Ethan G. Zelizer

You need to read my review to understand how good this guy really is. I started at a company that I thought I would spend my career with. Things went south when we had a reorg and my growth potential suddenly shrunk. I found another great opportunity with a competitor -- but not directly competi...ng with products or customers that I previously worked with. I had a non-compete but it was executed so long ago and I wasn't even sure if it was enforceable. Don't those things expire? I signed it when I was hired in 2003. It's been 12+ years! Well, I received a nastygram from the General Counsel of my former company telling me that I needed to quit my new job and pay damages for the "trade secrets" that I had shared. Needless to say, I never shared any trade secrets and I wouldn't. The letter was intense and everybody I knew thought I was going to court. I contacted Ethan based on his reviews and he immediately dealt with something that I wasn't thinking of -- my current employer. He wanted to know everything I had told them, what they knew now and what the relationship was like. He really cared about making my current situation as safe as possible. He directed me on how to talk with my current employer and then made contact with my current employer's counsel so he could advise them on the strength of the noncompete and the chance at enforcement. The noncompete was overbroad in several ways and there was a fair chance that a court wouldn't enforce it. He then found some strong cases that suggested that a court shouldn't try to rewrite the contract if it is overbroad and that taking a noncompete like this to court could be sanctionable. He came up with a game plan and we all signed on. Ethan wrote the opposing attorney with a strong response and a threat to seek sanctions if they tried to enforce an unenforceable contract. More importantly, he spent a good amount of time addressing the facts -- that I was not in a competitive role and that I was not contacting former clients. After two rounds of letters, he insisted on a face-to-face with them so that we could have a candid, BS-free conversation about what I was doing at Company B and why I had not violated my non-compete -- even if it was enforceable. The face-to-face was the key. We looked each other in the eye and just talked it out. I wish everybody did this before filing a freaking lawsuit. Thanks to Ethan, we walked away from the situation amicably with no hard feelings. In fact, and I can't believe that this happened, but my old company HIRED Ethan to redraft their non-competes so that they could be enforced in the future. That seriously happened. That is how well-regarded he is and how well his overtures are received. He hits all the right notes. He is lawyerly when needed and uses common-sense and straightforwardness when appropriate. He's a wizard. Most of all, Ethan never saw me as a cash grab. He could of turned this into a contentious situation and I would have paid him to defend me. However, he saw an opportunity to negotiate and talk thru the situation. It ended up earning him less in fees but far more in reputational value and my sheer admiration. To sum it up: I received a threat of nuclear litigation from my previous employer. Ethan took care of bringing my current employer into the fold, bringing the other side to the table for a no nonsense pow-wow, and after negotiating a walkaway, Ethan was HIRED by the Company that was suing me to rewrite their agreements so they could be enforced in the future. Talk about a win-win-win. If you can't beat him, buy him. You will not find a better attorney within this specialty. He might just be the best attorney I have ever encountered. I cannot wait to recommend him to friends and I am thrilled to sing his praises here. Thank you Ethan.

I came to HR Law Counsel and Ethan zelizer through a recommendation for an employment case in a professional services setting. I could always rely on Ethan and his team to respond quickly to any questions I had and set expectations while guiding me through the process. They aggressively fought for my... best interests and helped me achieve an end result I am extremely happy with.

Hiring an attorney was a little frightening at first because you never know who you can trust. The first time I spoke to Ethan on the phone, I knew he was going to represent me. He returned my phone calls within an hour, always kept me informed of what is going on in my case, and always made sure tha...t no matter what, I would get what I deserve. He is very trustworthy, and doesn’t work just for the money, he works for you. You can tell he loves What he does. He walks you through the steps of the legal process to make sure you fully understand your own rights. He gave me the confidence to stand up and fight. Thank you Ethan, for everything that you have done for me and my case!

Ethan is the best! No matter how busy He is he makes time to see you and talk to you over the phone. He made me feel very comfortable, explained everything to me in detail, gives great advice and always makes sure you have all the details you need for your case. He was also understanding that I had t...o bring my kids to my consultation and was great with my little one. Carol in the office is great too! She is sweet, great listener, calls you back right away and gets what you need quickly. I recommend Ethan. he was able to mediate my case in a manner that was fair and rewarding. If only every attorney was as solid as Ethan...

I hired Ethan to negotiate my exit from Company A (CFO) and my entrance to Company B (COO). There were a host of noncompete issues and long term comp items that needed to be negotiated. I had low expectations because my experience is that Companies do not make changes to agreements. I've been told... before that items are nonnegotiable and that these are "standard" terms. Ethan was confident that he could get both Companies to negotiate with me once we identified the proper leverage and interests involved. He was right. I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Ethan is a true professional but also an incredibly personable guy. He makes legalese makes sense and understands business from all sides. I look forward to working with Ethan at my new job and anywhere else that fits. What a great find! Thank you Ethan.