Ethan G. Zelizer

Having met Ethan has changed my opinion entirely on the profession of attorney at law. I met a gentle, caring, intelligent, and capable man in Ethan Zelizer. I so badly needed a viable and dedicated advocate to stand tall against a fortune 100 company. With their endless well of finances, they surely... sent their best to dismantle our efforts of proving that I was not only discriminated against under the guidelines and parameters of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Even greater and far more damaging was their constant retaliation for having complained of any such discriminatory actions against me. I was confused, lost, and very alone. When I found Ethan he swore to defend me to the end. A calm came over me as I immediately knew his honest heart would be noticed by the jury. He sought not to attack the defendants, but methodically delivered a clear and concise explanation to the letter of the law, unlike his adversaries who, while sinking deeper and deeper, resorted to disparaging and inflammatory remarks in an effort to cast the shadow of doubt upon our case. During discovery and depositions, Ethan fought against demeaning and irrelevant topics and caused my former employer to pay fees and fines due to what the court called "sanction-able discovery tactics." Unbelievably, despite the fact that all evidence pointed to their unethical, immoral, and illegal acts, the onus was on Ethan to prove that beyond a shadow of doubt, they had wronged a long term executive-level employee with a disability. Yet, Ethan was successful in fending off their motions for summary decision in my case. In the end, Ethan stood tall against Goliath and felled him with spectacular and professional demeanor and pinpoint accuracy. Ethan and his team had me poised for victory before my former employer finally settled for an amount they had sworn they'd never pay. My life was restored. Words can not explain my appreciation for his support, but also for revealing the heart of a lion. I owe this man my life.

Ethan is an exceptional advisor and legal strategist, and he is an amazing negotiator. He clearly knows what he is doing and is a capable attorney. He is honest and straightforward and easy to work with. Ethan developed a full understanding of my case and built a strong argument based on his deep kno...wledge of the law. He kept me informed and stood by my side throughout the whole process. Even though my case was a smaller one, it was important to him and he was a forceful advocate. He wanted to do what was best for me. I would like to thank Ethan for taking my case, and say it is my great pleasure to recommend Ethan very highly and without any reservation.

Ethan did everything that I expected him to do. He responded to my questions promptly and has a very deep understanding of the law and the mediation and negotiation process. His superb knowledge and skills resulted in a much more favorable severance package for me. I highly recommend him for any emp...loyment or discrimination issues.

As a Senior Executive and a long time employee of a Fortune 500 company, I never thought I would need an employement attorney. With corporate structuring changes, I found myself in the situation where I needed help negotiating a severance option. I considered multiple attorneys but when I contacted... Ethan Zelizer I knew he was the advocate I was looking for. He was responsive and knowledgable, immediately taking action to help me. Ethan is a great listener. I was impressed with his ability to understand and remember the facts of my more complicated scenerio. He kept me enngaged throughout the negotiations, clearly updating me on next steps and the pros and cons of my options. Agressive and tenacious in his negotiations, he was able to get me a reasonable resolution with my firm. I'd highly recommend him to others.

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.