What we do

Lichten & Liss-Riordan, P.C. is a nationally recognized law firm that is dedicated to vindicating the rights of workers around the country through class action and individual litigation. The firm has brought and won landmark cases throughout the United States on behalf of workers who have been deprived of their wages, tips, and overtime, or wrongfully misclassified as independent contractors, or who have suffered discrimination, or public employees who have been deprived of their constitutional rights. The firm has been awarded the highest rating by virtually every recognized lawyer rating organization and has been recognized by numerous publications for its innovative and vigorous advocacy on behalf of workers.

Who we are

The founding members of the firm, Harold Lichten and Shannon Liss-Riordan, have a combined 55 years of experience representing workers. Shannon Liss-Riordan has been referred to as the “worker’s champion” and the “reigning plaintiffs’ champion”, and both she and her partner Harold Lichten have argued numerous cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the First, Second, Third, Seventh, and Eleventh Circuits, as well as before the highest courts of Massachusetts, New Jersey, Hawaii and New York. The firm has pioneered the law on behalf of tipped employees who have been deprived of their tips or the proceeds of service charges in states throughout the country, including Massachusetts, New York, Florida, and Hawaii. It has brought landmark litigation on behalf of Uber and Lyft drivers, as well as workers for other so-called “sharing economy” companies, and it has established and won numerous cases on behalf of workers who have been misclassified as independent contractors throughout the country, in a wide variety of industries, including the trucking, limo, cleaning, adult entertainment, and call center industries. In addition, it has been a pioneer in the field of employment discrimination based on disability, race, and sex. Attorneys Harold Lichten and Shannon Liss-Riordan have tried many jury trials in state and federal court and have won verdicts in the millions of dollars, including recent million dollar verdicts in the case of Travers v. Flight Systems & Services, a case in which a skycap was terminated for challenging the company’s policies that affected workers’ tips, and Pace v. City of Lynn, a case on behalf of a city controller who was fired in retaliation for his protected whistleblowing activity.

Our Commitment to High Ethical Standards

Additionally, Lichten & Liss-Riordan has been praised by judges for its handling of class action cases and its high ethical standards for ensuring that workers are treated fairly during the class action process. Unlike many big class action firms, Lichten & Liss-Riordan administers most of its settlements itself through its own in-house staff, thereby ensuring that clients have ready access and are treated fairly in the claims and settlement process. In addition, Lichten & Liss-Riordan refuses a practice known as reversion, in which unclaimed funds are given back to the company that has been sued, and instead the firm requires that unclaimed funds in a settlement be distributed to class members who have been located. In approving large settlements that the firm has reached, a number of judges have praised the firm’s conduct in such litigation.

Lichten & Liss-Riordan frequently co-counsels with cooperating and referring counsel, and welcomes referrals from across the country, particularly in the firm’s speciality areas regarding tipped employees and independent contractor misclassification.