Ogletree Deakins Elects Liz Washko to Firm’s Board of Directors

ATLANTA – February 1, 2021 – Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, has elected Liz Washko to the firm’s Board of Directors. Liz begins her initial three-year term on the Board effective immediately after being elected to the position during Ogletree Deakins’ annual Shareholder meeting, where shareholders from the firm’s 53 offices met virtually. In addition to her role on Ogletree Deakins’ Board of Directors, Liz is the co-chair of the firm’s Pay Equity practice group. Liz has held a number of leadership roles within the firm, including serving as the Office Managing Shareholder in Nashville and as a member of the firm’s Compensation Committee.

Liz represents management in a wide variety of employment matters at the agency level and in litigation. While she represents employers of all sizes and industries, Liz has a particular depth of knowledge representing clients in the restaurant, retail, healthcare, and manufacturing industries. She has vast experience defending employers in Fair Labor Standards Act collective actions, in pay discrimination cases (individual plaintiff and class/collective actions), and conducting proactive pay audits and pay equity analyses. In addition to her litigation practice, Liz works with clients on preventive strategies to avoid discrimination, retaliation, and other employment-related claims. She often conducts training on employment issues, drafts and reviews employment policies and agreements, and leads workplace investigations.

Liz is a frequent speaker, blogger, and reliable media source for human resources and in-house counsel groups and their related publications on all types of labor and employment issues. Some of her recent efforts focused on hiring in the era of COVID-19; wage and hour challenges in a COVID-19 climate; potential class action litigation fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic; pay equity in the #MeToo era; avoiding the increasing risks of pay discrimination claims; the expansion of reasonable accommodations; background checks; individual expression in the workplace; and more.

Liz is very active in her professional communities, particularly through her membership and participation in ODWIN, Ogletree Deakins’ Women’s Initiative, and the Lawyers Association for Women. She is a member of the American Health Lawyers’ Association (AHLA) and is the past-chair of the Labor and Employment practice group of the AHLA. Liz also is a member of the Labor Standards Legislation Subcommittee of the American Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Section.

Liz is highly acclaimed by her peers and clients for her legal acumen and client-centric approach in delivering premier client service and counsel. She is consistently recognized by Best Lawyers^® in the Employment Law – Management and Litigation – Labor and Employment categories. Earlier, Liz was named in the Acritas Stars report, which is based on feedback from nearly 4,000 general counsel and other senior leaders at legal departments around the world. The report lists lawyers who provide exceptional client service and is created entirely by client feedback.

Liz joined Ogletree Deakins in 2000 as an associate and was elected shareholder in 2003. She earned her J.D. from Rutgers University. Liz currently lives in Nashville with her husband and her two teenage sons.

About Ogletree Deakins
Ogletree Deakins is one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management in all types of employment-related legal matters. Premier client service, as outlined in the firm’s Client Pledge, is one of the firm’s top priorities and a cornerstone of its core values. U.S. News – Best Lawyers^® “Best Law Firms” has named Ogletree Deakins a “Law Firm of the Year” for 10 consecutive years. In 2021, the publication named Ogletree Deakins its “Law Firm of the Year” in the Litigation – Labor & Employment category. Ogletree Deakins has more than 900 attorneys located in 53 offices across the United States and in Europe, Canada, and Mexico. The firm represents a diverse range of clients, from small businesses to Fortune 50 companies. www.ogletree.com