Zabell & Collotta, P.C. Staff

Saul D. Zabell is a principal and founding partner in the law firm of Zabell & Collotta, P.C. Located at One Corporate Drive, Suite 103 Bohemia New York. Saul has dedicated his career to practicing law in the areas of labor and employment law, including employment discrimination and harassment issues, wrongful termination, personnel policy review and development, employee discharge and discipline, employment contracts, restrictive covenants and trade secrets, Executive compensation structuring, labor relations, collective bargaining, union/management issues, and wage and hour compliance.

Mr. Zabell graduated from New York Law School after graduating from the State University of New York at Albany.

Mr. Zabell practices in a variety of labor and employment related areas of the law including the National Labor Relations Act, the Federal Railway Labor Act, State and Federal Wage/Hour Laws, COBRA, IRCA, Laws against Discrimination, FMLA, ERISA and the ADA. In addition to traditional labor and employment laws, Mr. Zabell has represented clients under the Federal False Claims Act, otherwise known as Federal Whistle-Blower Law or Qui-Tam Law. He has negotiated collective bargaining agreements and individual employment agreements, as well as advised and represented employers in hundreds of grievances, mediations and arbitrations.

Mr. Zabell is an experienced litigator whose practice routinely finds him advocating and litigating on behalf of his clients before various administrative tribunals, State Courts in New York, New Jersey, Illinois and Michigan, United States District Courts, the United States Court of Claims, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, the National Labor Relations Board and the United States Supreme Court.

Mr. Zabell is admitted to practice in New York and is a member of the Nassau County, Suffolk County, and New York State Bar Associations. He is also a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association.

---

Cases of Interest

Mack v. Otis Elevator Co., Docket No. 02-7056 , UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS
FOR THE SECOND CIRCUIT , 326 F.3d 116; 2003 U.S. App. LEXIS 6948; 173 L.R.R.M.
2779; 91 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1009; 149 Lab. Cas. (CCH) P10,284; 84 Empl. Prac. Dec.
(CCH) P41,422, January 3, 2003, Final Submission, April 11, 2003, Decided, As Amended May
8, 2003. US Supreme Court certiorari denied by Otis Elevator Co. v. Mack, 2003 U.S. LEXIS
8366 (U.S., Nov. 17, 2003)

Patterson v. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., 01 Civ. 7513 (LMM) , UNITED STATES DISTRICT
COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 17135;
94 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1034; 34 Employee Benefits Cas. (BNA) 1051, August 26,
2004, Decided, August 26, 2004, Filed

Astudillo v. US News & World Report, 02 Civ. 7902 (WHP) , UNITED STATES DISTRICT
COURT FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK , 2004 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 18685;
9 Wage & Hour Cas. 2d (BNA) 1738, September 17, 2004, Decided, Reconsideration denied by
Astudillo v. U.S. News & World Report, 2005 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 92 (S.D.N.Y., Jan. 6, 2005)

Canino v. County of Suffolk, No. 03-7280, UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR
THE SECOND CIRCUIT , 81 Fed. Appx. 379; 2003 U.S. App. LEXIS 23808, November 21,
2003, Decided

Hansen v. Danish Tourist Bd., CV 00-1419 (ADS), UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR
THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK, 147 F. Supp. 2d 142; 2001 U.S. Dist. LEXIS
6858; 85 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 1606; 81 Empl. Prac. Dec. (CCH) P40,858, May 19,
2001, Decided

Associations

• New York State Bar Association
• Nassau County Bar Association
• Suffolk County Bar Association
• American Trial Lawyers Association
• National Employment Lawyers Assocation

---

Admissions

• New York State
• Eastern District of New York
• Southern District of New York
• United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
• United States Court of Federal Claims
• United States Supreme Court

---

Areas of Practice

• Labor
• Employment
• Benefits/ERISA Law
• Civil Litigation
• Railway Labor Act
• Hotel Law
• Non-Profit Law
• Federal False Claims Act (Qui Tam)
• Human Resources lectures and training

---

Community Involvement

• 2006 Long Island Top 40 Under 40
• Sayville Kiwanis Club, Treasurer
• Coalition against Child Abuse and Neglect, Committee member
• Clubhouse of Suffolk, Committee member
• MacArthur Business Alliance, Past President
• Volunteer Parent Educational Advocate for Parents of Children With Down Syndrome

Mr. Collotta is a principal in the law firm of Zabell & Collotta, P.C. Mr. Collotta’s practice is limited to the areas of labor and employment law.

Mr. Collotta graduated from St. John’s University School of Law in 2000 and graduated from the University of Delaware in 1996.

Mr. Collotta has litigated countless matters in federal, state, local, and appellate courts, as well as administrative forums from case inception through trial and appeal. Mr. Collotta regularly counsels management clients on various issues including, but not limited to: ERISA and other employee benefits, FMLA, Immigration and Naturalization, ADA, ADEA, Title VII, OWBPA, National Labor Relations Act, New York State and New York City Human Rights Laws, the FLSA and New York Labor Law. Mr. Collotta has conducted numerous employer investigations into allegations of unlawful workplace discrimination, wage and hour violations, and OSHA safety concerns.

Mr. Collotta works in conjunction with corporate in-house counsel and human resources staff in connection with employee personnel decisions including, but not limited to, employee hire, discipline, suspension, and termination. Mr. Collotta drafts and implements EEOC Affirmative Action Plans, employee handbooks, and policy manuals. In addition, Mr. Collotta delivers presentations to various networking groups, clients and civic organizations on issues involving workplace discrimination, harassment, and wage and hour issues.

Mr. Collotta is admitted to practice in the State of New York and in the Eastern District of New York. Mr. Collotta is a member of the New York State, Suffolk County and Federal Bar Associations.

Associations

• New York State Bar Association
• Suffolk County Bar Association
• Federal Bar Association

---

Admissions

• New York State
• Eastern District of New York

---

Areas of Practice

• Labor
• Employment
• Benefits/ERISA
• Non-profit
• Commercial Litigation
• Civil Litigation
• Non-Profit Law
• OSHA

---

Community Involvement

• Mattituck Chamber of Commerce
• Bayport-Blue Point Chamber of Commerce

Mr. Masciana is an associate attorney with the firm and his practice is focused on litigation as well as providing advice and counsel to our clients regarding employment policies, practices, and compliance with federal and state regulations. Mr. Masciana’s area of practice includes discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and federal and state wage-and-hour class action claims, and he is known by his peers to be a hardworking and zealous advocate for his clients.Mr. Masciana is a graduate of the St. John’s University School of Law and the first member of his family to be admitted to the practice of law. While in law school, Mr. Masciana was a recipient of the Dean’s Award for Excellence, and a member of the St. John’s Criminal Defense Clinic where he vigorously defended his clients as a student advocate for the Queen’s County Legal Aid Society. Mr. Masciana was also a member of the Frank S. Polestino Trial Advocacy Institute where he participated in multiple regional and national trial advocacy competitions and received several awards for his advocacy.Prior to law school, Mr. Masciana obtained a Bachelor of Arts in History from the State University of New York at Old Westbury.

Saaim Sohail is an Associate at Zabell & Collotta, P.C., where he focuses his practice on labor and employment matters. Saaim graduated from Hofstra University in 2022 with a Bachelor of Art in Criminology and a Minor in Sociology. At Hofstra University, Saaim was part of the Legal Education Accelerated Program. Saaim received his Juris Doctor from the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University in 2025, where he was a member of a wide variety of law associations. His additional interests include fitness, music, playing guitar, and sports.

Robert A. Cozzi is an Associate at Zabell & Collotta, P.C., where he focuses his practice on labor and employment matters. Robert graduated from Boston College in 2023 with a Bachelor of Art in History and minors in Music and Irish Studies. Robert received his Juris Doctor from the St. John’s University School of Law in 2026, where he was a member of several different law associations. Outside of work, his interests include music, film, and sports.

Shelly Leonard is an experienced senior trial attorney with extensive litigation experience. She has been practicing for over twenty-five (25) years representing clients in a wide variety of complex litigation, including wage and hour collective/class actions, labor and employment law, mass tort/pharmaceutical litigation and commercial/business litigation. Shelly has prosecuted and defended all forms of multi-plaintiff wage and hour lawsuits, ranging from small regional classes and opt-in groups of less than 100, to large classes numbering in the thousands and more, in Federal and State courts across the county.

Shelly was co-lead class counsel in the following representative actions: MDL, In re Aon Corp. Wage & Hour Employment Practices Litigation, No. 08cv5802 (Hon. Charles P. Kocoras) U.S.D.C., Northern District of Illinois; Tanner v. TPUSA, Inc., 1:12-cv-00033-WLS, U.S.D.C., Middle District of Georgia, Albany Division; McCormick v. American Cruise Lines, 3:15-cv-741-VLB, U.S.D.C, District of Connecticut; Smith v. Temple University, 2:18CV590, U.S.D.C., Eastern District of Pennsylvania; Eshelman, et al. v. Client Services, Inc., et al., No: 0822-cv-00763 (22nd Judicial District, Mo. Circuit Ct.); Miller et. al. v. Aon Risk Services Companies, Inc. et. al., No. 1:008-cv- 05802 (N.D. Il.); Langer et. al. v. Sykes Enterprises Ins., No. 2011-cv-00850 (E.D. Ark.); Thompson v. American Limousine Group, LLC, 7:19-cv-04133.

Shelly has worked jointly with the Department of Labor, State Labor Relation Boards, United States Post Office, and other governmental agencies in resolving wage and hour compliance issues.

Shelly has also forged a reputation in the pharmaceutical litigation acting as co-liaison counsel of In Re NuvaRing® Litigation, a Multicounty litigation pending in the Superior Court, Bergen County, New Jersey.

In addition to her litigation practice, Ms. Leonard has broad transactional experience including the representation of Fortune 500 companies, non-profit entities and small business owners. Shelly successfully represents clients at trial, during investigations, in arbitration and mediation, in complex litigation and appellate practice.

Shelly is admitted to practice law in New Jersey (1998) and New York (1999); U.S. District Courts, for the Eastern, Southern, Western and Northern Districts of New York; U.S. District Court of New Jersey; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit; and U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Additionally, Shelly has been admitted pro hac vice to many U.S. District Courts nationwide. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from the State University of New York at Albany. Shelly earned her Juris Doctorate degree from Hofstra University School of Law with honors.

Michael Taylor is a Senior Paralegal at Zabell & Collotta, P.C. He aids the Firm’s lawyers in organizing and handling documents pertaining to employment discrimination, wage and hour issues, and civil rights lawsuits. Mr. Taylor graduated from St. Joseph’s University cum laude with a B.A. in Criminal Justice with a focus on Law and Justice. He plans to return to school in the near future to earn a Master of Education degree to become a teacher.

Raven Sanchez is a Paralegal at Zabell & Collotta, P.C. She assists the Firm’s attorneys by preparing and managing documents pertaining to employment discrimination, wage and hour, and civil rights lawsuits. Ms. Sanchez is a biology major at Suffolk County Community College and plans to attend The University of Maine in the near future to obtain her Masters.

Shea Gannon is a Paralegal at Zabell & Collotta, P.C. She assists the Firm’s attorneys by preparing and managing documents pertaining to employment discrimination, wage and hour, and civil rights lawsuits. Ms. Gannon is a Criminal Justice major at Farmingdale State College and plans to attend St. John’s University in the near future to obtain her Juris Doctor.