Virginia & Ambinder in the Press

"Even before the onset of the 2008 recession, college students and recent grads eagerly, if not desperately, sought out unpaid internships hoping to gain the necessary experience to land a paid job. Unfortunately, rather than provide a structured educational environment for interns, many, if not most, employers treat interns like entry level employees without providing them any compensation."

"On Saturday, April 5th, during Find & Follow Your Passion: A FindSpark Fashion Conference at LIM College, LaDonna Lusher and Lloyd Ambinder, attorneys at Virginia and Ambinder LLP, share the most wonderful knowledge about the importance of knowing your rights as an employee, whether you are an a full-time or part-time employee, independent contractor/ freelancer, and intern (yes, you have rights as well!). If you fit in any of these categories or you are looking for your next gig, this is for you!"

Interns who worked at Viacom, Inc., MTV Networks Music Production Inc., and MTV Networks Enterprises, Inc.

"Manicurists are fighting back against a tough-as-nails businesswoman who runs her mani-pedi empire with an iron fist."

"The City Council passed a bill yesterday amending New York City's Human Rights Law to extend sexual harassment and discrimination rights to unpaid interns. The move now allows unpaid interns to sue their employers should they choose. It also makes the Big Apple one of the first American cities to have such rights for their interns. Reminder: it's 2014."

"A former intern accusing MTV of failing to pay him for months of work asked a New York federal judge on Friday to certify a nationwide collective in his case, arguing it would be the most efficient way to resolve a case that could involve thousands of other workers."

"A New York City trial judge has certified a class of 751 current and former Jenny Craig workers who claim the weight-loss company changed their time cards to show they had taken 30-minute meal breaks when, in fact, they were pushed to work though the pause, a ruling posted Monday says."

"As summer ended, perhaps so did unpaid internships as we know them. The once commonplace “opportunity” to forego wages in exchange for work experience and connections may no longer be a viable option by the time summer 2014 rolls around. Bottom line: interns will now have to get paid at least minimum wage to wait in lines to get Cronuts for their bosses."

"A New York federal magistrate judge on Thursday granted first-step certification to a group of current and former service employees at two Long Island-based Marriott hotels, allowing them to proceed with their claims that the hotel failed to pay lawfully earned gratuities and overtime."

"The Madison Square Garden Co. on Monday became the latest company targeted in a putative class action alleging that it improperly classified regular employees as interns in an effort to avoid paying them, according to documents filed in New York federal court."

"A New York federal judge on Tuesday certified a class of waiters, bartenders, busboys and other workers who filed a proposed collective action against Vic & Anthony's Steakhouse accusing the chain of seizing their tips and paying them less than minimum wage."

Donna Karan International Inc., the popular designer of women's fashion, was hit with a putative class action in New York state court on Wednesday for allegedly classifying regular employees as interns and trainees to avoid paying them.