Maria Cáceres-Boneau

Special Counsel

Phone: +1 212 471 1876
Duane Morris LLP
1540 Broadway
New York, NY 10036-4086
USA

Maria Cáceres-Boneau practices in the area of labor and employment law. Maria has a diverse practice and extensive experience counseling employers on the laws governing the workplace, litigating employment disputes, providing employee trainings, investigating matters, drafting agreements and workplace policies, and advising on business acquisitions. She has represented companies across a broad array of industries, including technology, financial services, real estate, retail, fashion and health care. She also advises not-for-profit organizations and is a firm leader in providing pro bono services.

Maria has successfully defended employers and managers against claims of discrimination, harassment, wrongful discharge, breach of contract and wage and hour violations. Her experience includes every phase of litigation from pre-suit demands through trial and appeal. She serves as primary contact for numerous clients seeking advice on employment matters such as termination, retaliation, requests for accommodation, workplace violence prevention, pay equity practices and recent changes in employment law. She also drafts executive employment agreements, including those with restrictive covenants, and company policies.

Maria also has extensive experience investigating internal complaints made against c-suite executives. She conducts employee trainings on sexual and other unlawful harassment and diversity, inclusion and implicit bias.

Maria frequently lectures and authors articles on employment law topics. She is a member of the firm’s Hispanic/Latino ERG and the D&I Committee of the New York office.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Maria taught second grade in the South Bronx as a New York City Teaching Fellow. She is on the Board of Trustees at the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI). Her passions include the arts, education, sustainable fashion, and exploring New York City and beyond. She often walks in Central Park in pursuit of live music, majestic sunsets, and rare bird sightings (including the Bald Eagle she spotted soaring across the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir).

Areas of Practice

Labor and Employment Law
Employment Advice and Counseling
Employment Litigation
Human Resources and Management Training
Alternative Dispute Resolution, through negotiations, mediation and arbitration

Admissions

New York
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

Education

Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, J.D.
Hunter College, M.S.
Yale University, B.A.

Honors and Awards

Listed in Super Lawyers New York Metro Rising Stars, 2013-2019
Volunteer of the Quarter, Littler Mendelson P.C., Fourth Quarter 2018

Civic and Charitable Activities

Mentor, Y Tu Tambien

Board Memberships

Board of Trustees, Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI)

Selected Publications

Author, "Short-Term Impairments May Be Covered by the ADA if Sufficiently Severe," SHRM HR Daily Newsletter, June 7, 2022
Author, "Part-Time Work Not Ruled a Reasonable Accommodation," SHRM, March 2, 2022
Co-author, "New York Employers Required to Provide Notice of Electronic Monitoring," Duane Morris Alert, January 4, 2022
Co-author, "NYC Issues Guidance on Private Sector Vaccine Mandate, Expands Key to NYC Program," Duane Morris Alert, December 21, 2021
Co-author, "NYC Imposes Nation's First COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate for Private Sector and Expands Vaccination Requirements at Certain Indoor Venues," Duane Morris Alert, December 8, 2021
Co-author, "New York's Whistleblower Law Has Been Blown Wide Open," Duane Morris Alert, November 15, 2021
Co-author, "Learning To Work With Remote Work: Projections for Post-Pandemic Workplace Legal Issues," New York Law Journal, October 29, 2021
Co-author, "Most New York City Employers Must Revise Background Screening Processes to Comply with Amendments to New York City Fair Chance Act," Duane Morris Alert, August 13, 2021
Co-author, "New York City Council Amends Fair Chance Act to Further Protect Job Applicants and Employees," Duane Morris Alert, December 29, 2020
Co-author, "Department of Labor's Temporary Rule Revises FFCRA Regulations in Response to Federal Court Decision," Duane Morris Alert, September 17, 2020
Co-author, "U.S. Department of Labor Issues Guidance on Tracking Compensable Remote Work of Nonexempt Employees Under the Fair Labor Standards Act," Duane Morris Alert, August 27, 2020 (republished in Employee Benefit Plan Review, November/December 2020)
Co-author, "Significant Changes to COVID-19 Leave Provisions After Court Vacates Some DOL Regulations Interpreting Paid Leave Under the FFCRA," Duane Morris Alert, August 7, 2020
Co-author, "U.S. Department of Labor Releases New FMLA Optional-Use Forms and Requests Public Input to Facilitate Potential Changes to FMLA Regulations," Duane Morris Alert, August 3, 2020
Co-author, “Employee Bad Actors: Can Employers Recover?,” New York Law Journal, January 8, 2020
Interviewed and Quoted, “Stop Asking Job Applicants for Pay History, Experts Say,” Newsday, June 25, 2017
Interviewed and Quoted, “What Did I Make at My Last Job? None of Your Business,” CNN Money, April 25, 2017
Co-author, “New York City Set to Ban Inquiries About Salary History,” Littler ASAP, April 14, 2017
Co-author, “New York City Agencies are Prohibited From Making Pay History Inquiries—At Least for Now,” Littler ASAP, November 22, 2016
Co-author, “New York City to Pass Protections for Freelance Workers,” Littler ASAP, November 7, 2016
Contributing Editor, Chapter 30, “RICO and Labor Law,” The Developing Labor Law (2013 Supplement), Bloomberg BNA, 2013
Contributing Editor, Chapter 30, “RICO and Labor Law,” The Developing Labor Law (Sixth Edition), Bloomberg BNA, 2012
Contributing Researcher, “International E-Discovery: A Clash of Cultures and Law,” New York Law Journal, July 12, 2007

Selected Speaking Engagements

Speaker, "New York Leave Laws Employers Must Follow in 2021 and Beyond?" Duane Morris Institute (DMi), Webinar, March 23, 2021
Speaker, "Pay Equity in 2021: Navigating an Increasingly Complex Legal Landscape and Minimizing Risk of Pay Gap Liability," Duane Morris Institute (DMi), Webinar, January 21, 2021
Speaker, "Who, What, And Where Of Virtual Lawyering: Insights – How To Excel," New York State Bar Association, Webinar, December 3, 2020
Speaker, "Dear Helga - You're Never Going to Believe What My Employee Did This Time..." Duane Morris Institute (DMi), Webinar, November 17, 2020
Speaker, "State Law Updates, Including COVID-19 Workplace Laws and Regulations," The New Reality of Workplace Law and Practice in the COVID-19 Era, Duane Morris LLP, Webinar, November 12, 2020
Speaker, "Navigating Leave Issues During COVID-19," The New Reality of Workplace Law and Practice in the COVID-19 Era, Duane Morris LLP, Webinar, October 29, 2020
“Reunión de Trabajo con Empresas del Sector Restaurantero ante la Emergencia del COVID-19,” U.S. - Mexico Chamber of Commerce, New York City, April 7, 2020
“Content and Cocktails: Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias, Littler Mendelson, New York City, November 7, 2019
“Diversity, Inclusion, and Elimination of Implicit Bias in the Workplace,” New York In-House Counsel Meetup, New York City, May 7, 2019
“Latino Women in U.S. and Cross-Border Business and Initiatives,” U.S. - Mexico Chamber of Commerce, New York City, October 11, 2018