Top best R Lawyers in Washington | 7747 available

Mr. Cole has earned national recognition for his work in Lanham Act false advertising litigation.  In addition to work in the false advertising area, he has handled a broad array of commercial cases, including unfair competition and trade regulation, product disparagement, patent and trademark, and defense of government enforcement proceedings.  Based in Washington, D.C., he often represents clients in heavily regulated industries that require solutions not only in court, but also before federal agencies.  His clients include household names in industries such as food and beverages, media and telecommunications, consumer products, and environmental products and services.  He regularly advises regarding the development, approval and substantiation of advertising and labeling claims.  Mr. Cole is a frequent speaker and commentator on advertising issues.

Mr. Chaisson of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP is an experienced attorney focused on white collar criminal defense, international sanctions matters, government investigations, and commercial litigation as well as transactional work and general legal counsel to high-growth start-ups. He has a diverse background in criminal law, national security, and the private sector. Mr. Chaisson has first-chair trial experience as a former organized crime prosecutor and brings over a decade of experience working in intelligence and national security as an Operations Officer for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Mr. Chaisson has also served as a senior business executive in two DC-area start-ups.. MR. CHAISSON HAS:. ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND. Prior to and immediately following the 9/11 attacks, Mr. Chaisson served as a state and federal prosecutor in New York City. During that time, he was part of the elite Rackets Bureau in the Investigations Division of the Office of the Bronx District Attorney. As part of his work as a prosecutor, he was appointed as a Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.. Following the 9/11 attacks, he turned his attention to threats abroad, spending over a decade as a CIA Operations Officer recruiting foreign assets and collecting foreign intelligence on pressing national security matters. The intelligence he personally collected was routinely included in the Presidential Daily Brief (PDB). This included a substantial contribution to the body of intelligence in the lead up to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).. Mr. Chaisson brings a rare blend of courtroom expertise, transactional negotiation skills, international experience, and business acumen to bear in service of his clients.. BAR AND COURT ADMISSIONS. District of Columbia. New York. U.S. District Courts for the District of Columbia, Maryland, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of New York, and Northern District of New York. U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland. FOREIGN LANGUAGE. Persian/Farsi (Advanced Professional Proficiency). Dari (Proficient)

Mr. Brennwald was born in Cameroon, West Africa, grew up in Switzerland, and now proudly calls Washington home. Mr. Brennwald is a world traveler and fluent in French. Mr. Brennwald has been practicing law in the DC area for nearly 30 years. During that time, Mr. Brennwald has litigated thousands of cases, handled dozens of jury and bench trials, appeared before over 100 judges, and obtained millions in compensation for his medical malpractice and personal injury clients. Mr. Brennwald was an adjunct professor at Washington Adventist University.

Mr. Avakian has argued cases before numerous federal trial courts, every United States Court of Appeal, and has successfully petitioned for writ of certiorari to the Supreme Court of the United States.  Moreover, he has engaged in private arbitrations, federal administrative litigation, and adversary court litigation with private parties, the National Labor Relations Board, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Federal Election Commission, Federal Labor Relations Authority, and the United States Department of Labor.. As former Associate Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Labor, Mr. Avakian participated in the overall management of the Department at the Secretarial level and engaged in matters pertaining to policy and program coordination with its Agencies and Offices. He received broad guidance from the Deputy Secretary and analyzed and advised on the implications of proposed, new or revised policies, regulations, and legislative proposals, and assessed their impact on the private sector regulated communities. He led Departmental projects and consulted with senior management officials of the Department, regarding major initiatives, proposed legislation, changes in Departmental regulations, milestones to be achieved, cabinet level matters affecting the Department, and international trade.. He developed briefing papers on matters of economic concern for the Deputy Secretary in the formulation of Departmental policy. He carried out assignments involving contacts with Departmental officials of other Federal agencies for information and coordination of action.. Before and after returning to private practice, Mr. Avakian was a Partner in the Wimberly, Lawson & Avakian Law Firm, a nationally recognized law firm specializing in employment relations and labor law matters. Mr Avakian was also Vice-President to the Center on National Labor Policy, Inc., a non-profit legal foundation chartered to protect individual rights under federal labor law.. Mr. Avakian has testified on proposed legislation and suggested statutory language at the request of various congressional committees in both Houses of Congress, including the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Equal Access to Justice Act and the Senate Labor Subcommittee on the Freedom in the Workplace Act. He has also counseled clients during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on bills to amend the Hobb’s Anti-Extortion Act. In addition, Mr. Avakian has testified before the Federal Election Commission (FEC), the NLRB on changes to its representational regulations, and provided administrative comments on proposed regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act, Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act before the U.S. Department of Labor, and amicus curiae briefs to the NLRB.. Mr. Avakian has been recognized as a public policy expert in labor law by the Heritage Foundation, and has appeared on the NBC Today Show, Good Morning America, Nightwatch, Mcneil Lehrer News Hour, CNN News and quoted in the New York Times, the Washington Post. Mr. Avakian has testified on proposed legislation and suggested statutory language at the request of various congressional committees including the Senate Judiciary Committee on the Equal Access to Justice Act and the Senate Labor Subcommittee on the Freedom in the Workplace Act.  He has also counseled clients during testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee on bills to amend the Hobb’s Anti-Extortion Act.  In addition, Mr. Avakian has testified before the Federal Election Commission and National Labor Relations Board on proposed regulations affecting employers and labor organizations, has provided administrative comments on proposed regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act before the U.S. Department of Labor, and amicus curiae briefs to the National Labor Relations Board.

Montra Yazdani is an associate at Vector IP Law, where she practices all aspects of patent and trademark prosecution and counseling. Montra leverages the firm’s extensive foreign associate network for patenting and registering trademarks worldwide cost-effectively. She handles incoming IP work from around the world and is familiar with international treaties governing IP practice.. Montra received an LL.M. in Intellectual Property law from the George Washington University Law School. She gained experience and knowledge of Patent practice and issues specifically in strategic considerations and claim craftsmanship through an extensive patent focused coursework. Her thesis was focused on the Patent Eligibility of DNA and cDNA.. Prior to her LL.M., Montra graduated from Golden Gate University School of law in the top of her class with a certificate of specialization with distinction in Intellectual property law and litigation. During law school, she was awarded the CALI Excellence for the Future Award for excellent achievement in patent litigation and the Witkin Award for Academic Excellence for academic achievement in Intellectual Property Law.

Michelle’s unfailing dedication to her clients is evidenced by the fact that her first client, whom she worked with as a first-year associate over 20 years ago, remains an active client. She establishes strong and lasting relationships by committing herself to client service. Michelle understands her clients’ business goals, guides them in their use of new technologies, and communicates with them as their business activities unfold.. Michelle’s practice is focused on helping her clients establish powerful and lasting relationships with their customers and prospects. Whether engaging audiences through sweepstakes/contests, social networks, telemarketing, text, or email marketing, Michelle ensures that her clients’ communications comply with current marketing and privacy laws and regulations. For clients who have embraced the popularity of online promotions and gamification, Michelle keeps programs running smoothly by providing guidance on the necessary rules, thresholds and disclosures in the midst of a constantly changing legal landscape. As clients rely more on social media to publicize promotions, Michelle provides up-to-the minute legal counsel related to the rules on Twitter, Facebook and other social sites.. As Ifrah Law increasingly leads the way in iGaming, Michelle advises daily fantasy sports and e-Sports companies on privacy matters, including drafting online terms and conditions, and preparing legal opinions and analysis to support iGaming companies’ launching of their services, including working with payment processors.. When clients find themselves involved in an enforcement matter with the Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission or state agencies, Michelle’s deep knowledge in these areas and her strong footing in the privacy community help her to resolve issues in the most expedient manner possible. Michelle has extensive experience defending individual and class actions in the consumer protection context, including dozens of Telephone Consumer Protection Act cases. She obtained a rare rescission of an FCC citation in a TCPA enforcement matter.. Michelle also advises clients as to what policies and procedures can be put in place to show a company’s good faith efforts, should the government come knocking. When companies are involved in potential data or security breaches, Michelle knows which questions to ask to ensure they have a sound legal strategy. She works with the company step-by-step to resolve the situation from both the government’s, and her clients’ as well as their customers’ points of view.. Previously, Michelle was a partner at Thompson Hine where she was a member of their telecommunications, corporate transactions & securities and emerging technologies groups. She began her legal career in the litigation department at Paul Hastings, where she spent seven years honing her litigation skills, prior to moving into their corporate practice. Her litigation experience gives her a solid foundation for helping clients avoid litigation as well as in advising them when they are faced with litigation. This litigation experience, coupled with her regulatory and corporate experience, allow Michelle to offer her clients a full complement of services.

Michelle is a former federal prosecutor and skilled trial lawyer, having been lead counsel in over 50 jury and non-jury trials.  For nearly 12 years, she was an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Columbia.  Since re-joining private practice, Michelle focuses on defending companies and individuals in civil and criminal investigations brought by the U.S. Department of Justice and other government agencies relating to the Anti-Kickback Statute, the False Claims Act, securities fraud and financial fraud.

Michelle A. Parfitt is a Senior Partner at Ashcraft & Gerel who, over the past 31 years, has distinguished herself as a leader in personal injury litigation and an authority in the areas of mass torts, pharmaceutical litigation, and product liability. One of Ms. Parfitt’s most notable successes involved the Upper Big Pine Branch Mine explosion of 2010, which injured numerous miners and killed 29. In this case, Ms. Parfitt and her peers were successful in obtaining a multi-million dollar verdict for victims and their families.Ms. Parfitt is admitted to practice in Virginia and the District of Columbia. She has earned considerable recognition for her commitment to the highest ethical standards, having earned an AV® Rating from Martindale-Hubbell® and the Trial Lawyers of America, Washington, D.C.’s “Washington, D.C. Trial Lawyer of the Year 2015” award, among many other awards and accolades.

Michele Sherman Davenport represents foreign exporters and United States importers of products and services subject to regulation by the U.S. Government. Michele is qualified to practice law as both a U.S. lawyer (in California, New York and Washington, D.C.) and an English solicitor and has a personal rating of AV (very high to preeminent) from Martindale-Hubbell.

Michael Schulman is member of the labor and employment practice group at Kirkland & Ellis, based in Washington, D.C. Michael has extensive experience counseling employers on issues related to federal, state, and local employment and labor laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, the National Labor Relations Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act, Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, and the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. He has counseled companies to ensure compliance with these laws, as well as companies evaluating potential exposure arising out of non-compliance.. In addition to counseling, Michael represents employers in federal and state court litigation, administrative agency proceedings, and arbitrations arising out of alleged labor and employment law violations. Michael has defended employers against actions brought by government agencies, such as the EEOC, as well as actions initiated by current and former employees.

Michael S. Hollander is an Associate in the Health Care and Life Sciences practice, in the Washington, DC, office of Epstein Becker Green.. Mr. Hollander:. Mr. Hollander is a Certified CSF Practitioner, a designation given by the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST), an organization that provides training to develop and maintain effective security programs for health care and life sciences companies that comply with security laws, regulations, and standards, including HITECH, HIPAA, PCI, JCAHO, CMS, ISO, NIST, and various other federal, state, and business requirements.. Before joining Epstein Becker Green, Mr. Hollander was a partner at a health policy firm focused on health reform and its impact on private and public health insurance markets.. Prior to attending law school, Mr. Hollander interned with the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Law and National Security. While in law school, he served as a Judicial Intern for the Honorable Gary L. Crawford (now retired) of the District Court of Maryland, District 6, in Montgomery County.

Michael Robinett works with Simeone & Miller, LLP as an attorney, of counsel, handling major personal injury cases involving premises liability, automobile accidents, and civil rights litigation. Admitted to practice in the state and federal courts of the District of Columbia and Maryland, Michael has litigated a variety of complex cases. He has secured some of the largest jury verdicts of those published in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, including the highest jury verdict in a 2012 auto accident case and the highest jury verdict in a 2014 premises liability case. Michael is a graduate of The George Washington University Law School, where he participated in the Street Law program and competed as a quarter-finalist in the Mock Trial Competition. To date, he has successfully obtained countless jury verdicts in excess of the insurance company’s final settlement offer. He also handles cases in the Court of Special Appeals in Maryland.   Office:

Michael P. House. Perkins Coie LLP. Washington, DC USA

Michael L. Vogelsang, Jr., is a principal at The Employment Law Group® law firm, where he frequently handles cases that involve whistleblower retaliation, employment discrimination, wrongful termination, and other workplace claims.. Since joining the firm in 2007, Mr. Vogelsang has gained extensive experience representing federal employees. He specializes in navigating the administrative labyrinth of cases across dozens of departments and agencies, such as: the Department of Defense, the Department of State, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Commerce, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and numerous others.. Mr. Vogelsang’s federal employee work includes responding to adverse personnel actions; filing whistleblower complaints with the Office of Special Counsel; litigating discrimination claims before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; and representing federal employees in appeals to the Merit Systems Protection Board.. Mr. Vogelsang’s notable victories for clients include:. “People shouldn’t let the size of the government or of their employer make them believe that they don’t have a claim or can’t have their voice heard,” Mr. Vogelsang says. “It can be an intimidating process, but TELG can hold your hand and bring down barriers throughout that process.”. Mr. Vogelsang is a fan of the second option, often preferring to take a bold approach to cases. He remains direct and focused when telling clients what they need to know and when pushing to achieve their goals. Mr. Vogelsang enjoys digging into the legal background of cases and takes care to build a nuanced perspective and strategy. His personal goal is to level the playing field for employees, who often suffer from the inconsistency of administrative courts and biased favor shown towards agencies.. Mr. Vogelsang has co-chaired private-sector jury trials in federal courts in the Eastern District of Virginia and the District of Colorado. He is also active in the LGBT+ community and has litigated sexual orientation discrimination cases in both state and federal court.. Before coming to TELG, Mr. Vogelsang worked as a contract project assistant and paralegal, providing support for various class action civil liability cases. He also served as the real estate legal assistant for The Nature Conservancy in its Latin American division. During his tenure with The Nature Conservancy, he assisted the company’s international programs with purchasing and protecting large tracts of valuable grasslands, watersheds, rain forests, deserts, and coastal preserves throughout Central and South America.. Mr. Vogelsang’s interest in Latin America started during his undergraduate years at the American University, where he majored in International Studies and spent a semester abroad studying Latin American culture and Spanish language in Santiago, Chile. As a result, Mr. Vogelsang is conversant in Spanish. He later received his law degree from the American University Washington College of Law and is a member of the Virginia, D.C., and Maryland bars.. Mr. Vogelsang is a member of several professional organizations including the National Employment Lawyers Association, the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association, the National LGBT Bar, and the D.C. LGBT Bar.. For the past two years, The Best Lawyers in America has recognized Mr. Vogelsang for his expertise in employment law and litigation. Lawdragon regularly places him on its annual list of top 500 plaintiff-side employment lawyers. In 2019, Super Lawyers also recognized Mr. Vogelsang as a “Rising Star,” an honor only given to 2.5% of practicing attorneys in each state.. In his personal life, Mr. Vogelsang sees himself as a bit of a nerd. His office is decorated with Stars Wars LEGO, and he’s a big fan of comic books, particularly of Marvel’s Thor. Mr. Vogelsang also enjoys hiking and, as a Los Angeles, CA, native, going to the beach. He loves finding new recipes to try out in the kitchen and especially likes North African, Moroccan, and Greek dishes.

Michael is AV Rated, Preeminent, by Martindale-Hubbell, having been peer rated for the highest level of professional excellence.  Michael earned his Juris Doctor with honors from the American University, Washington College of Law, where he served as an Articles Editor on the Editorial Board of the THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW.  Attorney Troy was a Dean’s Fellow for Associate Dean and Professor Jamin Raskin. He earned his LL.M. in Securities and Financial Regulation from the Georgetown University Law Center.  After law school, Michael clerked for Judge John H. Bayly at D.C. Superior Court.  Judge Bayly was hearing criminal and family matters at the time.  Mike has practiced law in the District of Columbia and Maryland for more than twenty-five years.

Michael Goldstein is an associate attorney in Tully Rinckey PLLC’s Washington, D.C., office, where he focuses his practice on federal employment law. Prior to joining the firm, Michael worked for two employment firms and a disability rights nonprofit. He also worked as a legal contractor within the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section. He has previous experience representing federal employees in Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) cases. He has also represented private-sector employees in D.C. Superior Court.. Michael earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, in Santa Cruz, California, and his Juris Doctorate from Tulane University Law School in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia, and is a member of the Washington Council of Lawyers.. In his spare time, Michael enjoys playing softball with a recreational sports league on the National Mall, going to concerts, and hanging out with dogs.

Michael Ellement has represented employees who have been discriminated against because of their gender, race, and age; sexually harassed and sexually assaulted at work; and whistleblowers who have been unlawfully fired after uncovering misconduct. He has extensive experience negotiating severance agreements.  He has also litigated complex matters in courts and before administrative agencies throughout the country, both at the trial at appellate level.

Michael C. Zisa focuses his practice on construction, surety and government contracts law. He has successfully represented sureties, general contractors, subcontractors and owners in litigation before federal and state courts in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia as well as various contract appeals boards and in alternative dispute resolution forums. Although well-versed in the litigation process, Mr. Zisa regularly assists and counsels clients to avoid litigation when possible through planning and preemptive actions including contract review and negotiation, contract administration assistance and claim development and analysis. In addition to a construction, surety and government contracts practice, Mr. Zisa represents business entities ranging from sole proprietorships to Fortune 500 companies with regard to commercial litigation and transactional matters. Mr. Zisa represents construction clients on public and private projects with regard to a variety of matters ranging from prosecution and defense of breach of contract and request for equitable adjustment claims to payment bond, performance bond and mechanic’s lien claims. His work for surety clients includes analysis and defense of payment bond and performance bond claims, negotiation and administration of takeover arrangements and prosecution of subrogation and indemnity actions.Mr. Zisa regularly speaks on construction and surety issues and was recently recognized by Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers in the areas of construction litigation, surety and government contracts.Before joining Peckar & Abramson, Mr. Zisa was the managing partner of a Chambers USA ranked boutique construction litigation and surety firm. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland with his wife and three children.

Michael Brown brings 15 years of legal experience to his clients.  Born in Blacksburg, Virginia, Michael joined Walker Jones in 2014 and manages the Rappahannock County office in Washington, Virginia.. Practice Areas. Admitted to the Virginia bar in 1999, to the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia in 2000, and to the U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia in 2002.. Education. Professional Affiliations/Recognitions

Merritt R. Blakeslee has practiced in the fields of international law and international trade regulation since 1991.. He has represented clients before a wide variety of government agencies, including the U.S. International Trade Commission, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the International Trade Administration (Department of Commerce), the Office of Foreign Assets Control, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. He has argued cases before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit and the Court of International Trade.. His principal practice areas include Section 337 investigations at the International Trade Commission, Customs counseling, enforcement, and litigation; antidumping and countervailing duty investigations; and export controls.. Mr. Blakeslee is a 1991 magna cum laude graduate of the University of Georgia Law School, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and the Georgia Law Review. He also holds an M.A. and a Ph.D. from Tulane University and the degree of licence-ès-lettres from the Université de Strasbourg in Strasbourg, France.. He is admitted to the practice of law in the District of Columbia and Georgia (inactive) and is a member of the bars of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, the U.S. Court of International Trade, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.. He is a member of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, the ITC Trial Lawyers Association, and the Customs Lawyers Association.. He has written and spoken extensively on the subject of intellectual property protection in the context of international trade.

Meredith Jolie is a Senior Associate at the Washington, D.C. office of Maggio Kattar. She provides strategic counsel to clients on all aspects of business immigration. Her clients range from Fortune 500 corporations to multinational companies to start-ups in a variety of industries such as technology, transportation, engineering, and healthcare. She works with clients to craft plans that ensure mobility of their executives, managers, and specialized knowledge workers. Furthers, she provides skillful and meticulous guidance on all facets of nonimmigrant (or temporary work visas) and immigrant visas (or permanent residency). Meredith has represented clients before the Department of Labor, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services, Department of State, DHS Asylum Offices, and Federal Immigration Court.. Meredith also has extensive experience successfully representing individual clients in family-based immigration, waivers, asylum, extraordinary ability cases, and complex naturalization matters. Meredith has established herself as a hard-working and thorough attorney that clients can depend on for step-by-step navigation through the ever-changing and highly technical immigration system.. Her passion for immigration law arose out of her volunteer experiences working with children survivors of human trafficking and a genuine desire to help others. Through several non-profit organizations, she continues to provide pro bono legal services for humanitarian relief cases such as asylum and VAWA, advises at Naturalization Workshops, and also tutored students taking citizenship classes.. Meredith volunteers extensively in various roles for the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA). For the national AILA organization, she was selected to serve as a Member of the AILA Department of Labor (DOL) Liaison Committee (2020 to 2022), and was a speaker for AILA’s “Blanket L Practice: 2020 Update” presentation. For the Washington, D.C. Chapter of AILA, she has served as a Member of the Washington Customs & Border Protection (CBP) Liaison Committee (2021 to 2022); Washington USCIS Liaison Committee (2018 to 2020); Co-Chair of Citizenship Day Committee (2018 to 2020); Member of the DC Bar Liaison Committee (2017 to 2019); Asylum Office Liaison Committee Member (2017 to 2018); and Co-Chair of Dinner Committee (2015 to 2017). Additionally, she received the Pro Bono Service Award in September 2019 and the AILA DC Chapter award for Pro Bono / Outreach Division Person of the Year in 2019. Finally, Meredith was recognized for her work and added to the "Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in America" list.. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Rochester, wherein Meredith was awarded the Irene Grace Bunde Speech Award. This prestigious award is given annually to the most persuasive female speaker at the University of Rochester. Meredith obtained her Juris Doctorate from the University at Buffalo, School of Law. She is currently the Co-Chair of the D.C. Alumni Steering Committee for UB Law (2017 to 2019).

Melissa specializes in intellectual property and technology with a focus on trademark law. She offers strategic counseling in identifying and protecting valuable intellectual property assets and maximizing their value through development, licensing, commercial distribution, and protection to promote and maintain brand recognition. Her practice includes filings with the United States Patent and Trademark Office to register trademarks in the U.S. and abroad, as well as trademark enforcement to protect valuable marks against infringers and in defending clients against infringement claims.

MELISSA E. PIERRE-LOUIS WASHINGTON is the founding member of the Washington Law Firm PLLC. She was a former partner at Outten & Golden LLP in New York and Washington D.C., where she successfully represented employees in litigation and negotiation in all areas of employment law for over a decade, including individual discrimination and retaliation claims, sexual harassment, whistleblower claims, contractual claims, and wage and hour actions. Ms. Washington also handles a variety of professional and executive compensation and benefits matters, including the negotiation of employment contracts, severance agreements, and restrictive covenants. Ms. Washington has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a Rising Star in 2017, 2018, 2020-2021 and by LawDragon as the 500 Leading Plaintiff Employment Lawyers in 2020 and 2021. Ms. Washington is a seasoned litigator with substantial experience representing plaintiffs in both individual and class action cases in state and federal courts, as well as before FINRA and administrative agencies. She also works with clients to avoid litigation where appropriate, and to craft unique solutions to clients’ problems through a combination of negotiation, mediation and alternative dispute resolution.. Ms. Washington is a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association, the American Bar Association, the Washington Bar Association, the New York State and City Bar Associations, and the New Jersey State Bar Association. She is the former co-chair of the FMLA subcommittee of ABA Federal Labor Standards Legislation Committee. She is also the former Chair of the National Employment Lawyers Association's Lawyers of Color Committee.

Maya Sequeira represents employees in individual and class actions involving gender and pregnancy discrimination. For example, Ms. Sequeira currently represents women with claims of gender discrimination in a collective action against the Big Four accounting firm KPMG in Kassman, et al. v. KPMG. As part of her advocacy on behalf of women in the workplace, Ms. Sequeira co-authored an amicus brief on behalf of Health Care Providers in Young v. UPS.  She also serves as Editor of Shattering the Ceiling.

Maurice “Mac” VerStandig is the managing partner of The Belmont Firm and focusses his practice on counseling individuals and companies in all manner of bankruptcy cases. He is known as a detail-oriented, aggressive, and unconventional litigator who utilizes the unique tools and remedies furnished by the bankruptcy process to secure a fresh start for his clients in need of relief from various debt obligations.. The majority of Mac’s practice is focused on representing individuals and companies in the federal bankruptcy courts. He has recovered tens of millions of dollars for his clients through the formation of consensual plans of reorganization, through his success in contested stay relief and conversion proceedings, and through adversary claims brought against third parties. He serves as outside bankruptcy counsel to some of the largest and most respected private lenders in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, while also maintaining a smaller creditor-focused practice in Florida and Nevada.. When not advising secured creditors, Mac has counseled multiple law firms in connection with their own insolvency proceedings, helped a mid-size manufacturing company efficiently liquidate through the chapter 11 process, guided the owner of a historic apartment complex through bankruptcy, and represented trustees in complex adversary proceedings. He takes pride in also furnishing pro bono representation to those in need, and regularly advises charities at no cost.. Having held an AV rating from Matindale-Hubbell since the age of 29, Mac is listed as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers and presently sits on the local rules committee for the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Columbia. He regularly appears in courts throughout the United States, but is proud to have deep ties to the Washington, DC community.. A native Washingtonian, Mac currently sits on the board of directors of the Charity Series of Poker as well as the board of visitors of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Communication Arts, and is a former member of the boards of directors of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington and Women’s American ORT Foundation.. Mac lives with this wife, Lindsay, for whom he enjoys cooking dinner on an almost-nightly basis.