Gigio K. Ninan

Gigio K. Ninan is one of the founders and the Managing Partner of Shankar Ninan & Co. Mr. Ninan currently counsels and represents corporate and individual clients in the areas of business and commercial litigation, intellectual property litigation and brand protection, labor and employment counseling and litigation, and business organization. He regularly prepares, reviews and enforces non-disclosure, manufacturing, athlete endorsement, contractor, sales, distribution, vendor, and wholesale contracts for national and international distribution efforts.

Mr. Ninan is trusted as outside General Counsel to a number of corporate clients in a wide variety of industries, including consumer goods, dietary supplements, fulfillment, beverage and food products, and staffing companies. Mr. Ninan’s clients include e-commerce, social media marketing, large and late-staged startups, pharmacies and pharmacists, physical therapy and rehabilitation centers, medical professionals, technology companies, consulting and staffing companies, not-for-profits, and restaurants.

In the area of employment and labor law counseling, he advises executives on the full gamut of workplace policies, procedures and practices, including preparing employment agreements, noncompetition and confidentiality agreements, and separation agreements, and advising on reductions in force. In the area of employment litigation, Mr. Ninan litigates restrictive covenants (defense and enforcement) and wage and hour claims, both in New York and New Jersey.

Prior to starting his own practice, Mr. Ninan practiced at two AmLaw 100 law firms. While practicing with those firms, Mr. Ninan litigated class actions, trademark disputes, shareholder disputes, breach of contract , premises liability, and high exposure medical malpractice claims on behalf of insurance company clients, large New York City private and public hospitals, sports facilities, universities and local municipalities.

Following law school, Mr. Ninan served a prestigious judicial clerkship with the Hon. Stephen M. Holden of the New Jersey Superior Court, Civil Division

Notably, he was honored as a 2016-2020 SuperLawyers® Rising Star. Furthermore, he was recently awarded the “New Leader of the Bar” by the New Jersey Law Journal, formerly called the “40 under 40 award.” In 2019, Mr. Ninan was honored by his alma mater, Binghamton University, as the sole recipient of Lois B. Defleur Distinguished Alumnus award.

• New York County Lawyers Association
• North American South Asian Bar Association
• Camden County Bar Association
• Forbes New York Business Council

• New York
• New Jersey
• U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey
• U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York

Gigio Ninan, Should You Form An LLC Or An S-Corp, And What’s The Difference? Forbes May 29, 2018

Gigio K. Ninan, Ready to Sign a Commercial Lease: Here are Five Things to Consider, Forbes.com (February 2018).

Gigio K. Ninan, Why Employers May Want to Identify Candidates Now to Beat the H-1b Lottery Cap, Forbes.com (January 2018).

Gigio K. Ninan, Does your Start Up Need a Lawyer Yet? Three Things to Consider, Forbes.com (February 2018).

Gigio K. Ninan Et al., Malpractice in colorectal surgery: a review of 122 medicolegal cases, J. of Surgical Res., Vol. 199, 351-56 (December 2015).

Gigio K. Ninan Et al., Dissecting Malpractice in Pancreaticoduodenectomy, J. of Surgical Res., Vol. 212, 48-53 (May 2017).

• Successfully represented multiple employers before the New York Department of Labor, including a Singapore based SaaS Company and local pharmacies.
• Represented a Italian based high-end furniture company with distribution in the U.S. including general counseling, commercial contracting, and employment.
• Successfully defended a Italian based high-end furniture company from a ADA web accessibility class-action lawsuit filed in the Southern District of New York.
• Counsel corporations and clients on internal employment compliance including agreements, policies and procedures, severance, layoffs and terminations.
• Represented several companies, including most recently a construction company and a pharmacy, in negotiating spaces in excess of 30,000 square feet, with requirements for build outs, free rent, triple net provisions and yearly increases.
• Represented New Jersey based company in a lawsuit against its business broker dealer in New York County in the conversion of a deposit with a favorable settlement.
• Represented companies related to software development negotiations and litigation
• Represented several companies including a New Jersey funeral home, online internet companies, and a pharmaceutical distribution company in the purchase and/or sale of their business.
• Represented physician practice group in counseling related to employment termination and compliance.
• Represented several companies in a broad range of industries including a pharmaceutical content provider, nutraceutical supplement companies, eCommerce companies, consulting and staffing companies, and most recently, a Escape Room company.
• Represented several companies in the prosecution of non-competes provisions or master service agreement disputes.
• Represented companies before the U.S. Department of Homeland Security related to investigations and I-9 audits.
• Successfully defended several individuals from alleged violations of non-compete provisions.
• Represented over 20+ individuals in the purchase and/or sale of real estate in New York or New Jersey
• Represented several individuals and their families in preparation of estate planning documents, including testamentary trusts, living wills, wills, and powers of attorneys in New York and New Jersey.