Stephanie Caffera

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Stephanie Caffera

Partner, Nixon Peabody LLP

Years in current role: 20

What do you enjoy most about practicing labor and employment law?

It’s never dull! Sooner or later, every social and personal issue finds its way into the workplace. There’s always something new. I’m always learning.I value the relationships I’ve built with clients over the years and enjoy being able to help them navigate these ever-changing complexities.

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve dealt with over the past year?

The pandemic has created unprecedented difficulties for employers, as well as new opportunities. It’s an exciting time to be a labor and employment lawyer, but it’s also been very challenging: We are operating in an environment for which there is no playbook, and often no clear answers to the problems facing employers. Finding ways to adapt and advise clients on the myriad pandemic-related employment issues has required a lot of creativity and professional judgment. Guiding clients through this crisis has been nuanced and tricky, but it’s been some of the most rewarding advice work I’ve ever done.

What community organizations do you support as a volunteer and why?

I’m a long-time member of the Geva Theatre Center Board of Trustees (Secretary and member of the Executive Committee). Theater is a way to feed our souls and our minds. I believe in the power of storytelling to effect change. I’m also a member of the President’s Council of Cornell Women, an international group of Cornell University alumnae, and the William E. McKnight Scholarship Committee, through the Urban League. The scholarship honors Nixon Peabody’s first Black partner by providing financial support to a Black graduating senior attending a four-year college. It’s been a joy to get to know some of Rochester’s finest young people.