Sumaya S. Ellard focuses her practice on labor and employment matters. She is experienced representing employers in single-plaintiff, collective action and class action litigation involving race, sex, color, disability, and age discrimination and harassment; wrongful termination; retaliation; wage and hour laws (including classification and termination pay issues); and unfair labor practices. Ms. Ellard's discrimination practice covers both state and federal law, in a variety of different industries, including education, government, health care, and the financial sector. She regularly drafts severance agreements and releases, reviews and drafts personnel policies, revises employee handbooks, and advises employers with respect to terminations, disability accommodation and use of the interactive process, large-scale reductions in force and reorganizations, independent contractor/common law employee status and other employment-related issues. In addition, Ms. Ellard has gained considerable experience representing employers in restrictive covenant litigation, including suits for breaches of confidentiality and violations of non-solicitation covenants.
