Source: https://polauflaw.com/attorney-profile/ # Stephen R. Polauf Attorney at Law · New Haven, Connecticut [(475) 473-8793]() Fax (475) 215-9233 [srp@polauflaw.com]() [LinkedIn]() [YouTube]() [Booking]() [vCard]() ## Overview Stephen R. Polauf is a solo employment attorney based in New Haven, Connecticut. Through Polauf Law LLC, Stephen represents both employers and employees in CHRO and EEOC proceedings, litigation, and employment advisory matters. He is a published expert on Connecticut employment law, and his analysis has appeared in the Hartford Business Journal on issues including paid sick leave and statutory wage deductions. Stephen is an experienced litigator and has won judgment or dismissal before trial on behalf of employers when practicing at management-side firms. He previously secured summary judgment, dismissal, or denial of appeal certifications for employers on suits involving wage-and-hour regulations, breach of contract, ERISA, employment discrimination and public accommodations, state administrative appeals, and federal appeals in the Second Circuit. Since striking out on his own, Stephen has expanded his practice to include both employee and employer representations. For employees, he has secured over six figures in settlements representing victims of wrongful job losses and unlawful discrimination and retaliation. He takes a principled, aggressive, results-oriented approach to each negotiation, drawing on his experience representing clients on both sides of the table. For employers, he drafts employee handbooks, employment contracts, and effective waivers and releases of claims using the same diligent, tested approach he applies to litigation. That advisory work also includes custom wage-deduction consent forms for front-loaded paid sick leave recoupment at separation, for which he has obtained formal approval and certification from the Connecticut Labor Commissioner on behalf of clients on four occasions. Polauf Law is a tech-driven firm utilizing self-built and securely deployed tools for research, drafting, and analysis, matching or exceeding large-firm resources. Stephen currently represents clients from a broad swath of backgrounds, and his approach is informed by the lessons he brings from his prior government service and growing up in Brooklyn, New York. ## Representative Matters Stephen has litigated in Connecticut state courts and handled administrative proceedings before the CHRO, EEOC, and NLRB. At his prior firms, his work included matters in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut and a successful brief to the Second Circuit, with dispositive-motion wins dismissing claims under Title VII and Title II of the Civil Rights Act, the CFEPA, the FMLA, the ADA, and ERISA. He has also won summary judgment on a breach of contract claim in Connecticut Superior Court and has drafted or revised roughly a dozen employee handbooks for employers ranging from national corporations to family-owned businesses. 1. Affirmed denial of class certification in *Savinova v. Nova Home Care, LLC* (D. Conn.), a federal wage and hour collective action, with brief to the Second Circuit. 2. Secured dismissal of a race discrimination in public accommodations claim in *Moore v. 315 Trumbull Hotel Owner, LLC* (D. Conn.) and obtained partial summary judgment in *Freeman v. Sansom* (D. Conn.). 3. Established through Connecticut choice-of-law analysis that Illinois law governed the non-compete agreement at issue; the matter was resolved by stipulated judgment. Obtained summary judgment on a novel agency theory without direct precedent in *DHR International, Inc. v. Atmos Air Solutions*. 4. Obtained dismissals in thirteen Connecticut administrative tax assessment appeals by advancing a novel construction of Conn. Gen. Stat. § 12-117a(a)(2) establishing an independent appraisal requirement as a jurisdictional prerequisite to Superior Court review. Lead case: *America Petroleum Realty LLC v. City of Danbury*. 5. Successfully moved to dismiss four counts in *Gutierrez v. Two Pickwick Restaurant* on ERISA preemption grounds. Authored position statement that secured a settlement in a CHRO employment discrimination proceeding. 6. Obtained first-of-its-kind Connecticut Department of Labor approval of wage deduction forms for front-loaded paid sick leave under the 2025 amendments, the subject of his [Hartford Business Journal commentary]() and [wage deduction analysis](). 7. Drafted employee handbooks for a national hospital following *Stericycle, Inc. and Teamsters Local 628*, 372 NLRB No. 113 (2023), and for local and regional Connecticut employers including coffee shops, a law firm, a restaurant, a regional manufacturer, and a large hospital system. 8. Secured five-figure settlements for clients in employment disputes, including on FMLA/wage, ADA, and age discrimination claims. 9. Previously represented employers before the EEOC, CHRO, and NLRB, defended against formal NLRA charges brought by the NLRB and obtained their dismissal, and secured multiple no-probable-cause resolutions of EEOC and CHRO investigations through position statements and strategic answers and production. These highlights represent accomplishments of which I am most proud and demonstrate my practice strengths. Results are never guaranteed. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. ## Extended Background Before law school, I spent four years in public service and government in New York and worked on political campaigns. That background informs my approach to agency process, administrative proceedings, and the institutional realities that often shape employment disputes. Prior to opening my own firm, I practiced at three labor and employment law Connecticut firms—in Hartford, New Haven, and Stamford—defending employers in NLRB proceedings and state and federal court, securing dispositive motions and successfully opposing a petition for permission to appeal to the Second Circuit. I also drafted handbooks for regional and national employers. It was through this work that I uncovered an anomaly in the 2025 paid sick leave bill that I wrote about for the [Hartford Business Journal]() in March 2025 and helped my management-side clients implement just as the new law went into effect. My decision to launch Polauf Law was driven by a desire to apply my own judgment, litigate independently, and build a practice aligned with the work I value most. I also occasionally take on commercial litigation and administrative law cases. I have experience litigating and winning tax appeals in Superior Court, and immigration law experience from my time as a congressional district staffer working with an immigrant population. Publications [Front-Loading: The Silver Lining for Employers in Connecticut's New Paid Sick Leave Law]() Hartford Business Journal Prior Public Service 1. Campaign Finance Board Analyst · New York, NY Oct 2017 – Aug 2019 2. U.S. House of Representatives District Aide · Brooklyn, NY Feb 2016 – Oct 2017 Pro Bono Work 1. New York Legal Aid Society Legal Clerk · Homicide Defense Task Force · Brooklyn, NY Jun 2020 – Aug 2020 Previous Firm Associations 1. Kaufman Borgeest & Ryan LLP Employment Litigation Associate · Stamford, CT Sep 2024 – Nov 2024 2. Zangari Cohn Cuthbertson Duhl & Grello P.C. Employment Litigation Associate · New Haven, CT Jan 2024 – Aug 2024 3. FordHarrison LLP Labor & Employment Associate · Hartford, CT May 2023 – Nov 2023 4. Chipman Mazzucco Emerson LLC Summer Associate · Associate · Danbury, CT Aug 2021 – Jan 2023 Secondary Practice Areas - Commercial Litigation - Administrative Law ## Learn More Reach Me - [Contact form]() Best route for any inquiry, including a request for representation. - [Book a consultation (opens in a new tab)]() All appointments must be confirmed first and are subject to an initial deposit. - [Fees & Services]() Hourly, contingency, and fixed-fee arrangements, plus the deposit policy for consultations. Read My Writing - [Polauf Law Blog]() My commentary on Connecticut employment law as it develops. - [Hartford Business Journal: paid sick leave (opens in a new tab)]() March 2025 coverage of Connecticut’s paid sick leave law, featuring my work. - [Media Archives]() Complete list of my publications and media appearances. Answers and Tools - [FAQ]() Common questions on consultations, fees, and deadlines. - [CT Paid Sick Leave Calculator]() Estimate accrual under Connecticut’s frontloaded sick leave option. - [Practice Areas]() Overview of the employment matters I handle. Client Access - [Client portal]() Private, secure document transfers for current and former clients. - [LinkedIn profile (opens in a new tab)]() Where I post and discuss employment law topics. Education - University of Virginia School of Law J.D., 2022 Editor, Virginia Journal of International Law (Online) - Goucher College B.A., Political Science, 2015 Admissions Connecticut Juris No. 444124 Primary Practice Areas - [Plaintiff Employment Litigation]() - [Employment Defense Litigation]() - [Management Employment Counseling]() - [Employee Rights Counseling]()