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Lori Thomas
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Lori Thomas is a highly accomplished labor and employment attorney with over 20 years of experience providing employment counseling and advice to a wide range of companies on day-to-day matters including background checks, hiring decisions, employee performance matters, discipline and termination decisions, complaint investigations and responses, accommodation and leave requests and wage and hour issues. Formerly Senior Employment Counsel for a national financial institution with more than 27,000 employees, Lori draws on her in-house counsel experience to help clients address real world, day to day problems efficiently and with an eye toward minimizing risk and reducing cost. Lori understands that sometimes the strictly legal answer is not the full answer, and that the best legal solution is not always the best business solution. Clients rely on Lori to take into consideration legal, business and additional factors, assess risk, and present the range of possibilities so they can make the best informed decision. Practical and succinct in her approach, Lori is adept at providing clients with timely need-to-know answers that help them effectively respond to the business pressures of their positions. She partners with her clients as a trusted advisor to ensure that they have the factual information and legal analysis needed to make informed decisions within critical time constraints. Lori is also experienced in guiding employers through large scale workforce restructurings and reductions. She enjoys partnering with Human Resources professionals and business leaders to truly solve problems, finding the best result for the least cost. Her experience spans the full spectrum of employment matters including investigation and response to government agency charges and defense of employment litigation claims under Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, SOX whistleblower, FCRA, state fair employment practice laws, as well as class and collective actions. While serving for several years as Senior Employment Counsel for one of the nation’s larger financial services organizations, Lori: Oversaw the daily resolution of labor and employment issues involving 9,000 employees in over 70 locations around the country on matters involving a wide range of issues such as hiring decisions, employee performance matters, leave requests, and compliance issues. Identified potential legal risks and liabilities related to employment matters and developed strategies to either prevent or mitigate those risks. Work closely with senior leaders and HR to develop processes and procedures to reduce risk. Advised management, HR business partners, and C-Suite leaders on federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations to ensure company compliance across the organization in dozens of states. Drafted and updated company policies and practices on issues ranging from FDIC compliance in hiring decisions to reasonable accommodations under the ADA and equivalent state laws. Oversaw all aspects of employee-related litigation, including discrimination claims, wage and hour disputes, class and collective action lawsuits, wrongful termination lawsuits, and other legal actions under Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, SOX whistleblower, FCRA, as well as compensation clawback disputes. Supervised outside counsel and the company’s legal spend in the defense of the company’s interests. Conducted and oversaw hundreds of internal investigations. Issues involved allegations of misconduct, discrimination, harassment, whistleblower claims, retaliation, and violation of internal policies. Ensured investigations were thorough, impartial, and conducted in compliance with company policies and legal requirements. Reviewed and negotiated employment contracts, severance agreements, restrictive covenant agreements, including the handling of other employment-related contracts to ensure they protected the company’s interests and complied with applicable laws. Provided strategic legal advice to management and senior corporate team on workforce planning, reductions in force, restructuring, international outsourcing, acquisitions, and other business initiatives. Advised on the potential impact on labor and employment law compliance. Developed and conducted training programs for employees and managers on topics such as harassment prevention, anti-discrimination, anti-retaliation, FMLA and ADA compliance, as well as compliance with other employment laws. Lori utilizes her in-house counsel experience and her understanding of the pressures that in-house counsel and business leaders face, to help clients arrive at practical legal solutions to their labor and employment needs that are also good business solutions. "New Federal Pregnancy Regulations: Five Key Takeaways and Five Key Action Steps for Employers" Daily Report from Law.com, June 5, 2024 Lori is the founder of Cruciform Life International Ministries, a non-profit organization that increases access to nutrition, education, medical care and economic opportunity for vulnerable persons in Uganda. Working closely with members of the Ugandan community, Cruciform provides a weekly feeding program for children in nutritional need. Through Cruciform’s sponsorship program, children from families that cannot afford to pay for school fees and other requirements are able to attend school. Cruciform also helps families meet medical and dental needs and conducts community outreach programs that focus on health, Bible studies for youth, home-improvements and small business grants. In 2020, Cruciform opened the first community library in the area which serves over 2,000 people each month. The library also functions as a community center offering chess, art and computer lessons to children, and financial and English literacy classes for adults. Thanks to the donation of a container of books, Cruciform is in the process of establishing more community libraries in other communities. |
PRACTICE AREAS
Complex Commercial Litigation Labor & Employment Financial Services Class & Collective Actions Internal Investigations Discrimination, Harassment & Retaliation Claims Workplace Education & Training EDUCATION
University of Virginia School of Law J.D. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and University B.S. BAR ADMISSIONS Virginia Georgia |
