PAULA M. CASTALDO is a partner in the Firm’s Labor and Employment practice group. She defends employers in litigation actions involving allegations of: wrongful discharge, discrimination, harassment and retaliation in violation of state and federal civil rights statutes; breaches of collectively negotiated agreements and individual employment contracts; ERISA, FLSA and FMLA violations; and common law violations including claims for defamation, tortious interference and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Ms. Castaldo also represents employers in actions to enforce non-compete agreements against former employees. In addition to her court litigation experience, Ms. Castaldo has represented employers before administrative agencies, participated in handling grievance arbitrations and arbitrations before the National Association of Securities Dealers, provided counseling to management regarding personnel issues and union relations, and conducted numerous sexual harassment and/or discrimination investigations as a third-party investigator. The clients she has represented include insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, major retailers and manufacturers, financial institutions, and institutions of higher education.

Ms. Castaldo is a 1991 graduate of The University of Pennsylvania, where she received her Bachelor of Science degree, summa cum laude, from The Wharton School, and her Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from The College of Arts and Sciences. She obtained her Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School in 1994.

Ms. Castaldo is admitted to the Bars of the State of New Jersey, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the State of California (inactive status), the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the District of New Jersey, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and the Southern District of New York. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the New Jersey Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the California Bar Association, and the National Italian American Bar Association.

In 2007, Ms. Castaldo was selected to the New Jersey Law Journal’s “40 Under 40” list, which recognized 40 of the top attorneys in the State under the age of 40. Ms. Castaldo also was selected for inclusion in the New Jersey Super Lawyers – Rising Stars Edition in 2008 and 2009, and New Jersey Super Lawyers in 2010, 2011, and 2012.