Galen Baynes is a partner at Pechman Law Group, where he focuses his practice on representing employees in wage theft cases, litigating employment discrimination and whistleblower claims, and advising clients in resolving employment disputes and negotiating severance and separation agreements.
Galen has represented clients in numerous individual and class action proceedings in the federal district courts in New York and New Jersey, arbitration forums, government agencies, and before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Among his notable litigation results, he has secured multiple six- and seven- figure resolutions on behalf of his clients, including two $1 million+ class settlements in hybrid federal and state labor law cases. He has successfully secured summary judgment in wage and hour and successor-in-interest cases, as well as the dismissal of retaliation claims against an employer under the Fair Labor Standards Act and New York Labor Law, which was affirmed on appeal.
Galen also takes pride in providing thoughtful counseling to executive clients in negotiating severance and separation agreements and navigating issues with non-compete and other restrictive covenants in employment agreements. He has represented executives across a wide range of industries in resolving thorny employment disputes and separations from their employers.
Prior to joining PLG, Galen served for two years as a law clerk to Chief Judge Wilma A. Lewis at the United States District Court of the Virgin Islands on St. Croix. He received his J.D. magna cum laude, Order of the Coif, from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where he was a Frederick K. Cox International Law Center Fellow and senior editor of the Case Western Reserve University Law Review. Galen was formerly an investigator with the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, where he conducted investigations into allegations of police misconduct. He also lived for five years in Managua, Nicaragua, where he worked for various nonprofit organizations including American Jewish World Service, World Learning, and Witness for Peace. Galen is a fluent Spanish speaker.