Overview
Attorney Rachel DiBenedetto represents employers in numerous facets of employment law, especially in employment litigation.
Rachel defends employers across a range of industries in employment disputes in state and federal court and before administrative agencies, with a particular focus on disability discrimination, failure-to-accommodate claims and accessible technology. A valued advisor, she also helps employers avoid litigation by maintaining compliance with federal, state, and local disability, accessibility, and accommodations regulations and laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL), and the New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL).
Before joining Epstein Becker Green, Rachel was Assistant Corporation Counsel in the New York City Law Department, Labor and Employment Law Division, where she represented the City of New York, its agencies, and its employees in employment law matters. During law school, she was a judicial intern to the Honorable Gregory H. Woods III of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, and a legal intern for Brooklyn Law School Legal Services. She was also a student prosecutor for the Federal Prosecution Clinic at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York.
Experience
- Obtained summary judgment for the Department of Correction in a complaint alleging that the agency failed to accommodate an employee’s disability.
- Achieved dismissal of disability discrimination claims brought under the ADA, the NYSHRL, and the NYCHRL against the Department of Education in New York federal courts.
- Successfully defended a New York City agency against a State Division of Human Rights Complaint alleging failure to accommodate and disability discrimination.
Credentials
Education
- Brooklyn Law School (J.D., cum laude, 2020)
- Managing Editor, Journal of Law and Policy
- CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Criminal Law
- Binghamton University, Harpur College of Arts and Sciences (B.A., 2017)
Bar Admissions
- New York
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Insights
Insights
- PublicationsIs the Digital Accessibility Storm Almost Over?2 minute read
- PublicationsTo Shatter the Glass Ceiling, Clean the Sticky Floor and Thaw the Frozen Middle: How Discrimination and Bias in the Career ...2021
- PublicationsReducing Recidivism or Misclassing Offenders? How Implementing Risk and Needs Assessment in the Federal Prison System Will ...2019