Brenda Bannon is of counsel in the Seattle office of Ogletree Deakins and joined the firm in March 2019. Ms. Bannon’s practice has emphasized the defense of municipal and other governmental clients in state and federal court litigation, in addition to providing routine employment law advice and counsel to local agencies’ Human Resources professionals. Her practice extends to private sector clients.
Ms. Bannon’s employment law practice includes providing employers proactive advice and practical solutions to current or potential employee problems to manage risk related to discipline, discrimination, retaliation, disability accommodation, ADA, WLAD, FMLA, L & I parameters, breach of contract, wrongful discharge, and termination. Ms. Bannon also advises regarding recruiting, hiring, training, performance management, promoting and issues pertaining to internal policy development and employee benefits. Ms. Bannon additionally provides defense services responding to Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Human Rights Commission Complaints, assisting employers in navigating current harassment and discrimination investigations, and defending employment claims in litigation.
Ms. Bannon additionally has extensive experience conducting independent workplace investigations.
Ms. Bannon’s litigation practice extends to defending the case through the appellate courts.
Historically, her work has also included defending police officers and their departments from claims alleging civil rights violations, wrongful arrest and excessive force claims. Ms. Bannon has additionally defended police agencies at Inquests exploring the use of deadly force. Her litigation services have extended to defending government agencies against road design claims alleging negligence, wrongful death, and other traditional tort-based claims.
Before pursuing her private practice career in 1998, Ms. Bannon was formerly a Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for King County; for most of a decade she worked as a trial attorney prosecuting felony cases and defending them on appeal.
