Practice Areas

Workplace & Employment Law

We represent workers in asserting their rights and pushing back against illegal treatment in the workplace. Whether you’ve been wrongfully terminated, underpaid, harassed, retaliated against, or forced to sign an unfair agreement, we’re here to help you navigate your options and fight back.

Our attorneys bring deep experience in both individual cases and class action litigation, always with a focus on empowering workers and securing lasting outcomes.

We handle a wide range of employment law issues, including:

We handle a wide range of employment law issues, including:

  • Discrimination based on race, gender, age, disability, pregnancy, or other protected traits is illegal — so is retaliation for speaking up. We help workers assert their rights and hold employers accountable for toxic and discriminatory work environments.ption text goes here

  • We recover unpaid wages, overtime, meal and rest breaks, and other forms of wage theft — including cases where workers are misclassified as independent contractors or exempt employees.

  • We help workers navigate the complex web of disability accommodation, medical leave, and family leave laws — including under the ADA, FMLA, and Washington's Paid Family and Medical Leave program.

  • Employers often include non-compete clauses, non-disparagement provisions, and illegal confidentiality restrictions in severance agreements. We negotiate fair outcomes, protect your rights, and help you understand what you are — and aren’t — obligated to sign.

  • Washington state law has changed in recent years. We help workers understand their rights under new limits on non-compete agreements, and we push back when employers overreach.

  • We represent groups of workers in collective and class actions to address widespread employer misconduct — from off-the-clock work to discriminatory policies to illegal pay structures.

  • Retaliation is one of the most common — and most serious — forms of employer misconduct. If you’ve been punished for raising concerns about discrimination, safety, wage theft, or illegal activity, we’ll stand with you.

Our team brings years of experience not just as attorneys, but as advocates and organizers. We understand the legal and emotional weight of standing up to an employer — and we’ll walk with you through every step of the process.

If you think your rights have been violated, reach out. We’ll help you understand your options and fight for what you deserve.

Labor Union Representation

We represent labor unions in their fight to build and exercise power — at the bargaining table, in arbitration, before labor boards, and in strategic campaigns. Our firm brings deep, movement-based experience to the work of representing unions and supporting worker organizing.

Whether you're a well-established union or an emerging independent campaign, we provide legal support that is strategic, grounded, and responsive to the real dynamics of the workplace.

We offer:

  • Unions are not just representatives of workers — they are also employers, regulated entities, and stewards of public trust. We help unions navigate internal compliance challenges, including:
    • Workplace investigations involving union staff or leadership
    • Legal audits of union employment practices and personnel policies
    • DOL reporting and LM-2 compliance
    • Navigating responsibilities under 501(c)(5) regulations and labor law obligations

    As employment law experts who come out of the labor movement, we are uniquely positioned to conduct independent, trauma-informed workplace investigations for unions — especially in moments when neutrality and legal credibility are critical. We understand union culture, union values, and the legal responsibilities unions face as employers.

  • We represent unions in negotiations with public- and private-sector employers, helping secure strong contracts and advance long-term strategic goals.

  • We handle arbitration, mediation, and other contract enforcement matters — with an approach that centers the union’s broader mission, not just the individual grievance.

  • We represent unions and workers in NLRB and state labor board proceedings, fighting back against employer retaliation, bad-faith bargaining, interference, and other illegal conduct.

  • We assist with officer elections, bylaw updates, financial reporting, and DOL compliance matters, helping unions stay democratic, transparent, and legally sound.

  • We help unions engage with nonprofit and worker-cooperative employers, including in unionized environments where both sides are committed to shared values but still need strong labor relations structures.

  • Legal work is often one piece of a broader campaign. We support unions in building organizing capacity, developing comprehensive leverage strategies, training staff and leaders, and navigating complex employer pushback.

  • Our team has experience supporting labor campaigns that cross borders. We help identify legal pressure points in global supply chains, develop coordinated strategies, and connect with labor partners abroad.

Our attorneys are not just lawyers — we’re former organizers, stewards, and union-side strategists who understand the legal, relational, and political pressures unions face. We bring that grounding into every case, every campaign, and every contract.

If your union needs legal support, strategic guidance, or help responding to an internal or external legal issue, we’re ready to step in and stand with you.

Nonprofits & Worker Cooperatives

We work with nonprofit organizations and worker cooperatives at every stage of development — from formation to governance to ongoing compliance. Our team brings deep experience in supporting mission-driven organizations, including those navigating complex multi-entity structures and labor-forward models like unionized nonprofits and unionized worker co-ops.

Whether you’re forming a new 501(c)(3), launching a worker-owned cooperative, or building a multi-entity ecosystem with affiliated 501(c)(4)s and other tax-exempt entities, we help you move from vision to legal reality — while staying compliant every step of the way.

We offer:

  • • Incorporation and entity selection for nonprofits and worker co-ops
    • State and federal tax-exemption applications, including 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) status
    • Drafting bylaws, operating agreements, governance policies, and board structures
    • Worker co-op ownership and membership structures tailored to your goals

  • • Multi-entity compliance audits (501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), 527s, and hybrids)
    • Review and design of grant agreements and cost-sharing arrangements
    • Employment compliance and HR policy development for progressive employers
    • Unionized nonprofit and co-op compliance, including collective bargaining and labor neutrality agreements
    • Conflict-of-interest policies, fiscal sponsorship models, and lobbying compliance

  • • Technical assistance implementing organizational policies
    • Advice on campaign finance and lobbying compliance (federal and state-level)
    • Real-time support for boards, staff, and worker-owners navigating employer obligations
    • Training and guidance for organizations balancing progressive values with legal responsibilities as employers

Our attorneys have deep roots in the movement ecosystem — as former nonprofit leaders, union organizers, and compliance counsel — and we understand the unique tensions progressive employers face. We don't just advise from the outside — we’ve been on the inside, and we’re here to help you lead with integrity and clarity.

Professional Licensure Defense

We represent professionals facing threats to their licensure, careers, and reputations. Whether you’re responding to a complaint, defending against disciplinary action, or proactively navigating a complex regulatory issue, we provide experienced, strategic legal support every step of the way.

Our firm is especially focused on defending nurses and healthcare professionals, drawing on years of experience working alongside healthcare workers — not just as legal advocates, but as allies in the broader fight for dignity and fairness in the workplace.

We understand that when your license is at stake, your livelihood, your identity, and your future are on the line. We approach every case with care, urgency, and a deep respect for the professions we serve.

We offer:

    • State licensing board investigations and hearings
      • Responses to complaints, allegations, and investigative inquiries
      • Advocacy in cases involving alleged misconduct, negligence, or criminal issues
      • Defense against license suspension, revocation, or probation

  • • Pre-disciplinary coaching and preparation
    • Risk assessment and support during internal employer investigations
    • Help navigating substance use, mental health, or criminal record-related licensing issues
    • Guidance on license reinstatement or modification

  • Our attorneys have spent years working with nurses and healthcare professionals — both in licensure defense and broader labor and employment matters. We understand the demands of the healthcare workplace, the regulatory complexity of nursing boards, and the systemic challenges facing frontline caregivers.
    Whether you’re an RN, LPN, CNA, or other licensed professional in the healthcare field, we bring deep crossover experience to your defense.

Looking for legal help in one or more of these areas?