Senior Attorney Brings Diverse Litigation Background to New Litigation Boutique

Elliott Kwok Levine & Jaroslaw LLP named attorney Rachel J. Rodriguez as counsel to the firm. Rodriguez will support and expand the firm’s litigation capabilities by focusing on complex commercial disputes, internal and government investigations, and white collar defense.

Throughout her career, Rodriguez has maintained a diverse and varied legal practice. Her work has included representing clients ranging from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies in state and federal court litigation, international arbitration and mediation. She has represented corporations and individuals in state, federal and international government investigations, as well as defended clients in investigations by state attorney general offices, the SEC, the PCAOB, FINRA and the World Bank.

“We are delighted to welcome Rachel to EKL&J,” said Mark Elliott, a founding partner of the firm. “She is a very talented attorney who will be an important part of this firm on day one.”

Rodriguez was trained at Latham & Watkins LLP and spent eight years there working on highly complex matters. More recently, she was a counsel at Phillips Nizer, LLP, where she worked with several partners now at EKL&J.

“The war for legal talent is very real, as many larger firms rightly focus on providing women and attorneys of color with opportunities to lead and shape our profession,” said Ilene Jaroslaw, a founding partner of the firm. “We are very proud to be creating a firm that is intentionally structured from the start to attract multi-dimensional legal professionals such as Rachel.”

“It is very rare to find a law firm such as EKL&J that is equipped to support attorneys who enjoy working across specialties,” Rodriguez said. “The diversity of the matters and exciting growth trajectory made EKL&J the natural choice as I continue my legal career.”

Rodriguez holds a B.A. from Rutgers University and a J.D. from Rutgers School of Law, where she served as a managing editor of the Rutgers Law Review. She began her legal career as a clerk for the Hon. Barry T. Albin in the Supreme Court of New Jersey. Rodriguez is New Jersey native and a two-time competitor on the television show American Ninja Warrior, where in 2017, she received a surprise proposal from her partner, Candace Leach.