Ariel is a partner in Seyfarth Shaw’s Wage & Hour Litigation Practice Group in Boston and the national chair of the Employment Litigation and Counseling Practice Group.  Mr. Cudkowicz’s principal area of concentration is in wage and hour matters, including federal and state wage and hour audits, and litigating collective actions under the Fair Labor Standards Act and class actions under state wage and hour laws.  He has defended many clients in the retail industry in FLSA collective actions and in the hospitality industry in class actions challenging the distribution of tips and service charges under Massachusetts law.   Mr. Cudkowicz also provides advice to Fortune 100 and 500 corporations on compliance with Massachusetts and federal wage and hour laws.  He has extensive experience in alternative dispute resolution proceedings, including arbitration, mediation, conciliation and summary and mini-trials encompassing most substantive areas of employment litigation.