Call (646) 823-1655 or (202) 770-3440 for a Consultation
Melissa Pierre-Louis Washington
Founding Member
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, 2020-2023, by LawDragon as the 500 Leading Plaintiff Employment Lawyers in 2020-2023, and by Best Lawyers in America in 2024 and 2025. 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.
Bar Admissions & Professional Activities
- Ms. Washington is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, New York, and New Jersey.
- Ms. Washington is admitted to the following federal courts: The United States District Courts for the Southern District of New York and the Eastern District of New York.
- Co-Chair, FMLA subcommittee of ABA Federal Labor Standards Legislation Committee
- Member, American Bar Association (ABA) Labor and Employment Law Section
- Member, New York State Bar Association
- Member, New York City Bar Association
- Member, New Jersey State Bar Association
- Member, District of Columbia Bar Association
- Member, Maryland Bar Association
- Member, Virginia Bar Association
- Former Chair, National Employment Lawyers Association's Lawyers of Color Committee
Speaking Engagements
Speaker: "Harassment in a Remote Workplace," ABA 15th Annual Labor & Employment Law Conference, Beverly Hills, CA, 2021
Speaker: "On-Site Working During Covid: Legal Challenges and Strategic Approaches," The College of Labor and Employment Law, Webinar, 2020
Speaker: "Race and Discussion Series, Equity In The Workplace: Still a Civil Right," The Social Justice and Political Action Committee of the Washington Bar Association, Washington, DC, 2019
Speaker: "Understanding the Complexities of On-Ramping and Off-Ramping in Financial Services," Council of Urban Professionals and the Robert Toigo Foundation Alumni Association, New York, NY, 2017
Speaker: "Employee Performance and Termination: Key considerations under the FMLA and ADA," Live webcast, 2016
Speaker: "The FMLA," American Bar Association, Section of Labor & Employment Law, Federal Labor Standards Legislation Committee Midwinter Meeting, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, 2015
Speaker: "The FMLA 20 Years Later," American Bar Association, 9th Annual Labor & Employment Law Conference, Philadelphia, PA, 2015
Speaker: "Workplace Investigations Essentials: What to Know When Conducting Effective Workplace Investigations," American Bar Association, Webinar, 2015
Speaker: "Pregnancy In The Workplace: Employers' and Employees' Rights and Obligations," American Bar Association, Webinar, 2015
Speaker: "Handling Requests for Leave and Religious and Disability Accommodations," New York City Bar Employment Law Institute, New York, NY, 2015
Speaker: "Title VII Essentials," American Bar Association, Webinar, 2014
Speaker: "Return to Work—If You Can! How to Use the ADA & Rehabilitation Act to Your Client's Advantage," NELA, 2014 Annual Convention: Blazing the Trail, Courage, Challenge, Change, Boston, MA, 2014
Panelist: "Let's Be Reasonable: Questions, Concerns and Practical Considerations of Accommodating Employees with Mental Disabilities," The Association of Black Women Attorneys and the Metropolitan Black Bar Association, New York, NY, 2013
Speaker: "Mixed-Motive Defense in Employment Discrimination Cases," Strafford Publications, CLE Webinar, 2013
Lecturer: "Litigating Disability Discrimination Claims under the American with Disabilities Act Amendments Act of 2008," Cardozo School of Law, 2013
Speaker: "Representing People with Conviction Histories in Employment Matters," The New York City Conference on Representing Employee
Publications & Articles
D.C. Should Ban Race-Based Hairstyle Discrimination, Melissa Pierre-Louis Washington and Mikael Rojas, The Washington Lawyer, January/February 2020
The Family and Medical Leave Act, 2nd Edition, Melissa E. Pierre-Louis, senior editor, Bloomberg BNA, 2018
The Family and Medical Leave Act: 2015 Cumulative Supplement, Cara E. Greene, Chapter 10 Editor, Melissa Pierre-Louis Associate Editor, ABA/BNA Books, 2015
Recruiting Talent without Liability: Avoiding Conflicts and Disqualification in Lateral Hiring, Melissa E. Pierre-Louis, American Bar Association Midwinter Meeting, 2011
The Final Regulation to the ADA Amendments Act: Redefining What it Means to Be 'Disabled' Under the Act, Melissa E. Pierre-Louis, Employment Law Strategist, 2011
Impact Matters: How Lewis v. City of Chicago Saved the Timeliness of Disparate Impact Claims, Melissa E. Pierre-Louis, NELA Employee Advocate, 2010
Ivey Best
Associate
IVEY BEST is an experienced practitioner skilled at offering honest and compassionate legal advice to best serve clients’ needs. Ms. Best attended Cumberland School of Law in Birmingham, Alabama. After graduating from law school, Ms. Best moved to Washington, D.C. where she represents employees in discrimination, harassment, retaliation, whistleblower, wage and hour, and wrongful termination matters. Ms. Best has guided hundreds of clients through every stage of the employment legal process, including at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and throughout the entire civil litigation process in state and federal court. Ms. Best has served as trial counsel in multiple federal jury trials, including winning jury verdicts for employees who suffered illegal discrimination in the workplace.
Bar Admissions & Professional Activities
- Ms. Best is admitted to practice in Alabama and Washington, D.C.
- Ms. Best is admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama and the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. Admission to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia is pending.
- Member, National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA)
- Member, Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association (MWELA)
Speaking Engagements
Speaker: “Privilege Logs and In Camera Review,” NELA/AL 2021
Publications & Articles
“This is My Doula, She’s Also My Lawyer” 50 Cumb. L. Rev 175 (2020)
Katlyn Palmatier
Associate
KATLYN PALMATIER is a passionate advocate for employee rights and provides a dedicated and individualized approach to each client's needs. Ms. Palmatier first joined the firm as a law clerk before graduating from Cardozo Law School in New York City. While at Cardozo, Ms. Palmatier worked in the Bet Tzedek Civil Litigation Clinic, representing older and disabled New Yorkers. Ms. Palmatier has prior internship experience in LGBTQ rights at the NYC Legal Aid Society LGBTQ+ Law and Policy Unit and the Kurland Group in New York City.
Ms. Palmatier works on employment discrimination and retaliation matters under federal, state, and local laws. She has experience working on claims concerning race discrimination, gender discrimination, pregnancy discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination, age discrimination, disability discrimination, FMLA retaliation and interference, and other employment-related matters.
Professional Activities
- Ms. Palmatier is admitted to practice law in New York.
- Ms. Palmatier is admitted to practice in The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
- Member, American Bar Association
- Member, LGBT Bar Association of New York
- Member, New York State Bar Association
- Member, New York City Bar Association
Speaking Engagements
Speaker: "Thinking Outside of the Binary: Bostock v. Clayton County," Lightning Presentations on Critical Employment Law Topics, NELA/NY, Webinar 2022
Jennifer Davis
Director of Operations and Administration
JENNIFER DAVIS earned her Bachelor of Arts from Spelman College and her Masters of Public Administration from Georgia State University. She first joined the firm as a Case Administrator in 2022, handling case management for race discrimination, gender discrimination, age discrimination, sexual orientation discrimination, disability discrimination, FMLA retaliation and interference, and other employment related matters. Jenn has over 15 years of program and employment management experience in education, non-profit and legal sectors.