Profile

With his clients Pete gets right in the thick of things. From whatever direction difficult labor situations arise, Pete will pivot and figure out how to avoid or address it. He is who clients want on their team. 

Creating effective strategies to avoid liability, reduce exposure or proactive plans to meet clients’ objectives, Pete counsels and represents employers in:  

  • employment litigation
  • wage and hour proceedings
  • union organizing campaigns
  • unfair labor practice proceedings    
  • collective bargaining negotiations 
  • labor arbitrations 
  • strikes and picketing situations 
  • discrimination claims

Pete represents employers in many industries. With numerous college and university clients, Pete is co-chair of the firm's Higher Education practice Group. Pete also represents a number of municipalities in labor matters, including proceedings before PERB and compulsory interest arbitration under New York's Taylor Law. 

He also provides a broad range of training to executives, supervisors, managers and employees, including EEO and anti-harassment compliance, wage and hour issues, investigations of workplace misconduct, documentation and performance reviews, electronic discovery and avoiding workplace violence.

  • Listed in:
    • The Best Lawyers in America®, Employment Law - Management; Labor Law - Management; Litigation - Labor and Employment, 2009-2025 (listed for more than 15 years)
      • Lawyer of the Year (Syracuse), Labor Law - Management, 2013; 2018; 2022, 2025
      • Lawyer of the Year (Syracuse), Employment Law - Management, 2021, 2024
      • Lawyer of the Year (Syracuse), Litigation - Labor and Employment, 2020
    • New York Super Lawyers®, Employment and Labor, 2023 (listed for more than 10 years)
    • Martindale-Hubbell®, AV Preeminent Rated
      • Top-Rated Lawyer in Labor and Employment Law
  • American Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
  • New York State Bar Association, Labor and Employment Law Section
  • Onondaga County Bar Association
  • Society for Human Resource Management
  • CNY SHRM Board of Directors
  • National Association of College and University Attorneys
  • College and University Professional Association for Human Resources
  • Articles Editor, University of Pennsylvania Law Review

  • "New York State Labor Law Review," Iroquois Healthcare Association HR Summit, October 10, 2024
  • Labor Negotiations in US Higher Education: Bargaining with Student Workers and Non-Traditional Employees, Employment Law Alliance, October 25, 2023
  • Panelist, Recent Updates in Private Sector Labor & Employment Law, Labor and Employment Law Section Fall Meeting 2023, New York State Bar Association, October 20, 2023
  • A Special Episode with Peter Jones, Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. Harvard, Legally Bond Podcast, July 7, 2023
  • DC Briefing: Courts and Agencies Act As Congress Remains Gridlocked, Employment Law Alliance, March 29, 2023
  • DC Briefing: Review of Recent Developments in the Legal Landscape that Impacts U.S. Employers, Employment Law Alliance, September 13, 2022
  • An Interview with Monica Barrett and Peter Jones, Higher Education, Legally Bond Podcast, April 4, 2022
  • Employment Matters Podcast, Episode 303: NLRA Employee Status of Players at Academic Institutions, Employment Law Alliance, October 14, 2021
  • A Special Episode with Peter Jones, NLRB Memo on Student Athletes, Legally Bond Podcast, October 7, 2021
  • Employment Matters Podcast, Episode 231: NLRB Developments Impacting Higher Education, Employment Law Alliance, March 29, 2021
  • 2020 Year in Review, Chambers and Partners Employment Series, December 9, 2020
  • Changes in Direction, Chambers and Partners Employment Series, November 17, 2020
  • NY Paid Sick Leave, Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, October 28, 2020
  • Reopening Legal Issues Roundtable, Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, June 4, 2020
  • The FFCRA and the CARES Act -- Simplifying the Key Employment Law Provisions, Law Firm Alliance, April 7, 2020
  • Legal Update, Upstate New York Healthcare Human Resource Conference, October 7, 2016
  • What the NLRB Ruling on Student Assistants Means for Private Colleges and Universities, Employment Law Alliance Webinar, September 13, 2016

  • Quoted in "Student-Athlete Employee Issue Just the Start for NLRB’s Counsel," Bloomberg Law, October 1, 2021
  • Quoted in "NLRB Ruling Blurs Line Between Students, Employees," Law360, August 23, 2016

  • General Counsel, New York State Golf Association