Current Employment Position(s)

Partner

Lawyer Overview

Erika Collins is a partner in the Paul Hastings Employment law practice in New York, where she chairs the firm’s international employment law practice. Ms. Collins provides strategic advice and counseling to multinational employers on a wide range of global employment law and human resources matters. She leads a team of employment lawyers in the firm’s U.S. and non-U.S. offices and has developed a network of international employment counsel to provide assistance worldwide. Ms. Collins represents public and private companies and advises on cross-border employment matters spanning Europe, Asia and North and South America. Ms. Collins assists employers with global employment issues and advises companies when they are expanding or downsizing around the world. She has handled office openings and workforce expansions; employment terminations, including mass layoffs and office closures; executive hirings and terminations and the attendant negotiations; and has prepared employment, separation, expatriate and consulting agreements in dozens of countries. Ms. Collins conducts multi-country audits of employment laws and practices, and provides strategic compliance advice regarding a wide range of issues, including data privacy, fixed term contracts, outsourcing, and working time and leave regulations. Ms. Collins frequently counsels clients on preparing non-U.S. employment packages and agreements that are competitive and compliant with local laws. She has advised employers on sexual harassment and other misconduct allegations in numerous international jurisdictions and has assisted with payroll, benefits and vacation questions. Ms. Collins has significant experience in cross-border M&A transactions and has conducted employment-related due diligence on international subsidiaries and provided advice regarding local business transfer laws and employee transition issues. Ms. Collins also provides strategic advice to multi-national companies opening non-U.S. offices and undergoing global restructuring. Ms. Collins is a frequent speaker at IBA, ABA and state bar meetings and has spoken and written on myriad topics including: “Cross-Border Transfers of Executives,” “Global Mobility Issues for Multi-Nationals,” “Employment Issues in Cross-Border M&A Transactions,” “The Landscape of Issues in International Employment Law,” and "The Intersection of EU Privacy and Anti-Discrimination Laws." Ms. Collins received a law degree from the University of California, Davis School of Law in 1994, where she received the "American Jurisprudence Award" in Corporations and was a member of the Moot Court Board. Ms. Collins received an A.B. in English and American Literature from Brown University in 1988, and was captain of the nationally ranked crew team. Ms. Collins is a member of the American Bar Association’s Section of International Law ("SIL") and is a former chair of the International Employment Law Committee. She is currently one of SIL's Liaisons to the Section of Labor and Employment Law. She is admitted to the bars in New York, California and the District of Columbia. Ms. Collins has been named in the The International Who’s Who of Management, Labour & Employment Lawyers 2007 and 2008. She is recognized as "A Leading New York Employment Defense Lawyer" in the 2007 and 2008 Chambers USA Americas Leading Lawyers for Business and was selected for inclusion in the September 2007 and 2008 New York Super Lawyers Magazine, the March 2009 issue of Super Lawyers, Corporate Counsel Edition and The International Who's Who of Business Lawyers, 2009. She has also been listed in PLC Which Lawyer? Yearbook 2007 and 2008 and is recognized as one of only two Leading lawyers in the United States for International Labour and Employment Law. Ms. Collins sits on the Board of Directors of Housing + Solutions, a non-profit organization that assists women released from prison with securing employment and housing in order to reunite with their children.

Areas of Practice

• Employment Law
• International Employment Law

West Practice Categories

Employment Law -- Employee, Employment Law -- Employer, International Law, Labor Law

Bar Admissions

• California, 1994
• U.S. District Court Northern District of California, 1994
• District of Columbia
• New York

Education

• University of California at Davis School of Law, Davis, California, 1994
  J.D.
• Brown University, 1988
  B.A.

Address

Park Avenue Tower
75 E. 55th Street
First Floor
New York, NY 10022

Phones

(212) 318-6789

Faxes

(212) 230-5123

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.paulhastings.com