Karen Coolman Amlong

Ms. Amlong represented me in a discrimination, battery and Whistleblower claim against my former employer. While we were in for a tough battle with the company's high powered NY law firm, Karen's experience allowed her to see through the intimidation and shame tactics and keep myself and our case fo...cussed squarely on what mattered - the facts. While we did not go to trial as the matter was resolved pre-trial, I was extremely pleased with the outcome of the situation. There is no substitute for experience ... I would highly recommend the Amlong Firm.

As upper level management at a globally recognized company, I found myself in a very complicated situation. During my initial consultation, Ms. Amlong took the time to fully understand all the complexities involved and provide an analysis, from a legal perspective, as to what was happening, provide ...realistic expectations as to what could be done and an estimated timeline to resolution. She was knowledgeable and patient in answering all of my questions. We decided to work together and throughout the process she was always extremely accessible, even during the holidays. She provided excellent guidance and direction that was tailored to my situation. This was a very stressful time for me and she provided the support to stay on course regardless of what was being thrown our way. She was steadfast in her commitment to me, as well as the case. Decisions were made together and all options were weighed before going forward. At the end of the day, I trust Karen. Her knowledge and experience is evident. She kept me and my best interests in the forefront at all times and everything we discussed during our initial consult ended up being spot on, even the timeline.

The institution that I work at had falsely accused me of violating a communication policy and tried to make an example of me to other employees. I would have lost my job had it not been for Karen. She took them to task in our first face to face meeting and their roar became more of a meow. Throug...hout the long 9 months of their rants and accusations, Karen was patient and professional in her communication with these truly cruel people and she was even able to calm me. This job was my career- this was the job I’d be at till retirement. This was the job that I was loyal to and gave my life to on a daily basis. They threatened to fire me after the nine months, but that was only their tactic to negotiate. Regardless of what they wanted, Karen was able to get me back my job on my terms and not theirs. In otherwords, they backed down thanks to Karen’s strength. I am forever indebted to Karen and feel blessed that my career and reputation will not be tarnished. I can’t believe how much she truly cared. On a side note, I took Karen out for dinner after this was over and while eating a young woman came up to her who she hadn’t seen in a few years. This woman could not stop thanking her for all she had done. I can definitely relate! Karma!!

In 2007, I decided to take action against the sexual harassment, hostile working environment, and retaliation that I faced while working as a firefighter. I decided to stand up against the actions committed by multiple men, that filled the positions from firefighter to chief to the city manager, that... spanned 5 years of service. I retained the Amlong Firm in 2007 based on reviews by others. They were very transparent on how tough and long this process could take when attempting to go against a City. They stood by me and gave me the support, when others could not understand, just how taxing this process was. Regardless of how hard the opposition pushed, the Amlong Firm dug in, and defended even harder. My case involved multiple steps and courts, due to the gravity, but each step and court victory allowed for me to gain control back of what the City took away from me. The Amlong Firm not only fought on behalf of myself, but also for my family in regards to the harm they suffered while I was forced to endure the harassment, hostile environment, and retaliation. The Amlong Firm was able to retrieve everything I lost, but time. In return for the time, they gave me a more reknowned sense of self and inner strength that has placed me in one of the top leadership roles in my department. This event also taught my daughter when and how to stand up against harassment in the workplace if she were ever a victim of harassment, hostile environment, or retaliation based on her gender.