"I am proud when my clients call me their trusted advisor and partner, but I am equally as proud when they call me their friend."

--Maureen Knight, Litigator

Maureen has extensive experience representing clients in discrimination charges before local, state and federal agencies (having successfully defended more than 200), as well as significant experience defending employment discrimination cases in both state and federal courts (from single plaintiff to multiple plaintiffs, and from early settlement to trial by jury).  Maureen’s litigation expertise also extends to claims brought under state and federal employment laws (including the FMLA and the FLSA), common law (including intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent retention, negligent supervision, and wrongful termination), and contract issues (including restrictive covenants and employment agreements).

Maureen also devotes a substantial amount of her practice to wage and hour issues, including preventive consultation, internal audits, government investigations, and defense of wage and hour litigation (including those involving class claims).  Maureen's wage and hour litigation experience includes cases involving state and federal minimum wage and overtime violations, stemming from alleged off-the-clock work, deletion of hours, exemption misclassification and improperly-applied tip credits.  She has counseled clients on these and other wage and hour issues, such as white collar exemptions, tip pooling/sharing, break requirements, child labor issues, payroll frequency and methods, salary deductions, and compensability of time.  Maureen is a regular speaker and author on wage and hour compliance issues to human resource professionals and in-house counsel.

In addition to national Fortune 100 and 500 clients, Maureen has experience with assisting smaller, but growing, companies with the numerous employment-related issues that arise, including creating an employee handbook, providing advice and counsel regarding personnel actions and decisions, ensuring proper pay practices, and drafting restrictive covenants (such as non-competes).  Finally, Maureen has investigated numerous claims of discrimination and retaliation pursuant to clients' internal grievance programs, acting as a trusted neutral fact-finder.

Maureen has been twice named as a Virginia Rising Star in employment law by the annual publication Virginia Super Lawyers; was awarded the Betty Southard Murphy Award in Labor Law; and was the honored recipient of an award, generally reserved for company employees, by a national client’s legal department for her responsiveness and legal expertise.  Maureen’s clients praise her for her ability to effectively communicate legal issues to non-legal audiences and provide legal advice that always focuses on practical business solutions.

Publications/Presentations

• "Drafting an Alternative Work Arrangement Policy: The Do's, the Don'ts, and the Maybes," The Woman Advocate, Spring 2008
• "In the Trenches: Preparing for Your First Trial," ABA Section of Litigation Annual Conference, April 2008
• "Money Men" (and Women) Are Winning Big Bucks in Overtime, The Job Description, Winter 2007, published by the DRI Employment Law Committee
• "The History and Future of Class Action Lawsuits," a publication of the Washington Legal Foundation
• "Why Defense Counsel Should Be Aware of the Growing Trend of FLSA Collective Actions," The Job Description, Spring 2004, published by the DRI Employment Law Committee
• "Responding to Discrimination Charges," a presentation to Dallas Area Paralegal Association, June 2005
• "Rainmaking and Other Skills Learned from the 2006 WILL Academy," The Woman Advocate, Fall 2006
• "Are Class Action Waivers in Employment Arbitration Agreements Too Good to Be True for Employers?", Employment & Labor Relations Law (publication of the American Bar Association's Section of Litigation), Winter 2007 (Vol. 5, No. 2), republished in The Job Description, Summer 2007, published by the DRI Employment Law Committee; and Conflict Management (publication of the American Bar Association's Section of Litigation), Summer 2007 (Vol. II, Issue 2)

Awards & Recognition

• Virginia Rising Star  

Professional Activities/Associations

• American Bar Association
• Loudoun County Bar Association
• Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW)
• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
• Northern Virginia Society for Human Resource Management (NOVA SHRM)

Civic/Charitable Activities/Associations

• Chairperson of Food Pantry Committee, collecting and distributing food to Food Bank for people in need

Other Personal Background Information and Interests

• Maureen is married to her husband Craig, and they have three beautiful children. She most enjoys spending time with her family (including their two almost-always-lovable Labrador retrievers), particularly during family camping trips. She also enjoys gardening, playing soccer, and wine tasting.