Concepcion A. Montoya

Connie Montoya brings nearly two decades of class action experience to her trial and litigation practice in employment law and consumer protection defense. She is widely recognized for successful strategies that resolve litigation disputes and governmental investigations, and ensure compliance with various regulatory requirements. Her clients benefit from her risk management programs and counseling on all aspects of employment regulations and consumer defense. Connie has litigated in the federal, state and administrative courts of New York and New Jersey in countless class action lawsuits involving claims brought under various federal and state employment and consumer laws. She has represented publicly and privately held companies; not-for-profit organizations; banking, finance and financial services firms; governmental entities; law firms; tech companies and startups; health care providers; and restaurant, insurance, manufacturing, pharmaceutical and retail businesses.

In the field of labor and employment, Connie counsels her clients on a variety of employment issues, focusing on discrimination and harassment matters, including claims relating to discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, gender, age, pregnancy and disability. She has defended employment claims before the federal and state courts, as well as administrative and governmental agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), in connection with claims brought pursuant to Title VII, as well as those arising from the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) and the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA). She also defends claims involving the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) arising from alleged public accommodation and website accommodation violations. Connie has also defended employers and institutions from allegations involving sexual abuse and sexual violence. She routinely deals with claims involving state and local employment laws, and compliance with the same.

Connie also assists chief people officers, human resources managers and supervisors, and in-house counsel in formulating and executing effective strategies to maintain an inclusive workplace. These include auditing and updating employment manuals and handbooks, policies and procedures, employment and separation agreements, and onboarding materials. Connie also conducts management and employee training workshops and webinars focusing on workplace diversity and inclusion, anti-harassment and anti-discrimination, and other programs designed to minimize potential employment liability and ensure compliance with state and federal laws governing the workplace.

As for consumer class action litigation, Connie frequently defends leading financial services organizations against claims arising from various federal regulatory statutes, including the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), and the Truth-in-Lending Act (TILA). Her clients include banks, credit card companies, creditors, loan servicers, debt buyers and third-party debt collectors. She also counsels clients in the financial and consumer industries regarding compliance with federal and state regulatory standards. Leveraging her extensive experience, Connie has also designed and conducted training workshops for clients in the consumer lending industry regarding compliance with the FDCPA, FCRA, and TCPA and regulations promulgated by the Consumer Federal Protection Bureau (CFPB).

Whether for employment matters or consumer protection, Connie has a proven track record of effectively handling governmental investigations and achieving successful outcomes for claims brought by governmental agencies.

Connie is a member of Hinshaw's Diversity Committee. Before joining the firm, Connie was an Assistant Corporation Counsel in the Special Federal Litigation Division of the Office of the Corporation Counsel of the City of New York, where she defended the City and its municipal employees in federal civil rights actions.

• Asian American Bar Association of New York
  • Litigation Committee, Former Co-Chair
• Federal Bar Council, Inn of Court, Former Barrister
• Filipino American Lawyers Association of New York, Immediate Past President
• Lambda Legal, Board Member
• LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York (LeGaL), Board Member
• National Association of Women Lawyers, Board Member
  • Diversity Committee, Co-Chair
• National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
  • LGBTQ Network, Former Co-Chair

• Selected as a 2023 New York Legal Awards Diversity Initiative Honoree, New York Law Journal
• Recognized as a 2022 Distinguished Filipino Woman, Philippine Consulate General in New York 
• Philippine Distinguished Honoree for International Women's Day, Society of Foreign Consuls, 2020
• Recognized on the Nation's Best list by Lawyers of Color, 2019
• Distinguished Alumni Award, Asian Pacific American Law Students Association of Brooklyn Law School, 2017
• Municipal Affairs Award presented by the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, 2004
• Legal Rookie of the Year, Office of the Corporation Counsel of the City of New York, 2000 – 2001

No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Connie's jury trials, all of which resulted in defense verdicts, include:

• Nimely v. City of New York, 98 Civ. 6925, before the Honorable Charles R. Wolle.
• Lee v. City of New York, 00 Civ. 3181, before the Honorable John P. Gleeson.
• Rogers v. City of New York, 00 Civ. 5903, before the Honorable Denny Chin, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York.
• Santos City of New York, 00 Civ. 4533, before the Honorable Harold Baer, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York.
• Robinson v. Trow, 99-CV-0060, before the Honorable Jack Weinstein, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York.

Connie has numerous published decisions in the areas of employment, consumer finance, civil rights and commercial litigation.

• Co-Presenter, "L&E Regional Law Updates: East Coast," Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Virtual Event, January 10, 2024
• Panelist, "Disrupting Bias and Handling Microaggressions: A Queer & Asian-American Legal Perspective," 2023 Annual Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair, Chicago, Illinois, July 25, 2023
• Panelist, "Power Panel with Pinay Trial Lawyers," National Filipino American Lawyers Association and the Pinay Powerhouse Collective, Webinar, April 20, 2022
• Co-Presenter, "The Labor & Employment Year in Review: Is It Over Yet?" East Coast Session, Hinshaw's 25th Annual Labor & Employment Seminar, Virtual Event, October 26, 2020
• "Employment Pitfalls with Virtual Employees," NYSCA and Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, Webinar, September 16, 2020
• Panelist, "Walking the Path to Partnership," 2019 Lavender Law® Conference and Career Fair, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 8, 2019
• Panelist, "Intersectional Lesbian Lawyers and Their Superpowers – Crushing it in the Private Sector," 2019 Lavender Law® Conference and Career Fair, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, August 7, 2019
• "Career Services and Job Search Strategies for Law Students," 30th Annual Lavender Law® Conference and Career Fair, August 10, 2018, New York
• "Major Changes Within the ACA International v. FCC Ruling," Lorman Education Services, webinar, April 19, 2018
• "Top FDCPA Violations All Collectors Must be Aware Of," Lorman Education Services, webinar, March, 2018; March 2017
• "#MeToo – FilAms & Sexual Harassment," Makilala TV, a Filipino American television talk show, January 11, 2018; January 25, 2018
• "Defending FDCPA Claims Based on Collection Letters," Lorman Education Services, webinar, October, 2017; August 2014
• "Best Practices In Litigation Holds And Document Preservation," AABANY Fall Conference, September 2017
• "Foreign Americas - Asian America And Race," 6th Annual Columbia APALSA Conference, New York, New York, February 11, 2017
• "Top 10 TCPA Violations: Prevention and Defenses," Lorman Education Services, webinar, June 2016
• "When Words Get in the Way: FDCPA Claims Based on Collection Letters," Lorman Education Services, November 2011
• "The Trial of Tokyo Rose Reenactment," The National Asian Pacific American Bar Association 2011 Northeast Regional Conference, Stamford, Connecticut, June 2011
• "Ethics and E-Discovery: Common Issues, Hidden Problems," West LegalEdcenter, webinar, February 2010
• "False Arrest, Malicious Prosecution and Excessive Force," CLE Instructor, Corporation Counsel of the City of New York, 2003 and 2004

• Co-Author, "FDCPA Cases Continue to Define What Congress Did Not," Law360, May 1, 2018
• "Living in the Shadows: The Undocumented Immigrant Experience of Filipinos," Filipino-Americans: Transformation and Identity, ed. Maria P.P. Root, Sage Publications, April 1997
• "The Asian Principle of Self-Negation and the Christian Ethic of Love: A Buddhist-Christian Encounter," Women and World Religions, Asia Pacific Women's Studies Journal, Vol, 5, Philippines: Institute of Women’s Studies, 1995

Connie was born in the Philippines and is a graduate of Stuyvesant High School and New York University. Prior to Brooklyn Law School, she studied Theology and Ethics at Union Theological Seminary, earning a Masters of Divinity degree. Her training and education has supported her passion to teach, defend, and serve.

Connie currently resides in New York City, where she enjoys photography and poker.

Connie has crafted and led several major professional education efforts, given deposition trainings, and conducted mock trials before professional bar associations. Her pro bono work includes the handling of immigration and employment matters for the Asian American Legal and Education Fund, specifically individuals affected by the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors, or "DREAM" Act.