Experience

Relevant Professional Experience

• Law clerk for the Hon. Thomas G. Nelson, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (2003–2004)
• Experience as an employment litigator since 2004, in both private practice and with the Office of the Idaho Attorney General

Representative Employment Work

• Achieved summary judgment dismissal of discrimination lawsuit brought against healthcare system, successfully defeating claim that employer’s termination of plaintiff for violation of COVID-19 safety protocols constituted disability discrimination based on the plaintiff’s positive COVID diagnosis.
• Achieved summary judgment dismissal of two separate lawsuits brought against medical practice client stemming from employee terminations: one involving claims of gender discrimination and the other involving claims of whistleblower retaliation.
• Successfully defended large health care client in labor arbitrations involving grievances claiming termination and discipline without just cause, including a grievance that the union sought to settle on very favorable terms to the client after presentation of the client’s side of the case.
• Representation of multiple clients in their challenges of safety citations issued by the Washington Department of Labor & Industries, Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), including achieving favorable reductions and settlements of citations through negotiations with DOSH and successfully representing clients through the formal appeal process.
• Member of trial team in the successful defense of KapStone Paper and Packaging Corporation in a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) trial regarding the discharge of four employees for picket line misconduct.
• Successful representation of many employers before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Washington State Human Rights Commission, Alaska State Commission for Human Rights, Idaho Human Rights Commission, Seattle Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Labor, and Washington Department of Labor and Industries, assisting in responses to Charges of Discrimination and government investigations and achieving dismissal of such agency actions .
• Representation of international commodities company in defending against race discrimination claims, facilitating settlement of claims raised by two plaintiffs and achieving successful outcome at binding arbitration resulting in dismissal of all claims raised by third plaintiff.
• Provided employee trainings for multiple clients on topics including harassment and discrimination, best HR and management practices, workplace safety, administering leave laws, pregnancy and disability accommodation, and conducting workplace investigations.

Representative Appellate Work

• Achieved summary judgment dismissal of claims of misappropriation of trade secrets brought against employee of steel pipe distributor client by the employee’s former employer and achieved an affirming decision by the Ninth Circuit on appeal.
• Representation of large health care client against sexual harassment claims, obtaining summary judgment for client and successfully defending client on appeal to the Ninth Circuit.
• Representation of construction company in defending against former employee’s wage rebate claims, obtaining summary judgment for client that was upheld on appeal to the Washington Supreme Court.
• Obtained summary judgment for health insurance providers and association health plans in appeals filed before the Office of the Insurance Commissioner regarding plan rating methodology.
• Representation of oil and gas company in successful royalty appeals to the Department of Natural Resources.

Honors & Activities

• Included in The Best Lawyers in America^® (Employment Law – Management), 2021–2024
• Listed in Washington Super Lawyers^® (Labor & Employment, Employment Litigation), 2023
• Member of Board of Trustees, Seattle Children’s Theatre (2016–present) and Board Secretary (2021–present)
• Member of People Operations Advisory Team, YWCA of Seattle/King County/Snohomish County (2012–2019)
• Member of Cocoon House Board of Directors (2011–2014)
• Volunteer Judge for American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition (2012 and 2014)
• Recipient of Stoel Rives LLP 2014 Pro Bono Service Award
• Member of Board of Bar Examiners, Washington State Bar Association (2011–2015)
• Member of Amicus Curiae Brief Committee, Washington State Bar Association (2011–2015)
• Member of Editorial Advisory Committee, NWLawyer (official publication of the Washington State Bar Association) (2011–2013)
• Volunteer Judge for Washington State History Day (2011)
• Member of Editorial Advisory Board, The Advocate (official publication of the Idaho State Bar) (2007–2010)
• Grader for Idaho State Bar Examination (2008)
• Member and Spring Edition Editor of Idaho Law Review (2001–2003)

Insights & Presentations

• Chapter author and reviewer for LexisNexis Practice Guide: Washington Trial and Post-Trial Civil Procedure and LexisNexis Practice Guide: Washington Pretrial Civil Procedure
• Annual update author for LexisNexis Practice Guide: Washington Trial and Post-Trial Civil Procedure (2015–2023 eds.), LexisNexis Practice Guide: Washington Pretrial Civil Procedure (2014–2023 eds.), and LexisNexis Practice Guide: Washington Civil Discovery (2014–2023 eds.)
• Co-author of Marijuana Regulation, published by LexisNexis
• Annual update co-author for Alaska chapter of the ABA’s Wage and Hour Laws: A State-by-State Survey (2019–2023 eds.)
• Regular contributor to Stoel Rives LLP’s “World of Employment” blog
• Co-Chair of the annual Seminar Group Labor & Employment Law Conference (Seattle) (2020–2023)
• Panelist presenter at SHRM/Stoel Rives 21st Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference: “Paid Family Leave Laws” (March 2023)
• Presenter at Association of Washington Business webinars: “Accident Prevention Programs and DOSH Investigations” (2018 and 2020–2022)
• Guest lecturer at Seattle University School of Law Employment Discrimination course (April 2021 & November 2022)
• Panelist presenter at Washington State Bar Association Labor & Employment Conference: “PFML the Sequel: Revisiting State Paid Leave Five Years On” (November 2022)
• Presenter at Stoel Rives LLP webinar: “The ETS Is Dead (Mostly): Now What?” (January 2022)
• Lecturer for Gonzaga Wine Institute video course: “Employment Law Basics for Wineries” (2021)
• Interviewed by KING 5 Seattle on extension by businesses of paid leave offered to workers under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (February 2021)
• Presenter at Washington State Bar Association Labor & Employment Law Conference: “Workplace Safety in the Age of a Pandemic” (November 2020)
• Presenter at Washington Brewers Guild Base Camp: “Workplace Safety in the Age of a Pandemic” (November 2020)
• Presenter at Association of Corporate Counsel Washington Business Summit: “Handling Societal and Political Expression in the Workplace” (October 2020)
• Presenter at Stoel Rives LLP webinar: “Handling Political Activity and Expression in the Workplace” (September 2020)
• Interviewed by KING 5 Seattle on expanded paid leave available to parents under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (August 2020)
• Presenter at Stoel Rives LLP webinar: “Managing the COVID-Era Workplace Part 2: OSHA Guidance Update and Analysis” (June 2020)
• Interviewed by KUOW Public Radio regarding Expanded FMLA under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (May 2020)
• Presenter at Washington State Hospital Association webinar: “What Hospitals Need to Know about the Families First Coronavirus Response Act” (April 2020)
• Presenter at Stoel Rives LLP webinar: “Taming the COVID-19 Chaos: What Employers Need to Know Part 4” (March 2020)
• Presenter at Stoel Rives LLP webinar: “Taming the COVID-19 Chaos: What Employers Need to Know Part 3” (March 2020)
• Presenter at CFO Leadership Council Law School: “Recent Developments in Washington Law” (April 2019)
• Presenter at Washington State Hospital Association Spring Healthcare Conference: “Domestic Violence—Issues for Patients and Employers” (April 2019)
• Presenter at Wafla Winter Ag Academy: “HR Investigations” (January 2019)
• Presenter at Stoel Rives LLP Breakfast Briefing: “Update on Washington Paid Sick Leave and Paid Family & Medical Leave” (January 2019)
• Presenter at Wafla webinar: “HR Investigations: When, How, and Why?” (October 2018)
• Presenter at Wafla webinar: “Worker Safety Enforcement Actions: Are You Ready?” (September 2017)
• Presenter at Stoel Rives LLP Breakfast Briefing: “Washington Paid Sick Leave and Paid Family Leave” (September 2017)
• Presenter at Wafla webinar: “The Mechanics of Conducting HR Investigations” (August 2017)
• Presenter at Society for Human Resource Management Labor & Employment Law Conference (Portland): “Legal Updates” (March 2017)
• Presenter at Wafla Labor Conference: “Tricky Leave and Accommodation Issues” (February 2017)
• Presenter at Stoel Rives LLP seminar: “Hiring to Termination: A Three-Part Series on HR Best Practices” (September 2016)
• Presenter at Sterling Education Services Seminar: “Interplay Between FMLA, ADA, and Workers’ Compensation” (April 2016)
• Presenter at Stoel Rives LLP Breakfast Briefing: “Appropriate Workplace Conduct: Preventing Harassment and its Consequences” (February 2016)
• Presenter at Stoel Rives LLP Breakfast Briefing: “From Hiring to Termination: HR Best Practices” (November 2015)
• Presenter at Sterling Education Services Seminar: “FLSA Wage and Hour Crackdown” and “Termination Best Practices” (October 2015)
• Presenter at Stoel Rives LLP Breakfast Briefing: “Family Leave and Leave as a Reasonable Accommodation” (August 2014)
• Co-author of “Don’t Let the EEOC’s Guidance on Background Checks Put Your Company in Hot Water,” Idaho Business Review (May 19, 2014)
• Interviewed by LXBN TV: “Stoel Rives Achieves Major Civil Rights Victory for Washington Immigrants,” YouTube (September 20, 2013)
• Presenter at Idaho Wine Commission Annual Meeting: “An Employee by Any Other Name: Volunteers, Family Workers, and Independent Contractors” (February 2013)
• Co-author of “The Limited Scope of Local Initiatives,” NWLawyer (January 2013)
• Presenter at Stoel Rives LLP Breakfast Briefing: “Seattle Paid Sick and Safe Time: What Employers Need to Know” (2012)
• Co-author of “Attendance Really is Essential: The Ninth Circuit Confirms that Hospital Attendance Policies Need Not Be Ignored Under the ADA,” Washington Healthcare News (September 2012)
• Author of “Oregon Supreme Court Weeds Out Medical Marijuana Accommodation Claims in the Workplace: Emerald Steel Fabricators, Inc. v. Bureau of Labor & Industries,” Emerging Issues, LexisNexis (2012)
• Author of “Roe v. TeleTech: Washington Supreme Court Snuffs Out Employee’s Claim of Retaliatory Discharge for Medical Marijuana Use,” Emerging Issues, LexisNexis (2012)
• Co-author of “Snuffing Out Employee Tobacco Use: The Trend Towards No-Nicotine Hiring Policies,” Washington Healthcare News (February 2011)
• Presenter at Stoel Rives LLP Breakfast Briefing: “2010 Labor and Employment Law: Year in Review” (2010)
• Presenter at Office of the Idaho Attorney General Spring CLE: “Navigating the Rules of the Idaho Division of Human Resources” (2010)
• Presenter at State of Idaho Controller’s Office Payroll and Accounting Conference: “ADA and FMLA” (Oct. 2007)

Related News & Publications