Best Lawyers in Virginia, United States for Labor and Employment Law - Management
Thomas P. Murphy is a Partner in the Washington, D.C. Region office of Jackson Lewis, P.C. His practice focuses on representing employers in workplace law matters, including preventive advice and counseling. Mr. Murphy has tried more than 65 jury trials in the past 38 years as a federal prosecutor and in private practice. In addition, he routinely advises clients on the labor and employment aspects of doing business in ther countries, a subject on which he frequently speaks and writes. Prior ...
Throughout his more than 30-year career, Tom has represented employers in a broad spectrum of employment matters, including wage and hour, discrimination, and employee termination. He is known particularly for his employee defection work, including drafting and enforcing non-competes and other employment-based restrictive covenants, and litigating related contract, fiduciary duty, trade secret, tortious interference, conspiracy, and unfair competition disputes. Tom’s clients include nat...
J. Clay Rollins is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management, Labor Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. J. Clay, who practices law in Richmond, Virginia, has been recognized since 2022. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which J. Clay is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Theresa M. Connolly is the co-managing partner of the Washington, D.C. Metro offices, where her litigation practice focuses on advising and counseling employers in all employment matters and defending employers in all aspects of workplace litigation including complex trade secret misappropriation cases. She has significant experience representing employers in regards to discrimination claims, harassment, contractor issues, wage and overtime claims, wrongful discharge, contracts, tort actions ...
Laurie L. Kirkland is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management. Laurie L., who practices law in Fairfax, Virginia, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Laurie L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Sarah A. Belger is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management. Sarah A., who practices law in Tysons, Virginia, has been recognized since 2019. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Sarah A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Alyson J. Guyan is a principal in the Washington, D.C. Region office of Jackson Lewis P.C. She represents corporations and other entities in a wide variety of employment, discrimination, harassment, and wage and hour matters. Aly advises and represents employers in a broad range of employment law matters arising under federal and state law, including claims based on the Fair Labor Standards Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and the Americans with Disabi...
Scott A. Siegner is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Scott A., who practices law in Richmond, Virginia, has been recognized since 2027. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Scott A. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Stephanie Holland is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management. Stephanie, who practices law in Tysons, Virginia, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Stephanie is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Jay Fries graduated cum laude from Washington and Lee University and received his law degree from the Law School of the College of William and Mary, where he served as an editor of the Law Review. Jay represents employers in all areas of labor and employment law, including discrimination, wage and hour, unfair labor practice and employment tort cases. He is an active member of the Maryland, Virginia and Baltimore County bar associations, and the Labor Law Section of the American Bar Associati...
David Kelly is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Labor Law - Management. David, who practices law in Reston, Virginia, has been recognized since 2027. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which David is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Teresa Burke Wright is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Teresa Burke, who practices law in Reston, Virginia, has been recognized since 2018. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Teresa Burke is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Matthew F. Nieman is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Matthew F., who practices law in Reston, Virginia, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Matthew F. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Jim Coleman has forty years of experience in counseling employers on wage and hour matters, as well as defending employers in wage and hour litigation and administrative proceedings. His expertise includes in-depth knowledge of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and many comparable state wage and hour laws. Jim served as General Counsel for the National Council of Chain Restaurants for two decades, and through his representation of the trade association, as well as many of its member compan...
Maureen is an experienced litigator who co-chairs the firm’s Litigation Practice Group and Class Action Practice Group. Maureen devotes a very substantial amount of her practice to wage and hour issues, including preventive consultation, internal audits, government investigations, and defense of wage and hour litigation, almost all of which include class or collective action claims. Maureen's wage and hour litigation experience includes cases involving state and federal minimum wage and...
Adam L. Lounsbury is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Employment Law - Management and Litigation - Labor and Employment. Adam L., who practices law in Richmond, Virginia, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Adam L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.