NELA

Empowering Workers' Rights Attorneys

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News

NELA and NIWR Welcome Karen D. Woodard as Executive Director

After a thorough nationwide search, it is with great enthusiasm that we announce the appointment of Karen D. Woodard as the new Executive Director of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) and the National Institute for Workers’ Rights (NIWR), NELA’s charitable public interest organization, effective October 13. Selected by a unanimous vote of both Boards, Karen will lead our organizations toward our shared vision of a future in which all workers are treated with dignity and respect; workplaces are equitable, diverse, inclusive, and accessible; and the wellbeing of workers is a priority in business practices.

Karen brings more than 25 years of experience enforcing the nation’s employment and civil rights laws. For over two decades at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), she served in the Civil Rights Division’s Employment Litigation Section (ELS), ultimately leading it as Section Chief. She supervised a diverse team of 50 legal professionals investigating and litigating complex employment discrimination cases. During her tenure as Chief, the Section brought cutting-edge cases advancing LGBTQ+ rights in the wake of Bostock, promoting pay equity, and challenging race and sex discrimination and harassment at both the systemic and individual levels. Under Karen’s leadership, ELS launched its first Outreach Committee, … Read More

NELA Opposes Justin D. Smith Nomination to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals

The Honorable Richard J. Durbin
Ranking Member
U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary

Dear Senator Durbin,

On behalf of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), and its 4,000 national, circuit, state, and local affiliate members across the country, we write to express our opposition to the nomination of Justin D. Smith to fill a vacancy in the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

NELA is the largest professional membership organization in the country comprised of lawyers who represent workers in employment, labor, and civil rights disputes. Founded in 1985, NELA’s mission is to empower workers’ rights attorneys through legal training, promoting a fair judiciary, and advocating for laws and policies that level the playing field for workers. Our members litigate daily in every federal district and circuit, affording NELA a unique perspective on how employment cases actually play out on the ground and an accurate understanding of the profound impact of the judiciary on the daily lives and rights of working people.

Mr. Smith has spent his legal career siding with the rich and powerful and advancing an extreme conservative agenda, including serving as a board member with far-right dark money organizations such as First Principles Action and Publius Fund. This … Read More

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NELA Joins Amicus Brief in Department of Labor v. Sun Valley Orchards (SCOTUS)

On April 27, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari to review the decision of the 3rd Circuit in Sun Valley Orchards v. US Department of Labor. The Court granted review to consider whether Article III of the Constitution precludes the Department of Labor’s (DOL) administrative-enforcement role, namely in collecting monetary remedies from employers who have violated the terms and conditions of employment of H-2A workers and domestic workers. NELA joined National Lawyers Guild, National Legal Aid & Defender Association, California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, Northwest Workers’ Justice Project and Justice in Motion in filing an amicus brief in support of the Department of Labor. The academic brief examines the application of the public-rights doctrine to DOL’s enforcement actions, arguing that they are the kind of matter “traditionally reserved to the legislative and executive powers” and thus do not fall under the auspices of Article III.

NELA is grateful to Eirik Cheverud, Albany Law School (NY) for drafting the brief.… Read More

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NELA Opposes the Nomination of Andrew Davis to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas

The Honorable Richard J. Durbin
Ranking Member
U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary

Dear Senator Durbin,

On behalf of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), and its 4,000 national, circuit, state, and local affiliate members across the country, we write to express our opposition to the nomination of Andrew Davis to fill a vacancy in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas (Austin).

NELA is the largest professional membership organization in the country comprised of lawyers who represent workers in employment, labor, and civil rights disputes. Founded in 1985, NELA’s mission is to empower workers’ rights attorneys through legal training, promoting a fair judiciary, and advocating for laws and policies that level the playing field for workers. Our members litigate daily in every federal district and circuit, affording NELA a unique perspective on how employment cases actually play out on the ground and an accurate understanding of the profound impact of the judiciary on the daily lives and rights of working people.

Mr. Davis’s background and experience indicate that he is not a standard conservative nominee; rather, he appears to be a highly specialized architect of the modern conservative legal movement’s most aggressive structural arguments. His career … Read More

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Executive Director

The National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) and National Institute for Workers’ Rights (NIWR) seek a creative, self-aware, and empathetic leader to guide the organizations in building on our strategic plan and goals, expanding our resources and membership, and championing a culture of equity, inclusion, and cultural and racial literacy.

Who We Are

The National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), a 501(c)(6) organization, is the largest professional organization in the United States whose members are lawyers who either exclusively or primarily represent workers in cases involving employment and traditional civil rights issues, race discrimination, sexual harassment, wage theft, employee benefits, and other employment-related matters. Founded in 1985, NELA and its circuit, state, and local Affiliates have more than 3,000 members nationwide. In carrying out our mission to empower workers’ rights attorneys, NELA provides exceptional opportunities for professional development through continuing legal education programs, networking, publications, and technical support. NELA advocates for workers’ rights through partnerships with our Affiliates and coalition partners, and by participating as amicus curiae in briefs to voice the interests and perspectives of workers in significant employment cases filed in the U.S. Supreme Court, U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals, U.S. District Courts, and before government agencies. NELA advocates before … Read More

National Employment Lawyers Association Statement on the Supreme Court’s Unanimous Decision in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services

Yesterday the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 9-0 in favor of the worker in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, holding that the “Sixth Circuit’s ‘background circumstances’ rule—which requires members of a majority group to satisfy a heightened evidentiary standard to prevail on a Title VII claim—cannot be squared with the text of Title VII or the Court’s precedents.” Along with the Biden Administration, NELA filed an amicus brief on behalf of the worker in Ames, authored by renowned Supreme Court practitioner Professor Eric Schnapper. In light of the expected unanimous result in favor of Ames and against the “background circumstances” test, NELA focused its brief on asking the Court to clarify that no workers should be subject to an overly rigid application of McDonnell Douglas at the summary judgment stage, a call that was endorsed by other civil rights organizations.

The Court spoke to the issue. While the holding was narrowly focused on the “background circumstances” test, both the majority and concurring opinions emphasized the importance of flexibility when courts apply McDonnell Douglas. Justice Jackson’s opinion for the majority noted: “The ‘background circumstances’ rule also ignores our instruction to avoid inflexible applications of McDonnell Douglas’s first prong. … Read More

Statement From The National Employment Lawyers Association And National Institute For Workers’ Rights On EEOC Acting Chair Lucas’ Letters To Law Firms

The National Employment Lawyers Association and the National Institute for Workers’ Rights are deeply troubled by Acting Chair Andrea Lucas’ recent letters to twenty law firms aimed at scrutinizing or undermining their attempts to prevent discrimination and promote opportunity. Acting Chair Lucas has no authority to send these letters and demand this information, as explained in the March 18 letter from former EEOC officials. The letters represent an alarming betrayal of the agency’s fundamental mission of eradicating workplace discrimination and promoting equitable employment practices.

Though NELA members are often on the other side of these law firms in cases, we stand by their side in defending their right—indeed, obligation—to ensure their workplaces are fair and free of bias. The legal profession has traditionally not been hospitable to women, people of color, and others who are underrepresented in occupations like law. Firms that are trying to change that should be lauded, not criticized.

Law firms play a pivotal role in shaping employment policies and guiding corporate America’s understanding and implementation of civil rights law. If the legal profession is dissuaded from trying to make their hiring and promotion practices fair and prevent discrimination, the downstream effect on countless organizations and industries … Read More

EEOC Policy Shifts Threaten Workplace Discrimination Safeguards

The National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) is deeply concerned about recent developments that cast doubt on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) ability to fulfill its mission to prevent and remedy unlawful employment discrimination. Any weakening of the EEOC’s enforcement of sex discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity undermines progress made towards a just workplace rooted in the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, and leaves one of our nation’s most vulnerable populations at even greater risk of marginalization.

The recent changes by the EEOC, which include halting the processing of claims that allege discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, rolling back guidance on gender identity discrimination, and removing gender identity related resources, disregard the Supreme Court’s 2020 landmark decision in Bostock v. Clayton County. This ruling explicitly recognized that Title VII protections include sexual orientation and gender identity, thereby codifying workplace protections for LGBTQIA+ individuals. The EEOC under Acting Chair Andrea Lucas is contradicting its own past rulings and the law.

NELA stands in unwavering support of LGBTQIA+ workers and will continue to empower workers’ rights advocates in their fight to protect the rights of these workers, and all workers who seek justice.… Read More

Chicago Attorney M. Nieves Bolaños Elected President Of The National Employment Lawyers Association

Bolaños is the first Latina to serve as board president of 39-year-old organization

Concord, Calif. – July 26, 2024 – The Board of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), the nation’s largest bar association whose members exclusively or primarily represent workers, has elected its officers for 2024-2025. The NELA Board is composed of 24 member attorneys from around the country. M. Nieves Bolaños, the first Latina to serve as NELA’s president, assumes the role from Carla D. Brown, the first Black woman leader of the organization. This transition represents a significant milestone for NELA, highlighting the importance of diverse representation in leadership roles within the organization and the legal community as a whole.

NELA Board:

President
M. Nieves Bolaños
Hawks Quindel, SC, Chicago, IL

First Vice President
Ben Lebsack
Lowrey Parady Lebsack, LLC, Denver, CO

Vice President of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility
Bryce W. Ashby
Donati Law, PLLC, Memphis, TN

Vice President of Affiliate Relations
Deborah H. Karpatkin
Law Office of Deborah H. Karpatkin, New York, NY

Immediate Past President
Carla D. Brown
Charlson Bredehoft Cohen Brown & Nadelhaft, P.C., Reston, VA

Secretary
Summer H. Murshid
Hawks Quindel, SC, Milwaukee WI

Treasurer
Christopher Houk
Houk Law Firm, PLLC, Tempe, … Read More

NELA Partners with Syllo to Provide Exclusive Member Pricing on a Game-Changing AI-Powered eDiscovery Litigation Platform

Syllo levels the playing field for workers’ rights advocates by allowing them to leverage AI tools previously accessible only to large firms.

NELA is thrilled to announce the launch of our partnership with Syllo, a pioneering AI-powered eDiscovery tool for litigators developed by plaintiffs’ employment lawyers. Syllo enables attorneys and paralegals to use AI to organize, understand, and litigate their matters faster and more efficiently.

The partnership is a direct result of NELA members’ request for and experience with advanced eDiscovery tools and technology to enhance their firms’ performance. As part of our mission to empower workers’ rights attorneys, we strive to provide members with benefits that make a meaningful difference in their practice, including building capacity, increasing productivity, and conserving resources.

Through this partnership, NELA members receive a significant cost savings on Syllo’s cutting-edge litigation technology with capabilities including:

  • Search and review eDiscovery, organize case files, and track deadlines.
  • Search productions for hot documents, develop chronologies of key events, and prove up your case
  • Access the NELA “Precedent Bank” with invaluable resources from your fellow NELA members.

NELA members receive 57% off on Syllo’s advanced AI tools. That means NELA membership is more than paid for in just … Read More

National Employment Lawyers Association Applauds The Equal Remedies Act Of 2024

The act would eliminate statutory damage caps and enhance protections for workers in discrimination cases

For Immediate Release
Contact: Andrea Hansen
509.306.1867
ahansen@flyingcrow.com

Concord, Calif. – May 8, 2024 – Today, in a significant milestone for workers’ rights, Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Bobby Scott (D-VA), and Senator Edward Markey (D-MA) introduced the Equal Remedies Act of 2024. The proposed legislation calls for the elimination of statutory damage caps for employment discrimination in civil rights cases, and would modernize the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) to allow those who experience age discrimination to pursue compensatory and punitive damages.

The National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) applauds Representatives Bonamici and Scott and Senator Markey on this important piece of legislation and strongly supports the bill to ensure workers have meaningful access to justice when they experience illegal treatment in the workplace. 

“Discrimination persists in the workplace for a lot of reasons, but these arbitrary caps that take away the jury’s role in deciding how employers who violate the law are held accountable are a significant factor,” said Linda Correia, immediate past president of NELA’s board of directors. “I have represented many workers who have been harmed by these caps and am grateful … Read More

NELA Statement on FTC’s New Rule Banning Non-Compete Clauses

The National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) applauds the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) rule banning non-compete clauses, putting power back into the hands of workers to make decisions about where they work and what’s best for their families.

NELA members have been fighting coercive non-competes for their clients for decades and understand how these clauses stifle workers and limit their potential. NELA supports the FTC’s final rule, which bans new non-competes for all workers of for-profit companies and invalidates those companies’ existing non-competes, except for non-competes executed by “senior executives” before the FTC’s final rule takes effect. 

NELA submitted comments supporting the proposed ban in April 2023, when it was first proposed by the FTC. In voting on the final rule, FTC Chair Lina Khan and other Commissioners noted that non-competes exploit workers, prevent competition, and limit innovation. NELA is thrilled that the FTC’s ban will give workers freedom to leave abusive workplaces and to find better jobs.… Read More