Attorney with over 15 years of experience representing the Federal government in a range of areas including labor and employment, ethics, disability, safety, and consumer protection. Currently act as the labor and employment counsel for Nashville District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its 750+ employees.
Provide advice and counsel to the Agency, particularly in all labor matters, including personnel issues, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) complaints, appeals to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), and negotiations with the Union.
Provide advice and counsel to the Corporate Board, supervisors and HR regarding areas of risk in ethics and employment-related claims, including terminations for cause, disciplinary actions, performance improvement plans, reasonable accommodation requests and reassignments.
Represent the Agency in employment-related litigation, including participating in hearings before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and MSPB, taking depositions and drafting discovery requests/responses, and motions.
Assist Command with Army Regulation (AR) 15-6 investigations, including an inquiry into a mega project that resulted in recommendations of best business practices.
Engage with the Union in Impact and Implementation bargaining, meditations, and settlement negotiations in grievances and litigation.
Support the Department of Justice (DoJ) in federal employment cases involving the Agency, including assisting with strategy, witness preparation and drafting of filings.
Support fellow attorneys with legal research, meeting participation and review of white papers, motions and internal memoranda in the areas of contracting, real estate and regulatory law.
Conduct training for supervisors on labor policy matters, including remote work, leave, ethics and COVID-19 issues.
Assist in the drafting of District policies on labor issues, including remote work, leave and COVID-19 protocols.
Provided professional legal assistance and advice to Administrative Law Judges in connection with hearings held under titles II and XVI of the Social Security Act.
Conducted legal research and advised Administrative Law Judges on arising legal issues.
Trained, mentored and advised colleagues on Social Security law and drafting persuasive opinions.
Prepared comprehensive opinions, resulting in a 95% agree rate from the Appeals Council.
Represented the Department of Labor as part of the Mine Safety and Health Administration Backlog Project.
Litigated and negotiated hundreds of settlements arising from violations of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act, totaling over $300,000 for the federal government.
Represented the agency in trials prosecuting mine operators for safety violations.
Engaged in discovery, including depositions of lay and expert witnesses.
Represented the Division of Consumer Affairs in investigations and litigation of violations of the consumer protection and unauthorized practice of law statutes.
Drafted motions, pleadings, briefs and discovery requests and responses as lead counsel in ongoing litigation.
Argued pretrial motions in state and federal court.
Negotiated settlements, including resolutions to multi-state prosecution efforts.
Reviewed cases for potential consumer fraud litigation, including conducting factual investigations, reviewing business records and interviewing potential witnesses.
Interviewed and deposed witnesses.
Drafted opinions and proposed legislation on areas of consumer law.
Gave presentations to the legal community regarding the unauthorized practice of law.