About

Steven Fingerhut

Employment Law Attorney · Founder, Fingerhut Law

Steven Fingerhut is a New York and New Jersey employment lawyer who has recovered more than $30 million for workers — through jury verdicts, settlements, and appellate wins — in cases involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, wage theft, and wrongful termination.

Before founding Fingerhut Law, Steven spent over ten years at one of New York's largest plaintiffs-only employment firms, rising to partner and building a trial-focused practice representing employees against employers ranging from Fortune 100 companies to small businesses. He launched Fingerhut Law to bring that same trial-tested representation to a more direct, personalized client experience — without the constraints of a large institutional firm.

His approach is grounded in three principles: prepare every case as if it will be tried, value every claim as if a jury will decide it, and stay personally accessible to every client he represents.

Notable Settlements

$2,000,000

Construction workers subjected to pervasive race discrimination.
$1,550,000

Content producer sexually harassed by the CEO of a B2B marketing company.
$975,000

Bank employee sexually harassed by her director-level supervisor.
$900,000

Office manager who suffered severe sexual harassment.
$800,000

C-suite executive terminated due to his age.
$800,000

Physician discriminated against due to her gender and unlawfully terminated.

Practice Areas

Steven represents employees in cases involving:

· Sexual Harassment
· Race Discrimination
· Pregnancy Discrimination
· Whistleblower Retaliation
· Disability Discrimination
· LGBTQ+ Discrimination
· Workplace Sexual Assault
· Age Discrimination
· Gender Motivated Violence

He advocates for workers across every industry — from finance and tech startups to hospitality, manufacturing, and retail.

See all practice areas →

Recent Commentary

Law360 Employment Authority · May 2026

4 Ways High Court Case Might Affect DOL Wage Probes

Irene Spezzamonte, May 1, 2026

Steven was quoted in this Law360 analysis of Department of Labor v. Sun Valley Orchards, LLC — the U.S. Supreme Court case examining whether the Department of Labor can use in-house proceedings to impose wage-and-hour penalties on employers, or whether it must instead go through federal court. The case follows the Court's 2024 decision in SEC v. Jarkesy and could substantially reshape how unpaid-wage claims are enforced. Steven's central concern: a federal-court-only path would shift leverage toward well-resourced employers and push the cost of enforcement onto the workers least able to bear it.

“Now, suddenly, you've got your low-wage worker who previously didn't have to pay anything in order to make a complaint to the Department of Labor ... [who] would have to retain their own counsel. And it's really, really, really unlikely they're going to be able to do that.”
“I think likely the deterrence ... against violating wage laws is going to shrink drastically. The average employer is going to know now that they're dealing with a Department of Labor that won't have the ammunition or the resources to really keep them in check unless ... it's a really major violation.”
“When I look at the progeny of Jarkesy, to me, it looks like it's going to set a precedent where an agency like the DOL is really going to have to pick and choose what matters it now decides to bring to federal court.”

Read the full article on Law360 →

Speaking Engagements

May 13, 2026

New Jersey State Bar Association Annual Meeting

Winning Without Trial: The Art and Science of Effective Settlement Negotiations in Employment Mediations

Borgata Hotel, Atlantic City

Steven joined a plaintiff- and defense-side panel of employment litigators to discuss how plaintiff's counsel should prepare for high-stakes mediations. His remarks focused on maximizing settlement value — pressure-testing damages models, anticipating defense pivots, and using credibility, timing, and proof of liability to drive better outcomes for workers.

Panelists at the NJSBA Annual Meeting, Borgata Hotel, Atlantic City — May 13, 2026.
February 23, 2026

National Plaintiffs' Summit: Sexual Harassment & Employment Discrimination

Pre-Suit Settlement Negotiation Strategies: Maximizing Leverage Before Filing

Miami Beach

Steven moderated this session for plaintiffs' counsel on the strategic and tactical decisions that determine whether a high-value case settles before litigation or has to be filed.

Credentials

Education

B.S., The College of New Jersey
J.D., Albany Law School

Admitted to Practice

State of New York
State of New Jersey
U.S. District Court — S.D.N.Y., E.D.N.Y., N.D.N.Y., W.D.N.Y.
U.S. District Court — District of New Jersey
U.S. Court of Appeals — Second Circuit

Memberships

National Employment Lawyers Association, NY
National Employment Lawyers Association, NJ
New Jersey Association for Justice
New Jersey State Bar Association
New York County Lawyers Association

Recognition

Lifetime Member — Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum (invitation-only; membership limited to less than 1% of U.S. attorneys)
Super Lawyers Rising Star — New York (2018–2026)
Best Labor & Employment Attorney — American Institute of Legal Counsel
Lead Counsel Rated — Thomson Reuters