Our We get growth series of Jackson Lewis' We get work" podcast welcomes and highlights new colleagues and reinforces the essence of Jackson Lewis teamwork and inclusion—delivering the value-added knowledge, support, and guidance our clients need.
Transcript
Hello, everyone. My name is Donny English, and I'm the managing principal of the Maryland office of Jackson Lewis. And on our podcast today, I will introduce you to Lindsey White, Jackson Lewis' newest principal in the Maryland office. Lindsey's impressive experience brings tremendous value to our firm, and we are thrilled to have her on board. And hope you enjoy this episode. So Lindsey, to begin with, why don't you tell us a little bit about your practice?
Thank you. I'm thrilled to be on today. And I joined Jackson Lewis from a regional labor and employment boutique where I spent about eight years practicing defense side. But prior to that, I was a trial attorney with the EEOC for almost seven years. And in that capacity, litigated many cases on behalf of the United States government, as well as advised investigators on conducting investigations, including systemic investigations, pattern of practice investigations. I also had the experience of doing a detail with the now-EEOC chair, Charlotte Burrows, as a senior attorney advisor doing policy work.
Great. Well, that's a very interesting background. And so at this stage in your career path, what attracted you to Jackson Lewis? And was there anything specific that attracted you to the Maryland office?
Yes, I was at the point in my career where I was looking to pivot to a national firm and Jackson Lewis' practice groups were very appealing to me, in particular the trials and appeals group, the litigation group, both of which are extremely strong, as well as the advice and counsel practice group.
Being based in Maryland, Jackson Lewis has a tremendous presence, is very well respected. From my time at the EEOC, I knew the commission highly respects Jackson Lewis as well as other practitioners out there. So that was top of mind for me.
Well, that's great. And so with your clients, and you said you wanted to transition to a more national firm, how do you see the Jackson Lewis platform benefiting your clients?
As states are becoming more highly regulated, it is very helpful to have a firm like Jackson Lewis that is in over 60 offices with over 900 attorneys to be able to leverage all of that experience. So if a client has a question about California law, there's resources at my fingertips, which is very helpful for clients.
So, Lindsey, you mentioned that you have experience both with the EEOC, and on the defense side as an employment litigator. And so given that experience that you have on both sides, how does that inform your practice?
It's very helpful to have experience on both sides of the V because it helps you appreciate where the other side is coming from, which can be helpful both in litigation from anything ranging from a discovery dispute, also to a settlement discussion. As my clients have issues with the EEOC. It's helpful to understand how the process works very closely because I've seen it on both sides now. So I think that that is a very unusual combination of experience and it really benefits my clients. Speaking of the EEOC, the EEOC has been really busy over the last few months.
And so what do you see as the EEOC's priorities in not only 2024, this election year, but perhaps even for the next administration?
It's been a busy time to be an employment lawyer. We can all attest and the EEOC is now operating at full capacity with five commissioners. So you are seeing action where there has not previously really been a quorum. So it's not surprising to see movement on a lot of different issues. The PWFA regulations just issued and of course the PWFA went into effect last summer and now we have the regulations that really tell us how the EEOC is intending to implement the PWFA, which is really very broadly. So employers will need to make sure that their policies align with those regulations as well as when they have various situations that come up that they're consulting those. The EEOC also issued long-awaited harassment guidelines, which are notable for many different reasons. One of which is the handling of issues affecting transgender individuals and transgender harassment. I think that you're going to continue to see whether it's at the EEOC or beyond this tension between sort of religious liberties on the one hand, employees saying that referring to transgender individuals by the pronouns of their choosing infringes on their religious rights versus the tension the other way around. So we're seeing that percolate through the courts.
We here in the Maryland office recently had a client symposium where we had the pleasure of hosting Commissioner Lucas who shared her perspectives. She dissented both on the harassment guidelines and the PWFA regulations. So to hear her perspective was very interesting. If there's a change of administration and that would follow for the EEOC, that's, I think, a clear guidance into where a Republican EEOC would head.
So that's great info on the EEOC. Let's talk a little bit specifically, a little more locally for some of our Maryland clients. What are some of the top legal concerns for employers in Maryland for 2024 and beyond?
Maryland tends to be a very employee friendly state, very progressive state. And I always say whatever New York and California are doing, Maryland is going to do about five years later. And we have a great example with that.
We have a new pay transparency law that's going into effect in October of this year, which is going to require employers to post salary ranges for any roles that will be done. All are in part in the state of Maryland. So that is a big change and that builds off previous pay transparency legislation where Maryland employees had to provide salary ranges upon request. You are going to continue to see these types of laws being passed, both with respect to pay transparency. And we also have Maryland paid family leave that is not yet in effect, but the groundwork is being laid to have that take place here in a couple of years.
Great. So you talked a lot about what's going on in the both national and local landscape, but what about you and your clients and your to client services? Is there anything that you think that makes you a little bit different?
Probably much to my family chagrin, I would say that I'm always available to clients. I think it's really important that attorneys be responsive. When a client is facing a pressing issue, they need their counsel available to them and they need to know that they're thinking about their problem. They are in their corner fighting and have a plan for how to address the problem. So, for me, my number one objective is always to provide excellent client service.
Great. And so in addition to the client service and all of the knowledge that you have substantively, what about your involvement outside of Jackson Lewis with any legal or civic or community organizations? And how do you believe that your involvement enhances your practice and provides value to your clients?
I'm on the employment council of the Maryland State Bar Association, as well as very involved with the American Bar Association, labor and employment section. In particular, I've been involved with the technology committee for several years and I'm currently the management side co-chair of that committee. And through both of those organizations, I have met numerous attorneys on all sides, employee side, employer side, union side, government. And it's been a wonderful experience. And I think with respect to the MSBA here in Maryland, it promotes collegiality among the bar to get to know your colleagues well. It also allows you to have trusted individuals to whom you can refer business. And then on the ABA side, it's been great to have that national network of practitioners and also have people that you can bounce ideas off of. The tech space is new and evolving and very niche. So it's nice to have people that are thinking about that all over the country.
Well, Lindsey, so what are some things you do outside of work? What are you involved with? What are your hobbies and interests?
Anybody that knows me knows that I love soccer. I love to watch soccer. I attempt to play some soccer and different leagues, but really my passion is coaching. I've coached both of my daughters and I'm very involved with coaching my second daughter's team at the moment. And sports were very important in my life growing up. I think, you know, the passage of Title IX, I went through high school right after that and the access to sports and there are multiple studies showing the value of women in sports and later leadership.
All of that is great, but I really love spending my time on the soccer field with a bunch of 12-year-olds.
Last two questions. Favorite soccer team and favorite soccer player?
Favorite soccer team, Washington Spirit. How can you not love the local team? Favorite soccer player is tough, but I love Lindsey Horan. I love her spunk. I also really love Trinity Rodman.
Thank you, Lindsey, for your insight into your practice. We look forward to your success here at Jackson Lewis. And we also look forward to those of you who are listening to join us in our future podcasts. Take care.
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