Iris Gonzalez Email & Phone Number

Austin, Tx, Us

Legal strategist and business partner delivering world-class HR, Payroll, Benefits, and related professional services to over 3,000 businesses and nearly 100,000 employees across 50 states.Focus and expertise include:• 50-state compliance with labor and employment laws and regulations;• employment practices, class actions, and other claims;• information security and privacy;• contracts;• investigations;• corporate compliance; • compliance services management;• risk mitigation;• team leadership;• strategic planning; and• training.

Austin, Texas, United States

Motivated servant leader and head attorney for national nonprofit with 6,000+ employees working in various states to provide shelter, alternatives to incarceration, and education to over 30,000 children and youth annually. Regulated at federal, state, and local levels, Southwest Key Programs operates shelters and provides other youth services in several states. As a collaborator on the executive leadership team and legal department leader, I delivered practical legal advice and strategic thought leadership through extraordinary leadership change, novel operational challenges, and intense regulatory scrutiny in areas that include:o Governanceo Ethics and complianceo Risk management and process controlso Labor and employmento Civil litigation, administrative claims, and dispute resolutiono Government investigationso Contract negotiation and administrationo Data privacy and securityo Health and human services lawo Federal grants managemento Policy and procedure developmento Strategic planningo Budget planning and oversightI also …• Served on the COVID-19 risk mitigation leadership group;• Led a working group to recruit and structure the organization’s first ever centralized compliance function; • Led selection and implementation of electronic contract management system; and• Provided strategic thought leadership to enhance collaboration across the enterprise.

Washington, Dc

Trial and appellate litigation, regulatory and legislative analysis, and policy counseling focused on issues that affect older persons’ health care, long-term services and supports, housing, and food insecurity.Representative matters:• litigation to protect the rights of nursing facility residents to access the courts and give informed consent before the administration of antipsychotic drugs;• litigation challenging fraudulent practices that drive up the cost of health and long-term care and endanger the Medicare and Medicaid programs;• class action litigation challenging practices that unnecessarily segregate disabled persons, violating the integration mandate of the Americans with Disabilities Act;• litigation to end disability discrimination in housing and health care;• amicus advocacy defending various provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, and Medicare;• amicus advocacy to protect older persons' access to courts;• amicus advocacy opposing anti-competitive practices that make prescription drugs unaffordable; and• amicus advocacy to protect the rights of persons with disabilities.Responsibilities:• managing all aspects of litigation (case development, pleadings, motions, briefs, discovery, court appearances, and trial preparation);• leading work teams and managing relationships with outside counsel;• serving as subject matter expert on various healthcare and disability rights laws;• providing legal support to AARP state offices and federal legislative advocacy teams through legal research, analysis, and counseling regarding current and proposed statutes, litigation, ballot initiatives, and rules and regulations;• supervising law fellows and law clerks and participating in attorney hiring;• helping to formulate organizational strategy and AARP policies;• reviewing grants and selecting recipients;• organizing and speaking at legal conferences; and• drafting press releases and responding to media inquiries.

Representative matters:• risk assessment and compliance counseling: product liability, tort, false claims, anti-kickback, and anti-corruption, Fair Credit Reporting Act, and state pre-employment screening laws;• litigation, investigations: complex commercial, False Claims Act, Food Drug and Cosmetics Act, and Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, patent infringement, software licensing, and product liability;• litigation and liability due diligence investigation for potential pharmaceutical company merger; and• class counsel for plaintiffs monitoring municipality’s compliance with consent decree.Responsibilities:• counsel clients on product liability risks, government investigations risks, and regulatory compliance;• deliver opening and closing arguments, conduct direct and cross examinations, argue discovery and pretrial motions, defend expert witness depositions, prepare expert witnesses to testify in court and in depositions; • develop and implement litigation strategies, internal investigation work plans, and government investigation response strategies; • prepare witnesses for government interviews, depositions, and grand jury examinations;• participate in settlement negotiations with government representatives;• draft and respond to discovery requests and pretrial motions;• manage electronic document reviews and document productions;• supervise junior associates, lead work teams, and participate in associate hiring process;• develop and deliver presentations to company executives and board members; and• testify before City Council Health and Human Services Committee.Pro Bono matters:• criminal representation, plea negotiations, and sentencing hearing• post-conviction evidentiary hearing and appeal• class action and consent decree enforcement against the District of Columbia• political asylum evidentiary hearingMember of Covington & Burling Diversity and Public Service Committees (June 2008 – May 2013)

Dallas, Texas

Representative matters:• action for declaratory judgment and damages relating to patent portfolio agreement;• state income tax audit;• breach of contract and tort action arising from failure of turbines at cogenerator facility;• patent infringement action and licensing dispute involving numerous semiconductor patents;• construction contract dispute;• putative class action relating to shop supply charges;• multi-jurisdictional, mass tort litigation;• derivative shareholders and securities fraud;• SEC investigations;• consumer credit litigation;• action to enforce Mexican money judgment; and • multi-jurisdictional products liability class actions.Responsibilities:• defend major reporting agency in suits alleging violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act;• defend manufacturer of respiratory protection equipment in silicosis mass tort suits;• develop litigation strategies informed by command of the facts and applicable legal theories;• draft and respond to discovery requests, pleadings, and pretrial motions;• take plaintiff depositions; • manage electronic document reviews and document productions;• supervise contract attorneys; and• lead settlement negotiations with opposing counsel.Pro Bono Work: Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program.

Conduct research regarding the application of sentencing guidelines in different circuits and identify possible conflicts and potential appeals.

Research and draft legal memoranda regarding various civil rights issues. Participate in litigation strategy meetings.

J.D., Cum Laude, Law

Activities and Societies: Georgetown Law Journal, Criminal Justice Clinic, ACS, Student Bar AssociationDean's Certificate, in recognition.

B.A., Cum Laude, Government

Activities and Societies: Golden Key National Honors Society National Society of Collegiate Scholars

Master Of Laws - Llm, Health Law