Joni H. Kletter

SENIOR Counsel

Joni H. Kletter is a labor and employment counselor and litigator with 20 years of legal and government experience. Her practice focuses on employment and contract litigation, contract negotiations, arbitration, mediation and government law and compliance.

As Commissioner and Chief Judge of NYC’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings (OATH), Kletter led a 600-person independent administrative law court that hears over 500,000 summonses and conducts over 2,000 trials annually with a $70 million-dollar budget.

Prior to her role at OATH, Kletter served as the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Appointments, Counsel to the City’s Legislative Affairs Office and was the Principal EEO Officer at City Hall. Kletter also served as a labor and employment attorney at Meyer Suozzi, English & Klein, P.C. for over eight years, and prior to that, spent over two years as a Federal Law Clerk for the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of New York. She has represented unions, employers and employees in federal and state courts and before administrative agencies and arbitrators. She has drafted numerous articles and employment alerts about developments in employment law and advised employers on best practices. She is an active participant in Park Slope, Brooklyn civic life where she has lived since 2006.

Professional Admissions

  • New York State
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York

Education

  • Cardozo School of Law, J.D. cum laude

Marla Tepper

SPECIAL Counsel

Marla Tepper brings over 40 years of experience as a litigator and in-house counsel to Kalmanson Cohen’s representation of individual, corporate, and nonprofit clients.  Previously General Counsel to two large New York City nonprofits, Deputy Commissioner and General Counsel to the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs, Assistant U.S. Attorney and NYS Assistant Attorney General (specializing in civil rights and consumer protection), and Legal Aid criminal appeals attorney, Marla is a problem-solver and strategist, with a keen eye for the intersection of law and operations. “I’m thrilled to join Randi and Kim in helping our clients achieve compliance, make smart choices, navigate thorny matters, or vindicate their rights in court.”  

Professional Admissions

  • New York State
  • U.S. District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York 

Education

  • Georgetown University, JD
  • Brooklyn College, B.A. – Phi Beta Kappa