Laura H. Harshbarger

Laura is chair of Bond's labor and employment practice. She was named Lawyer of the Year in 2023 by Best Lawyers in America® for management-side employment law in the Syracuse area and continues to be listed in New York Super Lawyers®. 

Laura strives to be actively engaged with her clients, taking the time to understand each organization’s unique needs and goals, and providing tailored, practical advice.

Laura counsels employers engaged in a wide variety of industries, including higher education, public school education, manufacturing, service and financial sectors, nonprofits and health care. With a practice that includes all aspects of labor and employment law, Laura counsels employers with respect to day-to-day human resources management, as well as specific issues concerning:

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL)

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) New York Labor Law

In the case of higher education, Laura advises colleges and universities with respect to Title IX (policy development, sexual harassment and sexual misconduct investigations and hearings), as well as accommodating students with disabilities pursuant to Title II and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. She represents colleges and universities in Office for Civil Rights (OCR) investigations and in federal and New York state court litigation.

Laura regularly defends organizations in New York State and federal courts, as well as before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the New York State Division of Human Rights. She also represents clients in arbitrations and mediations, negotiates collective bargaining agreements, and advises clients with respect to labor relations issues.

In addition to providing in-house legal training, Laura is a frequent lecturer. She has also authored and co-authored articles on a range of legal topics. Laura has been named to a national team of educational instructors for the National Center for Campus Public Safety's Trauma - Informed Sexual Assault Investigation and Adjudication Educational Program.

For five years, Laura served as Governor Andrew Cuomo’s appointee as Chair of the Fourth Department Judicial Screening Committee and a member of the Governor's State Judicial Screening Committee. These Committees evaluate the qualifications of judicial candidates and make recommendations to the Governor with respect to which candidates are highly qualified to hold judicial positions.