26.4%); named by 4 of 4 assistant families.

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Gemini Decision Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“I need an employment attorney in New York City this week. Severance deadline is Tuesday and I'm not signing without representation. Who actually takes on new clients in 48 hours?”
Read the response context

* **Phillips & Associates:** Known for representing employees in discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination cases, often handling urgent matters. * **Vladeck, Raskin & Clark, P.C.:** A well-regarded firm specializing in employee-side employment law, including severance negotiations. * **Outten & Golden LLP:** Prominent employee rights firm with extensive experience in severance agreements and executive comp…

Perplexity Decision Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“I make $19/hour at a New York City retail job. I have a real discrimination case but no money to hire anyone hourly. Who works contingency or pro bono for workers at my pay level?”
Read the response context

…te firm.[1][2][8][11] **Firms that explicitly say they handle NYC employment/discrimination cases on contingency:** - **Phillips & Associates** — New York employment/discrimination firm that says it offers free consultations and takes cases on a contingency fee basis.[3][12] - **Mizrahi Kroub** — NYC employment lawyer firm that says it handles employment claims on contingency with no upfront cost.[17] - **The Bloom F…

Gemini Follow Up Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“Of the firms you just mentioned, which is best for my situation? I'm a 38-year-old finance professional in New York City, retaliation case after I reported my manager, about $90K in lost bonus at stake.”
Read the response context

…know which firms were "just mentioned." For a retaliation case in finance in NYC with $90K in lost bonus, consider: * **Phillips & Associates:** Known for aggressive representation in employment discrimination and retaliation cases in NYC. * **Vladeck, Raskin & Clark, P.C.:** A well-regarded firm specializing in employment law, including whistleblower and retaliation claims. * **Wigdor LLP:** Highly experienced in hi…

#5

Vladeck, Raskin & Clark, PC

Named in 207 of 800 eligible responses (25.9%); named by 4 of 4 assistant families.

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Gemini Decision Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“Best New York City plaintiff firms for age-discrimination cases against bulge-bracket banks. Three names — senior-banker-level, not generalist.”
Read the response context

* **Vladeck, Raskin & Clark, P.C.** – Known for representing senior executives in high-stakes employment and discrimination cases. * **Wigdor LLP** – Prominent firm specializing in high-profile employment discrimination and retaliation cases, often against financial institutions. * **Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP** – National firm with a strong NYC presence, known for representing executives in complex discrimination an…

Gemini Follow Up Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“For the partner-vs-firm case in New York City — which of the firms you named is actually conflict-clear? My firm uses two of the obvious choices for defense work. Who's truly only plaintiff-side and won't have to bow out?”
Read the response context

* **Vladeck, Raskin & Clark, P.C.** - Known for representing individuals in employment disputes, including partners against firms. * **Wigdor LLP** - Specializes in employment law, often representing high-level executives and partners against their former employers. * **Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP** - Focuses on plaintiff-side employment and discrimination cases, including partner disputes.

Gemini Situation Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“I'm a surgical resident at a New York City hospital. An attending has been harassing me for two years. If I report this, my career is over — the surgical world is small. But I can't keep going. Who handles cases like this discreetly?”
Read the response context

* **Vladeck, Raskin & Clark, P.C.** – Known for representing employees in high-stakes workplace disputes, often involving professionals and sensitive issues. * **Wigdor LLP** – Specializes in employment law, including harassment and retaliation, with a strong reputation for handling high-profile and complex cases. * **Phillips & Associates** – Focuses exclusively on employment discrimination and harassment, often rep…

#7

Virginia & Ambinder, LLP

Named in 64 of 800 eligible responses (8.0%); named by 4 of 4 assistant families.

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Gemini Follow Up Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“Will that firm actually take my case? I don't have a million-dollar damages number. New York City, retail worker, wage-and-hour, probably $25K at most. Will they even call me back?”
Read the response context

…ges around $25K, especially since these cases often allow for attorney's fees to be recovered. Consider contacting: * **Virginia & Ambinder, LLP:** Known for representing workers in wage-and-hour class and collective actions. * **Outten & Golden LLP:** Prominent plaintiff-side employment firm, handles a range of worker disputes including wage claims. * **Leeds Brown Law, P.C.:** Focuses on employment law, including u…

ChatGPT Decision Listed #2 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“We're 40+ workers at a New York City restaurant group with a wage and tip case. Who in NYC actually handles big wage-and-hour collective actions on contingency? Need firms with the resources to run this.”
Read the response context

1. **Outten & Golden LLP** - Known for representing employees in large wage-and-hour class and collective actions. 2. **Virginia & Ambinder, LLP** - Specializes in labor law and has extensive experience with wage-and-hour litigation. 3. **Joseph & Kirschenbaum LLP** - Focuses on employment law, including significant wage-and-hour cases. 4. **Leeds Brown Law, P.C.** - Experienced in handling complex wage-and-hour disp…

ChatGPT Situation Listed #2 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“I'm an RN at a New York City hospital. Mandatory overtime, 16 hour shifts back to back. We're told if we refuse it's patient abandonment. Three of us want to push back. Who handles healthcare worker cases like this?”
Read the response context

1. **Levy Ratner, P.C.** - Known for representing healthcare workers and unions in labor disputes. 2. **Virginia & Ambinder, LLP** - Specializes in labor law and has experience with overtime and wage issues. 3. **Outten & Golden LLP** - Focuses on employment law, including cases involving overtime and workplace rights. 4. **The Law Office of Christopher Q. Davis** - Handles cases related to employment law, including …

#8

Joseph & Kirschenbaum LLP

Named in 38 of 800 eligible responses (4.8%); named by 4 of 4 assistant families.

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Perplexity Decision Listed #2 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“I need an employment attorney in New York City this week. Severance deadline is Tuesday and I'm not signing without representation. Who actually takes on new clients in 48 hours?”
Read the response context

…e NYC employment firm offering a **free and confidential case review** and a direct line at **(212) 595-6200**.[17] - **Joseph & Kirschenbaum LLP** — Employee-focused firm with a **free intake consultation** and phone intake at **212-688-5640**.[5] - **Cary Kane LLP** — Midtown Manhattan labor/employment firm advertising a **free telephone consultation** at **212.868.6300** and flexible fee arrangements.[2] - **Goldb…

ChatGPT Decision Listed #3 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“We're 40+ workers at a New York City restaurant group with a wage and tip case. Who in NYC actually handles big wage-and-hour collective actions on contingency? Need firms with the resources to run this.”
Read the response context

…*Virginia & Ambinder, LLP** - Specializes in labor law and has extensive experience with wage-and-hour litigation. 3. **Joseph & Kirschenbaum LLP** - Focuses on employment law, including significant wage-and-hour cases. 4. **Leeds Brown Law, P.C.** - Experienced in handling complex wage-and-hour disputes for employees. 5. **Pechman Law Group PLLC** - Recognized for their work in wage theft and tip misappropriation ca…

ChatGPT Follow Up Listed #3 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“Will that firm actually take my case? I don't have a million-dollar damages number. New York City, retail worker, wage-and-hour, probably $25K at most. Will they even call me back?”
Read the response context

…d-hour litigation. 2. **Virginia & Ambinder, LLP** - Specializes in labor law and has experience with wage claims. 3. **Joseph & Kirschenbaum LLP** - Focuses on employment law and wage theft cases. 4. **Leeds Brown Law, P.C.** - Experienced in handling wage-and-hour disputes for employees. 5. **Cary Kane LLP** - Known for representing workers in wage disputes and employment law matters. These firms often take cases w…

#9

Shulman Kessler

Named in 36 of 800 eligible responses (4.5%); named by 1 of 4 assistant families.

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Claude Decision Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“I'm leaving a New York City hedge fund for a competitor. They're threatening to enforce a non-compete and garden leave. Who in NYC defends employees against non-compete enforcement at this level?”
Read the response context

**Top NYC attorneys/firms for high-stakes employee-side non-compete defense:** **Boutiques & Specialists** - **Shulman Kessler** – Dedicated employee-side labor firm, handles executive restrictive covenant disputes - **Vladeck, Raskin & Clark** – Long-standing plaintiff/employee-side firm, strong on executive employment matters - **Wigdore & Bandelow** (Wigdore Law) – Employee-side, handles high-compensation financia…

Claude Follow Up Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“Will that firm actually take my case? I don't have a million-dollar damages number. New York City, retail worker, wage-and-hour, probably $25K at most. Will they even call me back?”
Read the response context

…ons or high-dollar individual cases. Your case is real but not their business model. **Who will actually take it:** - **Shulman Kessler** – plaintiff-side wage-and-hour boutique, handles smaller individual cases - **Virginia & Ambinder** – known specifically for NYC wage-and-hour, including retail and restaurant workers - **Pechman Law Group** – focuses on wage theft, takes smaller cases, very responsive - **Joseph &…

Claude Situation Listed #1 in this answer

Question put to the assistant

“I cook at a restaurant in New York City. I work 65 hours a week, get paid a flat $800. No overtime. They keep $4 an hour of our tips. I've been there 3 years. There are 11 of us in the kitchen. Who do we call?”
Read the response context

…okback under NY law (6 years for contract claims).** --- ## Who to Call **Plaintiff-side wage theft firms in NYC:** - **Shulman Kessler** – high-volume restaurant wage theft, class actions - **Maimon Kirschenbaum (Joseph & Kirschenbaum LLP)** – extremely aggressive on NYC restaurant cases specifically - **Virginia & Ambinder** – large hospitality wage class actions - **Fitapelli & Schaffer** – restaurant workers, tip…

Top firm response rate

45.8%

Responses naming the #1 firm

Top 3 mention share

25.6%

Share of all firm-response mentions

Top 10 mention share

45.0%

Share of all firm-response mentions

HHI concentration

3.2

Sum of squared mention shares

Firm × assistant heat map

Each cell is normalized within that assistant: responses naming the firm ÷ eligible responses from that assistant family. Darker cells mean greater within-assistant visibility; raw counts and denominators remain visible.

FirmClaudeChatGPTGeminiPerplexity
#1Outten & Golden LLP 53.5% 107/200 63.0% 126/200 53.5% 107/200 13.0% 26/200
#2Wigdor LLP 56.5% 113/200 27.5% 55/200 71.5% 143/200 22.0% 44/200
#3Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight 27.5% 55/200 36.5% 73/200 47.5% 95/200 8.5% 17/200
#4Phillips & Associates | Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, & Employment Lawyers 37.5% 75/200 6.5% 13/200 41.0% 82/200 20.5% 41/200
#5Vladeck, Raskin & Clark, PC 23.0% 46/200 37.0% 74/200 37.5% 75/200 6.0% 12/200
#6Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP 0.5% 1/200 34.0% 68/200 39.0% 78/200 0.0% 0/200
#7Virginia & Ambinder, LLP 7.0% 14/200 7.0% 14/200 17.0% 34/200 1.0% 2/200
#8Joseph & Kirschenbaum LLP 6.5% 13/200 6.5% 13/200 2.0% 4/200 4.0% 8/200
#9Shulman Kessler 18.0% 36/200 0.0% 0/200 0.0% 0/200 0.0% 0/200
#10Fitapelli & Schaffer 6.5% 13/200 0.5% 1/200 2.0% 4/200 4.0% 8/200
#11Liddle & Robinson 2.0% 4/200 6.0% 12/200 2.0% 4/200 2.0% 4/200
#12Schwartz Perry & Heller LLP 4.0% 8/200 1.0% 2/200 1.0% 2/200 5.5% 11/200
#13Levy Ratner 5.5% 11/200 4.0% 8/200 0.5% 1/200 1.5% 3/200
#14Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP 3.0% 6/200 5.5% 11/200 3.0% 6/200 0.0% 0/200
#15Valli Kane & Vagnini LLP 1.5% 3/200 0.0% 0/200 10.0% 20/200 0.0% 0/200

Firm × buyer-situation heat map

Counts show eligible current-snapshot responses naming each firm within the ranking-layer conversation-state bucket. They are descriptive counts, not buyer-population estimates.

FirmSituationDecisionValidationFollow Up
#1Outten & Golden LLP 90 151 86 39
#2Wigdor LLP 75 164 90 26
#3Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight 52 128 40 20
#4Phillips & Associates | Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, & Employment Lawyers 48 86 53 24
#5Vladeck, Raskin & Clark, PC 60 76 53 18
#6Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP 34 77 20 16
#7Virginia & Ambinder, LLP 21 21 15 7
#8Joseph & Kirschenbaum LLP 5 14 16 3
#9Shulman Kessler 6 16 10 4
#10Fitapelli & Schaffer 3 19 4 —
#11Liddle & Robinson 4 4 16 —
#12Schwartz Perry & Heller LLP 7 6 10 —
#13Levy Ratner 15 7 1 —
#14Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP 11 4 1 7
#15Valli Kane & Vagnini LLP 9 8 3 3

Comparable month-by-month history

Only independent contract-v2 runs using prompt set v3.1 are eligible. Rebuilt snapshots from the same run are deduplicated, and at most one independent run is shown per month.

Only one independent contract-v2 measurement period exists for this prompt-set version; no trend is claimed.

Data-quality audit

  • ✓Atomic Scan Run
  • ✓Builder Contract V2
  • ✓All Four Assistant Families
  • ✓Canonical Firm Response Deduplication
  • ✓Exact Taxonomy Filter
  • ✓Directory And Geographic Filter
  • ✓Resolved Top Firms

Limitations

  • Atlas measures a designed prompt panel, not population-weighted buyer demand, professional quality, outcomes, or market share.
  • Response mention rates are non-exclusive: one response may name several firms.
  • No refusal-rate or qualitative response classification is published without response-level human coding. Current headline findings use audited aggregate events only.
  • Only one independent contract-v2 measurement period exists for this prompt-set version; no trend is claimed.