Steve Jones is a trusted advisor and experienced trial attorney representing employers of every size. Steve leads the firm’s Labor & Employment Class Action Team and is regularly called upon to defend “bet the company,” high-stakes litigation. His experience includes defense of approximately 100 class actions and collective actions under the FLSA, ERISA, FCRA, and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. His practice also includes extensive non-competition and trade secret litigation and defense of whistleblower, discrimination, and sexual harassment claims in state and federal courts and before the EEOC, DOL, and state human rights agencies. Steve has developed innovative auditing methodologies in wage-hour and EEO areas (including statistical pay equity analysis), thereby reducing or eliminating his clients’ exposure to class action litigation and EEOC systemic discrimination enforcement actions.
Steve has been named to the 2017–2020 editions of Best Lawyers in America (Litigation-Labor and Employment) and to the 2014–2018 editions of Super Lawyers (Employment Litigation Defense) based on peer review and professional achievement. In 2014, the New York Law Journal chose Steve for its Rising Stars Award—the only Rochester attorney to receive the award that year, based on his contributions to the practice of law. His practice has been profiled by the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. To read more, click here. Steve is recognized as an industry thought leader, regularly providing commentary to the news media on legal developments, presenting CLEs, and publishing articles advocating for specific legislative or legal reforms.
Steve served for over a year on special assignment as in-house counsel to Eastman Kodak Company, where he was responsible for managing external counsel and counseling business units. This experience has proven invaluable in understanding the pressures and budgetary constraints placed on his in-house clients.
My mission, above all else, is to achieve my clients’ business objectives while pursuing excellence in the practice of law. I don’t just “represent” my clients; I partner with them. I believe clients are entitled to “no surprises.” Accordingly, I dedicate my practice to constant client contact, transparency and accountability.
I understand that the most efficient way to resolve litigation is not always the most obvious. It is critical from the outset, therefore, to develop a defense strategy that is carefully calibrated to achieve trial and/or settlement advantage while remaining attentive always to my clients’ overall business objectives. It’s the foundation of any successful defense and my personal promise to clients.
Steve is highly active in community leadership. He has served for six years on the Board of Directors of Volunteers of America, Upstate New York (“VOA”), holding at various times the positions of Vice Chair, Corporate Secretary, and Chair of the Governance Committee. Steve recently completed the Board Leadership Program, Center for Community Engagement, St. John Fisher College. Prior to VOA, Steve served for three years as the President of the Board of Directors of Step by Step, a Rochester-based organization dedicated to assisting and rehabilitating incarcerated women. Steve led this organization through the Great Recession, at a time when government funding and private donations dropped precipitously. He also helped spearhead a merger between Step by Step and VOA in 2012. He has served on the Judiciary Committee of the Monroe County Bar Association. In 2009, Steve was selected to the Rochester Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award in recognition of his civic and professional achievement. Steve also served as a coach and mentor to high school students in the Monroe County Law Explorers Program for over five years. He actively represents several community-based, nonprofit organizations on a pro bono basis.
WHAM 1180 (Rochester) | November 05, 2020
This radio segment features Rochester Labor & Employment partner Stephen Jones for his work with client Clerio Vision, which spun off from University of Rochester’s laser and vision science research, and how he’s helped grow the biotech startup by leveraging Rochester assets.
Syracuse University College of Law, J.D., cum laude
St. John Fisher College, B.A., cum laude
New York
U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
U.S. District Court, Western District of New York
U.S. District Court, Northern District of New York
U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
Steve was selected, through a peer-review survey, for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2021 in the field of Litigation—Labor and Employment. Stephen has been listed in Best Lawyers since 2017.
Steve has been recognized for exceptional standing in the legal community in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2020 for Labor & Employment (Upstate New York).
In 2014, the New York Law Journal chose Steve as one of its Rising Stars—the only attorney in Rochester to receive this award. A panel of 20 esteemed judges reviewed more than 230 nominations of attorneys 40 and under and chose 42 recipients who have established a record of accomplishments and demonstrated that they are top contributors to the practice of law and their communities. In 2009, Mr. Jones received the 40 Under 40 Award from the Rochester Business Journal in recognition of his civic and professional achievement. He is also peer rated as a Super Lawyer, Employment Litigation Defense by Super Lawyers Magazine.
Mr. Jones is a member of the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the Monroe County Bar Association.