About 

CODY YORKE is a partner at Outten & Golden in New York, and a co-chair of the firm’s Executives and Professionals Practice Group and a member of the Financial Services Practice Group. She represents employees, partners, co-founders and consultants in the negotiation and drafting of employment, severance, independent contractor, international assignment and restrictive covenants agreements. She also counsels individuals and groups of individuals with respect to employment-related issues such as deferred compensation issues, lift-outs, restructurings and corporate transactions. Ms. Yorke has experience working with individuals in a wide variety of industries – including financial services, healthcare, law, technology, media & entertainment, consumer goods & services, and fashion & luxury retail. Ms. Yorke is Co-Chair of the International Employment and Immigration Law Committee of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the New York State Bar Association. She is a regular contributor to the Firm’s blog.

Prior to joining the firm in 2018, Ms. Yorke practiced employment law in Toronto, Canada, including serving as counsel in Galea v. Wal-Mart Canada Inc., a groundbreaking employment law case that set the high-water mark for moral and punitive damages in Canadian employment law. Ms. Yorke received her B.A. from the University of British Columbia, her M.A. from York University, and J. D. from Queen’s University, all in Canada.

(*Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.)

Bar Admission and Professional Activity
  • Ms. Yorke is admitted to practice law only in New York and in Ontario, Canada*
  • Board Secretary, LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York (LeGaL)
  • Member, New York Women’s Bar Association
  • Member, WBASNY: Women’s Bar Association of the State of New York
  • Co-chair of the New York State Bar Association’s International Section
  • Employee Vice-Chair, Outreach to International Lawyers Committee of the ABA Labor & Employment Law Section.

*Currently non-practicing status in Ontario

Video & Podcasts

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Speaking Engagements

2023

2022

  • Panelist: “The Future of Work Post-Covid,” 2022 International Labor and Employment Law Committee Midwinter Meeting

 

Blogs & Publications

The FTC’s Non-Compete Ban Has Been Blocked, But Some Employees Still Have Options

6 Executive Compensation Trends for 2023

Apprehension about inflation and a potential recession, changing priorities for C-suite executives, and increased government and public scrutiny are just three factors influencing executive compensation in 2023. Read more

Negotiating a Fair Contract: Remote Work

When it comes to the process of finding a new job, negotiation is one of the most tenuous areas for many employees. Many employees have anxiety around asking for “too much” while still getting a fair offer, and this can give employers the upper hand during these conversations. While many people focus on salary and other economics, more employees are using the negotiation stage to ask for other perks.

COVID-19’s new expatriate employees

In a recently published feature, Outten & Golden’s Wendi Lazar and Cody Yorke discuss the issues facing workers and their employers contemplating multinational remote work arrangements.

Your First Offer Letter: How Do You Respond?

Congratulations! You have received an offer letter. Usually, this is a document that formally extends employment to a job applicant and outlines the main terms and conditions (including salary and other benefits). The offer letter also frequently gives a candidate a…

Coronavirus Pandemic Causes Ex-Employees Concerns Over Stock Options

As the COVID-19 coronavirus spreads, so do workers’ fears about their jobs, compensation, and health insurance coverage. For many employees, losing a job also places their stock options in jeopardy. In our continuing series of FAQs, we talk about stock options – what…

Your First Deferred Compensation Agreement

When negotiating an executive employment agreement, you have to consider not only the compensation but also the tax consequences and issues that may arise because of when or how you are compensated. To fully understand and avoid any potential pitfalls, you should…

Expats and COVID-19: Global Employees at Risk and in Limbo

The coronavirus has hit multinational employees hard in every part of the world. U.S. expatriates living abroad and E.U. expats working in the U.S. have been subject to travel bans, embassy closures, shelter-in-place orders, widespread work shutdowns, mass…

How Can Employees Protect Their Privacy in the New Remote Workplace?

With the rapid advance of technologies that enable constant connectivity, the once-sharp line between home and work began to blur over the last decade. Laws that govern employees’ privacy rights were already lagging behind this reality when the COVID-19 coronavirus…

McDonald’s “Clawback” Lawsuit Against Former CEO Is the Latest to Shine a Light on Questionable Executive Compensation Practices

McDonald’s is seeking the return of the $42 million severance package that its former CEO received upon his departure, claiming it should be returned to the company because he lied, concealed evidence, and committed fraud relating to his termination from the company. Disputes over executive compensation or bonuses rarely end up in court. But the McDonald’s lawsuit is the latest in a series of such cases, including shareholder derivative lawsuits involving recognized companies, that have made their way to the courtroom, with mixed results.

Watched While Working: Use of Monitoring and AI in the Workplace Increases

The last several years have marked a seismic shift in workplace norms. First, while initially an emergent response to the Covid-19 pandemic, remote and hybrid work arrangements are undoubtedly here to stay,…

Corporate Social Responsibility: (ESG) a United States Perspective

Co-authored by Wendi S. Lazar and Cody Yorke. Developments and Trends for Responsible Business Conduct in the Modern Workplace, 2020 Employment Rights & Responsibilities Committee Midwinter Meeting, El San Juan Hotel & Casino,…

The Supreme Court’s Pronouncement on Mental Injury: Implications for Moral Damages in Employment Law, Mondaq

It’s settled: Medical evidence is not required for moral damages suffered by employees, Canadian Lawyer

Awards & Recognition
  • 2024-2025: Best Lawyers – Ones to Watch – Litigation – Labor and Employment
  • 2024: Lawdragon 500 Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyer
  • 2023: Super Lawyers – Rising Star
  • Queen’s Law Course Prize in Evidence
  • Torkin Manes LLP Academic Excellence & Community Service Award
  • Gavel Award
  • Reuben Wells Leonard Prize in Equality Rights and the Charter
  • Sherrard Kuzz LLP Prize in Labour Law, Employment Law, and Administrative Law

 

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