RCTobinLaw, PLLC

04/21/2026

Listen to Trump read the Bible?

No, “I will go to the altar of God,” see below, i.e., the annual reading of James Joyce’s “Ulysses” at the Symphony Space, 96th and Broadway, which takes place on Bloomsday, June 16. Art “trumps” hypocrisy.

‘STATELY, PLUMP BUCK MULLIGAN CAME FROM THE STAIRHEAD, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed. A yellow dressing gown, ungirdled, was sustained gently-behind him by the mild morning air. He held the bowl aloft and intoned:

-- Introibo ad altare Dei.

Halted, he peered down the dark winding stairs and called up coarsely:

-- Come up, Kinch. Come up, you fearful jesuit.”

President Trump will take part in a marathon Bible reading event that celebrates 250 years of the Bible in America. Several other politicians and leaders from his administration will be reading verses as well. MORE BELOW ⬇️

04/12/2026

Annnouncement: We're Growing!

I post to share an update on my practice.

Over the past twelve years, I’ve represented individuals in employment-related matters—negotiating severance agreements, advising on executive contracts, and handling discrimination and retaliation claims. That work continues to be the most meaningful part of my professional life.

For the past several years, I have also worked closely with a not-for-profit organization on grant writing and development initiatives supporting environmental stewardship, K–12 STEM education, and related programs. That work has now transitioned in-house, and while I will miss the team (and, admittedly, the annual gala), the change presents a welcome opportunity to expand my legal practice.

I am now free to take on a broader range of matters, particularly:
severance negotiations and exits
executive compensation and employment agreements
age and other forms of workplace discrimination
retaliation and wrongful termination

As always, I approach these matters with a focus on practical strategy and strong, efficient advocacy. If you, a friend or a colleague would like to have a conversation about a workplace issue, I’m always happy to speak. And I always appreciate being kept in mind as a resource.

Rita Costabile Tobin
www.rctobinlaw.com
[email protected]

09/07/2025

While not surprising, this is bad news for employees. New York State courts frown upon
noncompetes, but an effort two years ago to make these onerous restictions illegal in this state was thwarted by Governor Hochul’s veto. Now that the Trump administration has ended FTC efforts to bar noncompetes nationwide, the NYS legislature should ask the governor to reconsider her position.

The Federal Trade Commission's lone Democrat said the GOP majority was “choosing the side of controlling bosses over American workers.”

08/15/2025

08/14/2025

Age discrimination is ubiquitous in the workplace but, thanks to two Supreme Court decisions limiting the scope of the ADEA, very difficult to prove. Yet it’s important to keep the pressure on employers, particularly as the baby boomers are forced into retirement and succeeding generations are pushed out of the workplace in their forties and fifties.

In Richards v. Eli Lily & Co., a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit joined the Fifth and Sixth Circuits in departing from the longstanding two-step procedure for distributing notice to potential plaintiffs in collective actions. Instead, the Seventh Circuit created a new test...

08/14/2025

The battle continues: and you should never agree to a non-compete without consulting an attorney. You’ll be sorry you didn’t, if you lose your job and need to find another in a hurry:

01/28/2025

Good news! Unions are the first line of defense for employees. De-unionization is a core cause of today’s income inequality. At-will employees have few legal protections - unions give those employees a seat at the bargaining table.

The union win, at a Philadelphia store where workers are seeking higher wages, comes as Amazon is also fighting organizing efforts among some warehouse employees and delivery drivers.

12/30/2024

With the coming of the new year, minimum wage earners in the state will also enjoy a bit of an easing in the burden of rising costs: the wage will go up $0.50 an hour, reaching $16.50 in NYC, Westc…

11/14/2024

“TRENTON – Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin and District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb led a multistate brief today supporting the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) rule to eliminate noncompete clauses in employment contracts nationwide. The multistate brief reflects efforts by New Jersey and other States to protect important recent federal policies, including those that support workers.”

11/12/2024

A good decision that may not survive the new administration in D.C. Trump and the GOP are not worker friendly, opposing unions on principle and undermining them in fact.

On November 8, 2024, in Siren Retail Corp d/b/a Starbucks, the National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) ruled that employers may violate the National

11/12/2024

Bad news for employees - noncompete agreements are not going away (yet).

FTC's final rule prohibiting employers from using noncompete agreement could be affected by the results of the presidential election.