Amy Epstein Gluck

Partner | Employment, Labor, and Benefits
Chair, Employment, Labor, and Benefits Department
Firm Employment Counsel

amy.epsteingluck@pierferd.com
+1.301.526.1184 cell
+1.240.630.3860 office
Washington, D.C. | New York

About

Amy Epstein Gluck partners with organizations to arrive at sustainable policies to alleviate and prevent workplace problems and create solutions to challenges, including hybrid work and fostering inclusive workplaces; she handles workplace investigations and wage and hour audits; and navigates discrimination, harassment, and retaliation issues while complying with federal, state, and local employment laws. She handles workplace compliance and defense of Title VII, ADA, FMLA, and ADEA claims as well as misclassification issues and all matters involving people.

  • Ms. Epstein Gluck is a business employment lawyer. For decades, she has advised clients about their use of noncompete, nonsolicitation, and nondisclosure agreements to protect client confidential information. Amy drafts employment agreements; handles employment negotiations, severance agreements, noncompete and nondisclosure agreements, discrimination, and harassment investigations, “wrongful terminations,” and other employment matters. Ms. Epstein Gluck passionately litigates these matters in state and federal court.

    Ms. Epstein Gluck’s agility and extensive expertise has been critical to the firm’s development of a centralized COVID-19 information repository and response team regarding federal and state pandemic-related legislation.

    She serves as the firm’s Employment Counsel advising the firm and its partners setting and advising the firm’s employment policies.

    A dynamic and natural speaker, Ms. Epstein Gluck regularly conducts employee management and anti-harassment trainings for managers and employees and trains supervisors on how to recognize and respond to accommodation requests under the ADA and FMLA.

    An experienced litigator, Ms. Epstein Gluck has represented corporate clients in state and various federal courts for more than twenty-five years. She focuses her litigation practice on breach of fiduciary duty, conversion, tortious interference, injunctive actions, restrictive covenants, shareholder and partnership disputes, and contract/quasi-contractual disputes in court as well as in mediation and arbitration.

    Ms. Epstein Gluck authors the Pierson Ferdinand Employment Law Blog and regularly contributes legal expertise to The Washington Post concerning prevalent and pertinent employment law issues. She has been quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, Business Insurance, Bloomberg Law, SHRM, and Law360.

    Ms. Epstein Gluck is a founding member of Chief and the Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law in Washington, D.C.; and she is an Advisory Board Member for nonprofit Nerdy Girl Success, which works with high school girls of diverse backgrounds teaching them skills, providing resources, and helping build their network of women in leadership, and The Bowman Foundation for Workplace Equity and Mental Wellness.

Practices

  • Arbitration and Mediation

  • Civil Pretrial and Trial Services

  • Commercial Litigation

  • Employment and Labor

  • Litigation and Risk Management

  • Professional and Management Liability

  • Trade Secrets and Restrictive Covenants

  • Cannabis, Hemp & CBD

Blog & Social Media

Admissions

  • New York

  • District of Columbia

  • Virginia

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit

  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit

  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia

  • U.S. District Court, District of Maryland

  • U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Virginia

  • U.S. Court of Federal Claims

  • England & Wales, Registered Foreign Lawyer

Education

  • George Washington National Law Center, J.D.

  • Tufts University, B.A., English

Recognitions and Awards

  • Recognized in the 2023 and 2025 Editions of Best Lawyers in America for her work in Litigation – Labor and Employment.

Memberships

  • Best Lawyers in D.C., Litigation – Labor and Employment (2022-2023, 2025)

  • American Bar Association

Languages

  • Spanish

Experience

  • FisherBroyles, LLP

  • Roetzel & Andress

  • Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, P.C.

Community Service and Volunteer

  • The Bowman Foundation for Workplace Equity and Mental Wellness Advisory Board Member (May 2022-Present)

  • Nerdy Girl Success Advisory Board Member (2021-Present)

  • Coalition of Women’s Initiatives in Law (2018-Present)

  • Director, Board of Directors of Charles E. Smith Life Communities and the boards of the senior service organization’s Landow House, Revitz House, and Ring House residences (August 2015-August 2018)

Publications

Speaking Engagements

  • Amy Epstein Gluck joins the EEOC for “Unlocking Access: Master Class on Navigating the ADA”, April 2, 2024

  • Speaker/Panelist, “The Movement to Ban Non-Compete Agreements: Re-Assessing Risk in the Wake of New York’s Non-Compete Bill” panel hosted by the Ad Idem Network.(August 9, 2023)

  • Speaker/Panelist, 2022 Joint TE/GE National Conference, COVID-19 Updates and Discussion Panel (February 24, 2022)

  • Speaker/Presenter, 2021 NYC SHRM Legislative and Legal Conference, “The Future of Work: Remote Work and The *New Normal*” (October 25, 2021)

  • Speaker/Presenter, “COVID-19 Vaccines At Work—What Employers Need To Know,” Celesq Attorneys Ed Center and West LegalEd Center (May 20, 2021)

  • Speaker, “Legal Crystal Ball—Anticipated Regulatory and Enforcement Risks in 2021-2022 Under the Biden Administration,” USI Affinity (February 19, 2021)

  • Speaker, “Leading for Respect—Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Culture And Preventing Discrimination and Harassment Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression,” SHRM, Montgomery County webinar (February 19, 2020)

  • Speaker, “How to Create a Diverse and Inclusive Culture-Preventing Discrimination and Harassment Based on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression,” SHRM Lehigh Valley Annual Conference (October 22, 2019)

  • Speaker, Best Practices for Off-boarding and Hot HR Topics, American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries Annual Conference, Washington DC (October 21, 2019)

  • Speaker, EEO law and best HR practices for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Training Institute, Baltimore (August 26, 2019)

  • Speaker, How to Prevent Your Organization from Becoming the Next #MeToo, for the annual SHRMLV (Society of Human Resources Management for the Lehigh Valley) Conference (October 1, 2018)

  • Speaker, #MeToo in the Law Firm Environment, for the Federal Bar Association for the Eastern District of Washington Annual Conference (September 28, 2018)

  • Speaker, Cannabis Law Summit– Employment Issues Related to Marijuana, New York City (May 18, 2018)

  • Speaker, Preventing and Correcting Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, and Minimizing Litigation Risks for Start-Ups, Metro DC Business community (February 28, 2018)

  • Speaker, Annual Human Trafficking and Social Justice Conference in Toledo, Ohio about Mental Health and Addiction Issues in the Workplace (September 21-22, 2017)

In the News

  • Whether a “Hostile Work Environment” Exists Depends on the Facts. Bloomberg Law and The Washington Post discuss two different situations with Employment Chair and Partner Amy Epstein Gluck, August 5, 2024

  • Quoted, Bloomberg Law, “Online Harassment Ruling Provides Fodder for Future Enforcement,” (August 1, 2024)

  • Quoted, The Washington Post, “Work Advice: When to report office affairs and when to keep mum,” (August 1, 2024)

  • Quoted, The National Law Journal, “Split Appeals Court Applies Ministerial Exception in Gay Teacher’s Bias Case,” (May 9, 2024) (subscription required)

  • Amy Epstein Gluck joins Richmond’s Morning News to discuss the Federal Trade Commission’s final rule banning noncompetes, April 26, 2024

  • Quoted, Law360, “#MeToo Spurred Real Change, But There's Work Left To Do,” Law360 (March 7, 2024) (subscription required)

  • Quoted, Bloomberg Law, “Employers Urged to Be Careful Before Acting on Drug Test Results,” Bloomberg Law (February 6, 2024)

  • Quoted, ABA Journal, “Accommodation Awareness: As management retools remote work policies, ADA issues are expected,” (January 25, 2024)

  • Quoted, The Washington Post, Work Advice: If a worker wants to record our chat, what should I do? (September 7, 2023)

  • Quoted, Law360 Employment Authority, 3 Takeaways From EEOC Guidance On Visual Disabilities (July 27, 2023)

  • Quoted, Law360, $26M Starbucks Verdict Shows Risks Of Hasty Decisions (June 13, 2023)

  • Quoted, Bloomberg Law, Offensive Music Ruling Guts ‘Equal Opportunity Harasser’ Theory (June 9, 2023)

  • Quoted, Bloomberg Law, Fight Over Transgender Pronouns at Work Faces Muddy Legal Waters (April 13, 2023)

  • Quoted, Law360, article “World Leaders’ Exits Hold Lessons For Employers On Burnout” (February 17, 2023)

  • Quoted, Bloomberg Law, article “Offensive Music at Work Creates Legal Headaches for Employers” (February 13, 2023)

  • Quoted, SHRM, Monkeypox at Work: Keep ADA Guidelines in Mind (August 4, 2022)

  • Quoted, Fortune, article “The business case for abortion care policies.”(July 28, 2022)

  • Quoted, The Washington Post, Female teen lifeguard questions why male teen guards are being paid more for the same job (July 29, 2021)

  • Quoted, The Washington Post, Report to work, quit or be fired (July 22, 2021)

  • Quote, SHRM, Distinguish Between the ADA’s Many Prohibitions on Medical Examinations (June 1, 2021)

  • Quoted, Law360, 4 Virus ADA Questions Employers Want The EEOC To Tackle, (April 15, 2021)

  • Quoted by The Washington Post (@washpostbiz) My old job was erased when I was on medical leave. Doesn’t the job I return to have to be the same? (April 15,2021)

  • Quoted, The Wall Street Journal, Can My Employer Ask if I Got a Coronavirus Shot? , (March 21,2021)

  • Quoted, EHS Today, Employers Need to Address Women’s Mental Health, (March 8,2021)

  • Quoted, Law360, 3 Ways To Ensure Vaccine Incentives Abide By Anti-Bias Laws, (February 3, 2021)

  • Quoted, SHRM, EEOC: Mandatory Antibody Testing Is Prohibited (June 19, 2020)

  • Quoted, The Washington Post, Wanted: Servers who can lift 100 pounds. Working life in the coronavirus economy is changing. (June 11, 2020)

  • Quoted, The Washington Post, Work Advice: My employer is still denying remote working requests , (March 26, 2020)

  • FisherBroyles Partners Jack L. Wuerker and Amy Epstein Gluck secured a Virginia Supreme Court ruling, which affirmed a circuit court holding that dismissed their opponent’s case in its entirety.

  • Quoted, The Washington Post, When an employer actually needs ‘the best man for the job’, (January 2, 2020)

  • Quoted, The Washington Post, Work Advice: HR vice president disparages own stepchild with special needs at company meetings, (September 6, 2019)

  • Cited, Complete Guide to Human Resources and the Law, 2019 Edition – Shilling – Google Books

  • Featured, @Law360, “12 Attorneys on How Diversity Gives Them the Edge”, (June 2019)

  • Quoted, Business Insurance, Employment Partner Amy Epstein Gluck Quoted in Business Insurance, (February 2019)

  • Quoted, The Boston Globe about employment issues related to medical marijuana and proposed off-hours cannabis law in MA, Employment Partner Amy Epstein Gluck Quoted in The Boston Globe, (December 2018)

  • Quoted, ACWI Newsletter, A Simple Way to Stop Harassment, (June 3, 2018)

  • Quoted, New York Times, How to Respond When a Colleague Is Harassing Women, by Rob Walker (March 2018)

  • Quoted, The Washington Post, Work Advice: How to Stay out of a Company War Caused By an In-House Love Triangle, by Karla Miller (March 2018)

  • Quoted, Business Insurance, “Behavior in C-Suite Must be Addressed” by Judy Greenwald (November 2017)

  • Quoted, Business Insurance, “Weinstein Revelations Highlight Sexual Harassment Risks” by Judy Greenwald (October 16, 2017)

  • Quoted, Washington Post Magazine column, “The boss wants to rate them on their attendance, socializing at company events” by Karla L. Miller (August 24, 2017)

  • Nominee for the Women of Influence Award, bestlawyers.com (Spring Business Edition 2017)

  • Amy Epstein Gluck provides “expert advice” to “What’s Working in Human Resources” about steps employers can take to prevent and handle harassment of employees from customers and other third parties

  • Quoted, People Feature, “Separation Anxiety: Pitfalls of Signing Severance Agreements” by Jill Gregorie, Ignites (January 30, 2017)

  • Featured, Washington Post Magazine column, “Work Advice: Who owns the rights to your designs? It depends.” by Karla L. Miller (December 29, 2016)

  • Featured, Material Handling and Logistics, “Avoid Trouble by Creating and Enforcing an Effective Sexual Harassment Policy“, by David Sparkman, MHLnews (November 18, 2016)

  • Featured, consult with Circa News “Welcome to your new job. Here’s how not to get fired” by Natalia Angulo-Hinkson. (September 9, 2016)

  • Quoted, “Sexual Orientation Bias Destined For High Court, If Not Capitol,” Law 360. (August 2, 2016)

  • Featured, consult with Washington Post Magazine’s Work Advice columnist about sexual stereotyping implications in the workplace. “@Work Advice: At first blush, this rule about wearing makeup rankles” (May 5, 2016)

  • Featured, Washington Post Magazine’s Work Advice column on payment recoupment issues. “@Work Advice: The cost of reclaiming money” (April 7, 2016)

  • Featured, Women’s Media Center Live with Robin Morgan, “Disability Discrimination in Employment from the Employee’s and Employer’s Side” (February 2016)