CHICAGO, October 21, 2024―Duane Morris partner Gerald L. Maatman, Jr. has been chosen as a winner of Law360's MVP of the Year Award in the Employment category. For the 14th year, Law360 has selected attorneys who had the biggest wins and made the most significant contributions to their practice groups in the past year. This is Maatman’s eighth Law360 MVP recognition since 2013; he has received more Law360 MVP Awards than any other attorney, and in 2024 was selected as among the two best employment defense lawyers in the United States.
“Jerry Maatman is a superstar attorney who continues to secure innovative solutions and flat-out victories for his clients,” said Matthew A. Taylor, Chairman and CEO of Duane Morris. “For Duane Morris, he has elevated our already strong and nationally recognized employment group to new levels by continually thinking outside of the box, working with colleagues across our practice and industry groups to generate new and ongoing opportunities and providing value-added service to clients. Jerry is a committed mentor and scholar, a savvy entrepreneur and, above all, a very skilled and visionary counselor. It is simply amazing and appropriate that Jerry has been honored as a Law360 MVP for the eighth time.”
“Jerry has an impressive, singular knowledge of the class-action and complex litigation landscape. As the lead author of the Duane Morris–Class Action Review, Jerry shares his perspective, providing an annual comprehensive legal treatise that is the “go to” book for workplace and other class action practitioners nationwide,” added Eve I. Klein, Chair of the Firm’s Employment, Labor, Benefits and Immigration Practice Group.
Gerald L. Maatman Jr., chair of Duane Morris’ Class Action Defense Group, has nearly four decades’ experience of practicing law and has defended some of the most significant bet-the-company cases ever filed against corporate America. Maatman has represented companies, executive teams and boards across the country in class action litigation, ranging in size from thousands to hundreds of thousands of claims by employees. Among his accomplishments, he defended and defeated the largest systemic enforcement action ever brought in the history of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the first attorney general prosecution of a Wall Street company for workplace discrimination and harassment, and the largest wage-and-hour class and collective actions ever brought in Florida and New York. While he is known to be a fierce litigator, he also helps his clients anticipate large-scale litigation risks before they happen to prevent issues that could turn into litigation. Maatman pioneered the process of conducting employment-practices audits to assist employers in structuring effective and practical personnel policies and protocols. Profiled in The Wall Street Journal, these audits are designed to minimize the incidence of employment-related class action litigation and to maximize management discretion and workplace productivity. He has served as a legal commentator on PBS, NPR, MSNBC, CNBC and U.S. talk radio, and his comments have appeared in such publications as The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Business Insurance, USA Today, Fortune and Forbes. Maatman was recently interviewed by Law 360 for his MVP of the Year honor.
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP provides innovative solutions to today’s multifaceted legal and business challenges through the collegial and collaborative culture of its more than 900 attorneys in offices across the United States and internationally. The firm represents a broad array of clients, spanning all major practices and industries. Duane Morris has been recognized by BTI Consulting as both a client service leader and a highly recommended law firm.
