Anthony J. Oncidi

Proskauer Rose • Los Angeles


Anthony Oncidi is a seasoned attorney with a 35-year tenure in labor and employment law, a field he became interested in during his time as a summer associate at a different firm. 


His career has been influenced by numerous mentors, including his former law professor, the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, who taught him at the University of Chicago Law School.


"Scalia used to zero in on the facts of cases and pointed out good-naturedly how they often represented a 'slice of life,'" Oncidi said. "By so doing, he taught us never to forget there are real people involved in these cases with real legal issues and problems to be solved."


In his practice, Oncidi has navigated complex challenges, such as those involving the "7-year rule" from the California Labor Code (Sec. 2855). He has successfully countered arguments that successive, back-to-back employment agreements, a common practice in the entertainment industry, violate the Labor Code's prohibition against single employment agreements with terms exceeding seven years.


"The main obstacle was the misinterpretation of the Labor Code that some judges and at least one arbitrator had embraced," Oncidi said. "If we had failed to overcome this argument, it would have significantly altered the way Hollywood does business because it would have potentially invalidated many fixed-term employment agreements in the state. Fortunately, we were able to locate a somewhat obscure U.S. district court opinion from 1981 that formed the basis of our successful argument before various courts and arbitrators who have since unanimously ruled in our favor on this point."


Oncidi's expertise extends to high-profile cases involving celebrities and major media and entertainment organizations. He serves as lead counsel for the GRAMMY Organization, notably leading the defense in the dispute with former President/CEO Deborah Dugan. For more than two decades, Oncidi has provided counsel to the Grammys on employment issues and litigation matters, including cases of wrongful termination, discrimination, or harassment. 


These cases span courts in Los Angeles and New York, as well as private arbitration proceedings. His commitment to his clients and his ability to handle sensitive, high-stakes cases have established him as a respected figure in the legal community.


Share insights, Oncidi said one disturbing trend in the law he's noticed is the rise of "nuclear verdicts," single-plaintiff verdicts that exceed $10 million. 


"There is literally no antidote to this business-destroying phenomenon other than arbitration agreements, which has, in turn, resulted in an unprecedented, wholesale attack on arbitration at the state and even federal level by those who benefit the most from such verdicts," he said.