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Yale pollack law recording

Speaker 1

Welcome to Winning on Wednesday. My name is Juan Vides. And I’m the founder of Winning on Wednesday. Today’s guest is Yale Pollack . He’s graduated from Colgate University. He also attended Torah Law Center as well. Yale it’s a very prominent lawyer in Long Island. He has extensive experience in handling civil disputes, including labor and employment, real estate landlord tenant and finance, banking, construction, and, and other personal injury matters as well. I just want to say welcome today’s guest, welcome to How are you?

Speaker 2

Thank you so much for having me. It’s a pleasure to be on your show.

Speaker 1

Thank you, Yale. So tell me a little bit about yourself. I always start by asking, what did your parents do? Tell me what from all the beginning from the start? What did your parents do for a living? I like to ask people that question from the very beginning.

Speaker 2

Alright, well, you know, mainly, a lot had been from my grandfather working in a factory. You know, he had worked in a factory where they manufactured boxes. And that was something that had been passed down to his children so that my mother and my uncle’s, one of my uncle’s ended up going to California to be a doctor. So they had taken over the business. And while I was younger, I got to go to the factory and see what type of workers were there and how there was an office staff. And then there was the manual workers working the machines, down in the factory, and I was always fascinated by it. Granted, I was very young, so I wasn’t as fascinated as I am now about the working conditions or pay they were receiving, but they all seemed happy, and so on. That’s generally what they did. Growing up, um, you know, so that’s how that was their business.

Speaker 1

I see. They know, they can see the passionate for workers and employees, and I can now see where that comes from. Question for you, when you were seven years old? What did you want to be that you want? When you grew up? Did you always wanted to become a lawyer or worker? Or how did the what did you do when you were seven? What did you want to become when you grew up?

Speaker 2

You know, like a typical seven year old, I wanted to, you know, be a basketball player, but in reality, so I’m getting, you know, pretty quickly. And what I just realized is that I wanted to help people. I didn’t know what that meant at the time. But it did feel good. And it felt like something that I’d want to do. And so, as I grew, I have a lot of family members who were in law granted nobody with my direct lineage, but and, you know, second cousins and whatnot. And so it became an area that I became very focused on, in terms of not just going to law school, but also the type of law that I’d want to come out of doing after I was in law school, which was to be a litigator, you know, there’s basically two types of lawyers, you have transactional, and you have litigators. And I always wanted to be in the litigator arena, for some reason, and I think it’s just having that competitive nature of, you know, when I was younger, I was competitive at sports, and you don’t gain that, that edge when you’re older. But in, in litigation, it does feel like a victory in a loss, even though a lot of cases result in settlement. The the results I get from my clients make it seem like a true victory.

Speaker 1

I got it, and question What attracted you to become a lawyer? Like what attracted you to the law?

Speaker 2

Well, you know, it wasn’t something I jumped into right away. It was when I had graduated from college, in 2001. My first job was being a real estate broker. Granted, my first day of work was September 10 2001, and I was living in the city. So you can imagine how that affected the commercial real estate and people not really wanting to come into New York, but it was a commission based lifestyle, and I dealt frequently with lawyers while in that position as a broker. And so I saw what they were doing and it seemed more stable in terms of a lifestyle instead of you know, the, you know, then we were dealing with September 11. Now, you know, the the other hurdle that we just have recently are and are still dealing with his COVID but um, you know, just the consistency and being able to deal with people was really what drew me to law and and wanting to make change.

Speaker 1

And do you Have any Did you have any hobbies growing up or any interests? Like, did you still have any, any any hobbies he continued since you do or,

Speaker 2

I mean, you know, sports have always been a true passion of mine, whether it’s rooting for a team or playing on the fields, as I’ve gotten older, you know, I’ve pretty much become resigned to be a golfer. But you know, my hobbies really now consist around my children, I have a two boys 10 and seven years old, who I like to inspire. I like to inspire them for education, I like to inspire them for doing charitable work, and I like to inspire them, you know, in being competitive in whatever they’re passionate with. And right now, at that age, they’re both very into sports. And so it’s great, you know, being able to teach them certain things, from what I did growing up and, and coach them, um, you know, I do coach where I can and help out as an assistant where someone else has that position. So it’s, it’s, it’s a joy, working with kids like that. And then you know, I really feel good about it at the end, when, you know, the the parents all chip in for a gift and say, how great that they are, how much they learned, or how great the experience was being with me. So that always feels good. And that’s something that I want to continue doing.

Speaker 1

Wow. Talked about and inspired. Did you have any role models that inspired you or today?

Speaker 2

You know, I’d say that my uncle, who moved to California, he was one of the role models that I had had, he had become a major doctor at the top of his field, after you know, going to college, and then he didn’t do so well, there. So we went to Mexico for medical school, but then, you know, I made it big time and in California, and so, he was always someone that I really, it may be, it’s not a role model, but he was always a trusted advisor for me, and someone I would lean to, and he was very encouraging for me to go to law school, um, you know, what, after, after the two years, I was a real estate broker, and I realized that was not what was in the long run for me.

Speaker 1

Yeah. Wow. And now, obviously, that was your last nine to five job right? Before you decided to go on your own was you Right, right. And, and were you late? What the I mean, this, what decided you’re impacted your decision to make that jump to go on your own and, and in what was there anything that this was a deciding factor, or something that motivate you or desire you to just go ahead and do it and jump and leap up to it? Was it? What was it?

Speaker 2

Oh, yeah, it was, it was scary. It’s what it was. You know, I had originally started at a firm on Long Island, where I was a commercial litigator. So that meant, you know, doing all types of business types disputes, from real estate, to banking, and other business areas, but I did work primarily with the employment partner there. And so that’s the field that I felt the most passionate about. And, you know, because it was dealing with real life experiences for people who are in people’s basically, their second home, um, you know, work is the second home for many of us. And so, um, you know, you’re really in tune with the individuals that you’re talking to, and, and trying to help them granted, you know, the first 10 years when I was at law firms, I was generally on the management side, or the employer side, as it’s known, representing employers, because that’s the type of clients that were attracted to these bigger firms. So I got to learn a lot about what goes into a case and how its evaluated from the defense side. And when I realized that the second firm was not the right fit for me. I had a couple clients that were willing to come with me. So I kind of ponied up and said, Let’s do this. I had a thought of just, you know, going around and creating Handbooks for local businesses as a loss leader, knowing I’d be their trusted advisor, should any employment issue arise going forward? But what ended up happening is that my old two firms who I left on very good terms with started referring me cases for employees. Yeah. And they were basically doing the marketing for me and I, it wasn’t something that I had thought I’d be doing, but once I started doing it, you know, at the beginning, I I was I was doing it all I was driving to the apartments, I was driving into the city, you know, I was doing whatever I could to get these clients and show them a really personalized touch. And since I already had experience on the defense side, I knew what they’d be looking at. So what I’d always pride myself on and continue to pride myself on is, is managing client expectations. And, you know, not taking the client who says I want a million dollars, because that’s the, the jury verdict that was shown on the cover of a newspaper or whatnot. When these individuals, rightfully so don’t know what happens after the jury awards, a verdict and how a judge can reduce a verdict after on a motion called remittitur. And basically say that the jury is award was excessive, and unless you accept this amount, we’re gonna go to a new trial. So I have a very good understanding of, you know, where a good settlement posture is, and how to and you know, if, if they’re in, you know, a pie in the sky land, they may not be the right one for me, because I really like to be aligned with my clients and expectations. And I don’t, I don’t like setting expectations that I can’t meet,

Speaker 1

you know, I always say is about good customer service, and bedside manners, you know, and provide that service because at the end of the day, you we are all providing the service at the end of the day, and it’s doing the right thing for our customers. Tell me about a typical day for you. Now, like now, for you, what is the typical day look like for you?

Speaker 2

You know, it’s been an interesting few years. Um, you know, COVID obviously took a really big toll on many industries, including the the legal industry and unemployment claims, when people were working remotely. There weren’t as many claims. And so things were developing in a different way, where you were kind of giving free advice a lot was on talking about the vaccines and exemptions for religious or medical reasons. And then now we’re, we’re through that, and we’re have people who are back at work. And so now what agenda day generally entails for me is, you know, waking up, I’m making sure that I’m taking care of all my emails and everything on my calendar in the morning, reviewing the any new cases that may have been published in the discrimination, retaliation, or wage in our fields, I like to stay on top of that, and there’s certain sites that give you content for updated information like that. So that’s what keeps me abreast of the changes that have been going on in the law. And then, you know, developing, you know, client relationships, um, you know, on the one hand, I do represent employees, so, you know, that’s not those generally come from word of mouth, and, you know, past clients, I’ve represented, whoever, you know, recommended me or other attorneys, who I have relationships with. But I also do represent small employers as well. I’m here to fight for the little guy and I understand that being an employer in New York is not an easy task. The policy policies and laws that are consistently passed are ever evolving and handbooks have to be changed almost on a semi annual if not more frequent basis with the new laws that come out. More recently, you had some some thing with the hero whacked which is to prevent the spread of infectious airborne diseases that has to go into a handbook you now have a new amended labor law claim where now that that has to be put in the handbook

Speaker 1

with with all these valuable pieces of information you given us you just like shooting this great valuable information by the way thank you for the you know our listeners are going to appreciate this information. I like to give this segment is perfect timing with a segue is what piece of information you like to give to our share of to our listeners right now. They can help their business or become a better business person. I like to say what golden a piece of nugget you would like to be behind. So they can share this interview with Is there anything you can give or any examples of information that you’ve used or anything like that? You’ve just given us two fabulous

Speaker 2

information? Yeah. And I gave you nuanced, you know, examples in this situation, but it’s really getting really Through trusted advisors, you know that that goes for every aspect of someone’s life, whether it’s a financial or tax with an accountant, or, you know, whoever it may be beings with someone that you trust and that you and that you can establish trust with, so that you understand that that person is going to be looking out for your best interests. I always look out for my clients first then off in their head, you know, it causes some dilemma in the household once in a while, but they understand where where loyalties must go, and how priorities are taken. But you know, right now, um, you know, being on top of the wall, it’s an employer’s responsibility, um, ignorance of the law is not an excuse. And so if an employer is sued, and they say, Oh, I didn’t know that I had to pay him overtime, or, Oh, I didn’t know that I couldn’t, you know, you know, say this to that person. It’s not an excuse for a defense to a lawsuit on employers are charged with knowing the law. And that’s a very daunting statement. Because there are a lot of laws that are out there. And so having a good employment attorney to navigate those minefields, where you’re dealing with certain federal laws that apply to certain companies, and then there’s state laws that apply to companies. And then there are city and local laws. So you really have to understand all of them. And as a business owner who’s trying to operate their own restaurant or business and sell whatever products they’re looking to sell or service they’re looking to provide. You know, that’s not something that someone really wants to do. So teaming up with a good employment lawyer, I think is always good, whether it’s just for a quick phone call, which I provide free advice, you know, plenty of times for but then, you know,

Speaker 1

and with that, how could they reach you, by the way, what’s what’s,

Speaker 2

you know, my website is, www.yalepollacklaw.com. That’s my website, my phone number is 516-634-6340. And my email is Y Pollack, ypollack@yalepollacklaw.com, yalepollacklaw.com

Speaker 1

Excellent. And our questions for you is, do you belong to any organizations that you want to mention? Any, any specific groups or organizations they belong to?

Speaker 2

I mean, I’m part of, you know, a bunch of Bar Association’s including the Nassau bar, American Bar Association, and the New York State Bar Association, and those have active committees were primarily in the labor and employment section. And they help you at internet you know, there’s groups and I’m also part of a also on a neat neola, New York, it’s a national employment advocates for basically employees and so they serve as a really good sounding board for solo practitioners such as myself to bounce ideas off other people. Because it’s not it’s scary being on your own and thinking you have the right answer, but having a sounding board for others who could give you other ways to attack it or, you know, otherwise give you other strategies. That’s a great other organization that I’m part

Speaker 1

of. Okay, excellent. And yet one more time for our listeners. What’s, how’s the best way to contact you?

Speaker 2

Again, you know, through email or phone, you know, being the phone number at 516-634-6340. Y Pollack, ypollack@yalepollacklaw.com, yalepollacklaw.com. Pollack spelled the same way. Law.com.

Speaker 1

Okay, excellent. Well, yo, thank you so much for this interview. There’s been great so much time learning about so much about what you do. And you’re passionate about the law employment from the beginning for with your grandfather working there, and taking it to now. Wow, he just took it to a great journey. And I just want to thank you for your time.

Speaker 2

One I really wanted to thank you for having me on as a guest today. I just really appreciate it.

Speaker 1

Okay, Yale, thank you so much. And we look forward for the next interview. I’ll see you then.

Speaker 2

Sounds good. Thanks. Bye.

Speaker 1

Thank you. Bye bye. Be well. Okay.