An Am Law 200 firm that specializes in labor and employment law finds itself as the defendant in a federal lawsuit by a former employee alleging retaliation and disability discrimination.

And its team of Big Law litigators will face off against a small Connecticut plaintiffs firm—Livingston, Adler, Pulda, Meiklejohn & Kelly—which has six attorneys.

The defendant is McElroy, Deutsch, Mulvaney & Carpenter, a New Jersey-based firm with offices in nine states, including Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania and Florida.

It must now proceed to trial after losing its bid for summary judgment in the Connecticut case before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Meyer.

The firm is squaring off against former legal assistant Deirdre Rossing, who claims McElroy Deutsch fired her after she took four separate leaves from June 2015 to July 2016, due to several ailments, including a degenerative disc disease, foot impairments and diabetes.

The law firm denied that it fired Rossing for taking medical leave, and instead maintains it fired her over her work performance.

McElroy Deutsch is one of the largest law firms in the country. With about $119 million in gross revenue in 2018, and about 275 attorneys in 13 offices, it was 182nd on The American Lawyer's 2019 Am Law 200 ranking.

Now, two of its attorneys have teamed with lawyers from Jackson Lewis, a multinational Big Law firm with 950 attorneys and ranked No. 80 on the Am Law 200 list for 2019.

Here is a look at the attorneys representing both sides.

Plaintiff counsel

Gregg Adler has been a Livingston Adler partner since 1985, according to the firm's website. He specializes in representing individuals in all areas of employment litigation, arbitration and administrative proceedings. He counsels employees and public officials concerning legal issues involving their employment, contractual rights and obligations.

Adler, who received his law degree in 1982 from Northeastern University School of Law, also has a substantial appellate practice. He did not respond to a request for comment for this report.

Nicole Rothgeb joined Livingston Adler in 2005, and became a partner in 2009, representing individual employees and labor unions. She provides counseling and representation in claims involving unlawful treatment related to discrimination, harassment, retaliation, whistleblowing, leaves of absence, and wrongful termination.

Rothgeb, who serves on the board of directors for the AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee, also advises union leadership and its members on negotiations and the rights available to union members under labor laws. She received her law degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2003. Rothgeb did not respond to a request for comment.

Defense counsel

Victoria Woodin Chavey, a principal in Jackson Lewis' Hartford office, is one of four attorneys representing defendant law firm McElroy Deutsch.

Chavey, according to the firm's website, has represented employers for nearly 20 years on a range of employment issues, from single-plaintiff discrimination cases to discrimination class actions and wage-and-hour cases. She defends claims in arbitration and at state and federal administrative agencies, and has argued in front of the Connecticut Supreme Court.

Chavey received her law degree from Boston University in 1992. She did not respond to a request for comment.

Carolyn Trotta is an associate in the Hartford offices of Jackson Lewis. She focuses her practice on employment litigation.

After graduating from Quinnipiac University School of Law in 2015, Trotta was a law clerk for Connecticut Appellate Court Judge Michael Sheldon. Before joining Jackson Lewis in May 2018, Trotta worked at Bridgeport's Zeldes, Needle & Cooper. While in law school, Trotta served as executive managing editor for the Quinnipiac Law Review. She did not respond to a request for comment.

James Patterson, a partner in one of McElroy Deutsch's New Jersey offices, specializes in labor and employment law on behalf of management. He is co-chairman of McElroy Deutsch's Labor and Employment Law Practice Group.

Patterson has experience representing employers in labor arbitration, collective bargaining and administrative proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and other agencies.

He has tried more than 100 lawsuits and arbitrations to conclusion, according to his professional profile. Patterson has also defended against class actions and other suits alleging barriers to public accommodations in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Patterson received his law degree from Cornell University School of Law in 1982. He did not respond to a request for comment.

James Ross Smart, a partner in the Southport office of McElroy Deutsch, represents individuals and organizations in white-collar criminal prosecutions and investigations.

Before joining the firm in 2011, Smart served for six years as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut. As an assistant U.S. attorney, Smart investigated and prosecuted a broad range of criminal cases, including white-collar and tax matters. He also coordinated the district's criminal and civil asset forfeiture programs.

Smart received his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1997.