Elizabeth Lewis is a partner in the Employment & Labor practice group and a member of the Cooley Litigation department. She joined the Firm in 2003 and is resident in the Reston office.
Ms. Lewis' practice focus is on labor and employment law, civil rights law and litigation. In her employment practice she works with clients to find cost-effective business solutions to employment problems. She works on a broad spectrum of employment issues, including advising clients on compliance with employment laws (including FLSA, Title VII, ADEA, ADA, FMLA, WARN, OSHA, NLRA, FCRA) managing difficult employees, developing and implementing personnel practices and procedures, due diligence for IPO's, mergers and acquisitions, structuring executive and incentive compensation, drafting employment and non-compete agreements, handling discrimination complaints before administrative agencies, preparing Affirmative Action Plans, and handling OFCCP and other DOL audits, including glass ceiling audits. She is experienced in designing and managing investigations of misconduct, including whistleblower complaints and sexual harassment claims. She works closely with partners in Cooley's International, White Collar, Government Contracts, National Security and FDA practice groups to manage investigations of misconduct with potential criminal implications, including investigations under the FCA and FCPA. She represents clients on all aspects of labor-management relations, including union campaigns, elections, negotiations and contract administration. She has experience in a wide variety of industries and particular expertise in handling employment matters for public, private and venture-backed government contractors, distressed companies, technology and biotechnology companies, as well as venture capital firms, and trade associations. She counsels multi-national corporations on employment issues related to cross-border employment, outsourcing and restructuring.
An experienced litigator, Ms. Lewis handles employment, contract and civil rights lawsuits, including jury trials and class actions, at the trial and appellate level. In addition to her employment practice Ms. Lewis handles a variety of civil rights issues, including discrimination complaints involving fair housing and public accommodations.
Prior to joining Cooley, Ms. Lewis was a shareholder with Greenberg Traurig in the Tysons Corner office. She is a Director of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, a member of the Economic Club of Washington and the organizing Board of MindShare, and is an active member of the Women's Advisory Board of the Girl Scout Council of the National Capital Area. She is a past Chair of the Alexandria (VA) Chamber of Commerce.
Ms. Lewis is named in the Chambers USA list of America's Leading Lawyers for Labor & Employment. She is annually named one of The Best Lawyers in America, was honored as the top employment lawyer in the Washington, DC area by the Washington Business Journal (2004), and as a top Washington lawyer by Legal Times in 2009. She was also recognized by ALM in its Virginia's Top Rated Lawyers 2012 special edition. She is an author of the Virginia Employers Guide to Labor Law with Michael F. Marino, Stephen W. Robinson and Clifford R. Oviatti, Jr., Virginia Chamber of Commerce (1989). Ms. Lewis lectures regularly to business groups on Labor and Employment law topics.
Ms. Lewis received a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1974, Order of the Coif. In 1971, Ms. Lewis received an AB, cum laude in American Studies from Smith College.
