Ian M. Bryson

Ian Bryson is a plaintiff-side trial attorney who represents victims of sexual harassment, hostile work environments, and workplace retaliation in federal and state courts across New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. He has tried nine cases to jury trial in federal and state court and has secured millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements for employees subjected to harassment, discrimination, and abuse of power.

In 2022, Ian obtained a $1.8 million judgment as a result of a federal jury verdict against the City of Philadelphia on behalf of two female police officers who were sexually harassed and retaliated against after reporting misconduct within the department. The case resulted in the resignation of Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross and was recognized as one of the Top 30 largest awards and settlements in Pennsylvania that year. It is the largest discrimination verdict ever entered against the City of Philadelphia. The case was covered by the New York Times, the Associated Press, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Law360, and WHYY, among other outlets.

Ian has also served as co-counsel on a federal jury trial resulting in a $4 million verdict, negotiated a $3 million settlement, and resolved numerous additional matters in the seven-figure range. He has litigated hundreds of employment matters and consistently achieved six- and seven-figure results for his clients.

Selected Results

• $4 Million – Federal jury verdict (co-counsel), employment discrimination and retaliation
• $3 Million – Settlement, sexual harassment and discrimination
• $1.8 Million – Judgment as a result of a federal jury verdict, sexual harassment and retaliation against the City of Philadelphia
  (largest discrimination verdict ever against the City; ranked among the largest awards and settlements in PA, 2022)
• Exposed corruption and misconduct resulting in the resignation of Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross

Additional confidential settlements in the six- and seven-figure range. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Before entering private practice, Ian clerked for Chief Administrative Law Judge Francis A. Polito at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in Philadelphia, where he gained an insider’s understanding of how discrimination charges are evaluated, defended, and moved toward litigation. He also clerked for the Honorable John E. Harrington of the Superior Court of New Jersey.

Ian has also argued and won a precedential appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, where the court vacated summary judgment and remanded for trial in a race discrimination and retaliation case. The published opinion established new law on the scope of protected activity under Title VII and corrected the district court’s misapplication of the McDonnell Douglas burden-shifting framework. The EEOC filed an amicus brief in support of Ian’s arguments.

Ian comes from a blue-collar family in South Jersey. His father is a mechanic, one grandfather was a machinist, another drove buses, and another was a Camden police officer. That background is why he represents employees, not management. He got into this work because he believes working people who are harassed or retaliated against deserve a lawyer who will prepare their case for trial from the beginning, and who has actually done it. Outside the courtroom, Ian plays guitar at open mics in New York City and is a serious chess player, which may explain the way he litigates: deliberate, aggressive, and always thinking several moves ahead.