Serve as Senior Attorney and Advisor handling civilian personnel law and litigation matters at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) and Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) for activity that provides support to aviation warfighters.Provide legal advice and guidance to HR Specialists and the Reasonable Accommodation Advisory Team on proposed disciplinary and adverse actions and RA requests, respectively. Review and advise management about command investigations, standards of conduct, and Privacy Act issues.Advise DoN senior military and civilian leadership on legal matters including employment, personnel management, ethics, employee relations, performance management, dispute resolution, leaves of absence and accommodations, internal investigations, compensation and benefits, and compliance with federal laws, regulations, guidance, and statutes.Provide training to civilian employees and new hires during command onboarding, and lead ongoing monthly briefs on standards of conduct and ethical behavior. Mentored multiple ADR mediation candidates through the certification process.Notable Accomplishments:- Completed the 24-hour Conflict Coaching Certification Course using the Jones and Brinkert Comprehensive Conflict Coaching Model.- Championed the DoN’s “Get Real, Get Better” initiative, working with the EEO Director and EEO Specialists to attain Reasonable Accommodation process improvements in line with initiative goals.- Served as a Speaker on a Women’s Initiative Networking (WIN) panel providing perspectives on leadership, mentoring, training opportunities, education, and networking.

Served as Senior Attorney and Advisor handling civilian personnel law and litigation matters at the EEOC and MSPB for West Coast and Pacific Navy medical treatment facilities, clinics, and research centers.Worked with JAG office and healthcare lawyers on investigations and credentialing or privileging matters involving civilian employees.Provided training to civilian supervisors at the Civilian Personnel Management Academy.Notable Accomplishments:- Worrell v. Navy: Obtained 2 favorable EEOC summary judgment rulings in high-profile complaints alleging disparate treatment and retaliation. Also received an MSPB opinion upholding employee’s termination for misconduct where he raised an affirmative defense of discrimination.- Hwig v. Navy: Successfully petitioned the Merit Systems Protection Board to overturn the hearing Judge’s decision and enforce the removal of an employee who withheld the status of his criminal court proceedings for off-duty sexual misconduct.

Served as Senior Attorney handling civilian personnel law litigation matters at the EEOC, MSPB and federal courts. Represented San Diego and Silverdale, WA Operations Centers in all matters involving: human resources policies, personnel issues, ethics, Freedom of Information Act inquiries, and Privacy Act issues.Provided legal advice, guidance, and training to the DoN’s legal and human resources communities including: attorneys, labor and employee relations practitioners, and all levels of management.Served as lead agency representative in employee mediations and administrative hearings.Conducted training presentations for CPL practitioners, HR specialists, HR supervisors, HR interns and support staff on emerging topics including: contractors in the workplace, attorneys’ fees, the role and responsibility of advisors, performance management plans, veterans’ issues, and employee and labor relations matters.Notable Accomplishments:- Lam v. Mabus and Poe v. Navy: Successfully represented the Agency in 2 EEO pre-class action certification complaints. Conducted extensive investigation and completed expedited discovery to file motions that successfully prevented class action certifications. - Pavina v. Mabus: Defended Agency against allegations of discriminatory removal of a probationary supervisor and failure to accommodate. Complaint culminated in a 4-day hearing with a mixed-motive finding against the Agency resulting in an award of only attorneys’ fees. Obtained over a 20% reduction in fee petition. Created a model attorneys’ fees presentation and shared with the OGC community.

Represented Agency in unfair labor practice claims, and union representation determinations of matters before the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA) and impasse proceedings before the Federal Service Impasse Panel (FSIP).Researched laws, rules, and regulations to develop and prepare management positions in response to unfair labor practice claims, negotiability claims, and matters at impasse. Compiled documents and data to support Agency’s position regarding bargaining unit composition. Reviewed federal judicial and Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) case law to prepare petitions for review (PFRs) and responses to PFRs.Gave training presentations to groups of 15-20 supervisors, managers and HR interns on topics including unfair labor practices, impact and implementation bargaining, and grievance procedures.Notable Accomplishments:- Obtained nearly 90% success rate for pre-complaint ULP resolutions. These ULPs were either withdrawn by the Union or dismissed by the FLRA Regional Director upon consideration of my well-researched position statements.

Duties included:Legal Advisor: Advised on issues including military justice, investigations, standards of conduct, federal tort claims, off-limits establishments, law enforcement investigations, sponsorship agreements, military housing and support services. Drafted responses to congressional inquiries. Liaison to 2 U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil divisions, drafting litigation reports, answers to complaints, reviewing motions, coordinating witness availability, and attending depositions and trials.Prosecutor: Drafted and prosecuted UCMJ violations at special and general courts-martials, with and without juries. Charges included drug use, unauthorized absence; larceny, assault, arson and fraud. Defended speedy trial, search and seizure and chain of custody motions. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for criminal division, prosecuting civilians for misdemeanor shoplifting and DUI offenses occurring on military installation.Supervisor: As senior in-house legal advisor, senior defense counsel and Officer in Charge, supervised up to 15 military attorneys, military and civilian paralegals, and administrative and limited duty support staff at 4 different duty stations.Instructor: Served as OIC and Civil Law Instructor. Taught non-lawyers administrative law courses and developed a CA-specific course for active duty practitioners providing consumer law services for active duty and family members.Hearing Officer: Preliminary hearing officer who recommended whether there was sufficient evidence to warrant general-courts martial proceedings. Acted as summary courts-martial officer over summary courts. Presided over administrative hearings for civilian employees not subject to Title 5 disciplinary action procedures.Defense Attorney: Defended military members at courts-martials and administrative discharge hearings. Was detailed as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney to defend federal court actions where the Navy was a party.

Served as both lead and team attorney in a federal civil litigation practice defending the United States Navy in cases brought under the Federal Tort Claims Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the United States Constitution.Successfully litigated cases involving negligence, race and gender discrimination, retaliation, and due process violations.Participated in extended multi-party environmental clean-up and cost-recovery mediation involving long-term contamination of the San Diego Bay.Notable Accomplishments:- Williams v. Navy: Received favorable jury verdict as member of 2-person trial team in Title VII action alleging a non-selection based on race and gender discrimination and retaliation for prior EEO and MSPB activity.- Lemoge v. United States and D’Angelo v. Winter: Submitted appeal briefs and appeared before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.