Employment Law Services

Federal Employment Law Services for Employees and Federal Agencies

The Federal workforce is the single largest public sector workforce in our country, and one of the largest employers in the world. It has the most complex and comprehensive set of laws, rules, and regulations of any public employer. Our attorneys are highly knowledgeable and experienced in the federal sector employment realm, and at the forefront of re-defining public sector employment law. We know both sides of the federal employment relationship. This makes us uniquely qualified to succeed for our clients. With this extensive knowledge we are also able to serve all other public sector employee and employer clients. 

Forty years ago, we were founded on representing the Senior Executives Service, managers and supervisors, and federal law enforcement officers. It remains a core part of our law practice today. We have represented employees in most every aspect of their employment in agencies across government. The modern federal employment system is a complex statutory scheme created more than 40 years ago, implemented by various administrative processes derived from nuanced statutory and regulatory provisions. Navigating any one of those processes requires a tailored and specialized approach. 

For more than 20 years, we have been nationally known for providing legal services to dozens of government agencies in personnel matters involving high level employees and other sensitive positions. Our agency experience assisting small and medium sized agencies includes the full array of personnel law issues from workplace misconduct investigations, proposing disciplinary and performance actions, and defending employee appeals and EEO complaints. 

Representation of Federal Employees

Federal personnel law is complicated. Depending on the agency and the basis for the personnel action, the agency’s legal authority and employee rights may come from various sections of either Title 5, Title 38, Title 42, or Title 50 of the U.S. Code. Each different legal authority for taking an action affords employees distinct rights, available defenses, and grievance or appeal rights. We have decades of experience representing employees in disciplinary and performance actions, Inspector General and all other administrative investigations, congressional investigations, security clearance proceedings, RIF’s, retirement benefit matters such as survivor annuities, disability retirement, eligibility for discontinued service and early retirements. We defend employees in Bivens and Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 civil actions. Our attorneys litigate cases in federal District Courts and U.S. Courts of Appeals. We regularly litigate in administrative forums such as the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Foreign Service Grievance Board. We have experience in almost every agency of government. That means we understand the relevant litigating forums, the people in government and how federal agencies work.

Employee rights vary depending on the legal hiring authority. We work with members of the Senior Executive Service, federal law enforcement, Foreign Service employees, Title 38 medical professionals of the Veterans Health Administration, Title 42 employees, and other federal employees hired under special authorities. 

We are known as skilled and tenacious advocates. Our attorneys ensure clients know what rights flow from their type of federal appointment. We shepherd our clients through these complicated administrative and judicial processes, and ensure our clients are advised on options and potential outcomes, so they can make informed decisions about their legal situation.

Legal Services for Federal Agencies

In addition to providing legal services to thousands of federal employees from across the Executive Branch, our law firm has extensive experience assisting small and medium-sized federal agencies with personnel law issues involving high level employees and those in sensitive positions. We regularly assist agencies with proposing disciplinary and performance actions, defending employee appeals of those actions, defending employee EEO complaints, and representing agencies in hearings before EEOC administrative judges. 

Our legal services to agencies include misconduct and Faragher/Ellerth (hostile work environment) investigations. We advise agencies on how to conduct investigations into alleged employee misconduct. And, we conduct agency workplace investigations into misconduct, integrity issues, violations of the agency's rules of conduct, sexual harassment investigations, hostile work environment and bullying allegations.

Having been an approved contractor on the GSA Schedule since June 2006, we are trusted counsel to agencies grappling with difficult personnel matters.

Employment Law Services for Public & Private Sector Employers

Our decades of experience navigating the complexities of the federal bureaucracy allows us to expand to other employers of all sizes. Federal, state, and local employment laws impose legal obligations and their attendant risks on every employer. When it comes to litigation, our primary objectives mirror those of our clients: to achieve the best possible result quickly and efficiently. We want our clients and their executives to rely on our attorneys to deliver business insight, legal acumen, and trial skills to navigate employment litigation and develop response strategies. By partnering with us, our clients can remain focused on their day-to-day operational goals while our lawyers do the heavy lifting. 

Discrimination and Harassment Defense

Our attorneys practice a hybrid of employment law counseling and litigation that covers all issues employers might encounter in discrimination and harassment claims. We defend the entire range of these employment claims, including Title VII, Age, and Disability discrimination claims, and the related harassment, and retaliation claims before administrative agencies and courts throughout the United States.

We understand that not every potential solution works for every employer and that the more nuanced the approach, the higher the likelihood of success. We understand how the human element affects workplace relationships, perspectives, negotiations and decisions.

In this context, we serve our clients as advisors, negotiators, investigators, and advocates on potential and developing workplace issues, and help find proactive and creative solutions to workplace conflict.

Employer Workplace Investigations

We conduct impartial and non-adversarial investigations that meet the highest standards of integrity, impartiality, and competence. Our services include personnel misconduct and Faragher-Ellerth (hostile work environment) investigations. For some employers, we advise on how to conduct investigations. For others, we conduct workplace investigations into misconduct, integrity issues, violations of the rules of conduct, sexual harassment, and bullying allegations.

Our investigations are conducted discreetly, with minimum disruption to your workplace’s functioning. We work closely with human resources departments and offices of general counsel to assess what occurred and reduce litigation exposure. We help clients protect their interests through sensitive internal investigations that ensure our clients make the right decisions to meet their legal obligations and mitigate risks.