Gerry Filippatos (left) and Valdi Licul, of Wigdor LLP.

Wigdor LLP, the New York litigation boutique known for representing plaintiffs with discrimination and sexual misconduct claims, has added two partners from other employment firms.

Valdi Licul, who has spent 17 years at Vladeck, Raskin & Clark, is joining Wigdor on Monday. Parisis "Gerry" Filippatos, who was most recently at Phillips & Associates, quietly joined about three weeks ago, they said in interviews.

Douglas Wigdor, the firm's founder, said both had the ability to run high-stakes cases and work with associates and clients. He also said he has known both lawyers for years and was once a client of Licul's. In that case, Licul argued that SoulCycle had engaged in illegal retaliation when it axed Wigdor's gym membership after his clients sued the buzzy fitness company. Wigdor's suit was tossed, however.

Douglas Wigdor.

While some big plaintiffs firms have a high volume of cases, Wigdor said his firm has a relatively small docket and gravitates toward impactful, high-stakes matters. The firm has represented clients with #MeToo-type claims against big names, like Fox News, the Weinstein Co. and Uber. It made a splash last year with its representation of Vanina Guerrero, a DLA Piper partner who alleged that she'd been sexually assaulted by the co-managing partner of the firm's Silicon Valley office.

Both Licul and Filippatos also have experience going against law firms and other white-shoe employers. Licul has represented plaintiffs in cases against Am Law 200 firm Pryor Cashman and real estate firm Podell, Schwartz, Schechter & Banfield, court records show. Both cases appear to have been settled.

Filippatos was previously a lawyer at Outten & Golden, and while there, represented Allison Schieffelin in a landmark gender discrimination case against Morgan Stanley in the early 2000s that resulted in a $54 million settlement, with at least $12 million reportedly going to Schieffelin. Since then, he said, his practice has gravitated toward the financial services industry, whistleblowing and sex discrimination.

In every economic slump, Filippatos said, employers use layoffs as cover for discrimination. He anticipates that there will be a wave of disparate-impact claims down the road. In the meantime, he and Wigdor said, virtual mediations have been progressing smoothly.

"I don't know if the economy is going to recover with a bang the way some are saying, but I know litigation is going to recover with fury once things get going again," he said. "The backlog is going to be amazing in the beginning."

Licul, who said he maintains "utmost respect" for his former colleagues at Vladeck, said he was impressed by the Wigdor firm's lawyers and the resources the firm can bring to cases.

Wigdor said he anticipated the firm would bring on more associates to support the firm's growth once it's possible to return to an office environment again. He said the firm has benefited from low overhead in the meantime, noting that it owns a floor of a commercial cooperative building near Union Square that it uses as office space.