Department Category: Current

Sara Burger counsels non-profit organizations to comply with employment laws and provides practical, mission-oriented advice on matters that arise in sensitive workplace situations. She works closely with clients so they can foster productive, inclusive, and supportive workplaces and understand their legal obligations. Further, she conducts internal investigations into claims of workplace misconduct or policy violations involving employees at all levels. Sara also represents employees in matters involving discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, and wrongful termination.

Prior to joining the firm, Sara practiced at Sidley Austin LLP, conducting employment-related due diligence and handling employee issues resulting from mergers and acquisitions (both buy-side and sell-side). In this role, she also drafted employment agreements, consulting agreements, employment policies, and employee handbooks. She graduated from St. John’s University School of Law in 2022, where she was the Symposium Editor for the St. John’s University Law Review. During law school, she served as a Labor Relations Intern at ABC where she drafted and implemented post-COVID return to work protocol. Prior to law school, Sara interned with District Council 37, AFSCME AFL-CIO where she assisted union leaders with development of collective bargaining agreements and participated in unfair labor practice arbitration hearings. As an undergraduate, Sara attended Cornell University’s School of Industrial Labor Relations where she studied labor relations, labor and employment law, and disability law.

Education:
St. John’s University School of Law, 2022
Cornell University, 2019

Bar Admission:
District of Columbia
New York

Philip (Phil) Eager advises advocacy organizations, foundations and other entities on a broad range of legal, business and strategic issues. He has significant experience representing and counseling nationally known charitable and advocacy organizations on corporate governance issues, transactional and investment matters, contracts, trademark and copyright questions, and other areas of law. Phil enjoys working closely with clients to understand their priorities and goals, and he prides himself on providing creative, effective and realistic legal advice and solutions. Phil’s experience representing nonprofit organizations is complemented by his practical, legal and business acumen gained from significant experience in corporate and securities transactions, governance, and general corporate matters in the for-profit sphere.

Phil previously served for 17 years as in-house counsel (with seven years as General Counsel) for the Sierra Club, where he managed and advised on all legal issues related to a complex section 501(c)(4) organization, advising staff, volunteers, and the Board of Directors. Prior to that, he practiced corporate transactional and general corporate law at two major law firms in New York, London and Philadelphia and with an international telecommunications company.

Education:
University of Pennsylvania Law School, J.D., 1991
University of Pennsylvania, B.A., 1988

Bar Admissions:
California
District of Columbia
Missouri
New York
Pennsylvania

Prior Professional Experience:
General Counsel/Associate General Counsel, Sierra Club
Deputy General Counsel, PLD Telekom/Metromedia International Telecommunications
Associate, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Associate, Sullivan & Cromwell

Laurence E. Gold is a partner at Trister, Ross, Schadler & Gold, PLLC. He principally represents labor, political, advocacy and charitable organizations, political services providers and activists so they can succeed in the political, legislative and policy arenas. Mr. Gold focuses on federal and state campaign finance, election, lobbying, tax, labor, ethics, and general nonprofit law.

Mr. Gold litigates cases, provides advice and counsel, prepares amicus curiae briefs, and conducts legal trainings for political, lobbying and accounting staff. He frequently helps new organizations get off the ground and then works closely with them in every legal aspect of their operations. Mr. Gold defends clients facing complaints, investigations and audits before the Federal Election Commission, state election agencies and the Internal Revenue Service. He also participates in their regulatory, advisory opinion and other proceedings.

Following the 2020 national election, Mr. Gold joined the Biden-Harris Transition as a member of the Department of Justice Agency Review Team, where he undertook the incoming Administration’s review of the Federal Election Commission and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

In 2003 Mr. Gold argued before the United States Supreme Court in McConnell v. Federal Election Commission, one of the Court’s landmark campaign-finance cases, on behalf of a broad coalition of labor and other groups seeking a First Amendment ruling striking down unprecedented restrictions on independent broadcast communications by unions and other nonprofit organizations. The Court ruled otherwise, 5-4, but the Court has since invalidated these restrictions in subsequent decisions in which Mr. Gold authored amicus curiae briefs. Among his other cases is AFL-CIO v. Federal Election Commission (D.C. Cir.), which established that the First Amendment precludes the FEC from placing on the public record confidential documents of organizations merely because they have been the subjects of an FEC investigation.

Earlier in his legal career, Mr. Gold practiced labor and employment law on behalf of national labor organizations and allied groups, including in private practice and as Associate General Counsel of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, and then as Associate General Counsel of the AFL-CIO, where he focused on advising and defending the national labor federation’s political and advocacy activities. That background has proven especially useful in assisting organizations of all kinds to use the law most effectively to achieve their political, legislative and policy goals. 

Education:
Cornell Law School, J.D.
Amherst College, B.A.

Bar admission:
United States Supreme Court
United States Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Fourth, Ninth and Tenth Circuits
District of Columbia Court of Appeals

Activities:
Member, AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee
Former Member, American Bar Association, Advisory Commission to the Standing Committee on Election Law
Former Co-Chair, Labor Relations Section, District of Columbia Bar

Publications:
The Rules of the Game: An Election Year Guide for 501(c)(3) Organizations, (Alliance for Justice, 2010) (co-author)
The Effect of Citizens United on Tax and Campaign Laws Governing Tax-Exempt Organizations,” 65 Exempt Org. Tax Rev. 229 (March 2010) (with B. Holly Schadler)
Articles in Roll Call, Washington Lawyer, Dissent, The Nation and other publications

Presentations and Appearances:
Testimony before the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration and the Committee on House Administration on proposals to amend federal campaign finance law.

Speeches and participation on panels sponsored by the Bureau of National Affairs, Practicing Law Institute, American Constitution Society, Campaign for America’s Future, AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee, and other organizations.

Susan (Sue) Gershon advises charitable, advocacy, and political organizations and other firm clients on campaign finance, tax exemption, lobbying, civic engagement, and a variety of other matters. Sue brings years of experience counseling advocates, organizers, and nonprofit leaders to empower them to take advantage of advocacy opportunities and make the most of organizational resources.

Prior to joining the firm, Sue served for eleven years as in house counsel to a large nationwide network of nonprofit organizations, including 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), and 527 organizations, federal and state PACs, and for-profit subsidiaries and investment entities, providing comprehensive legal advice, staff training, and compliance oversight with a focus on campaign finance, political law, and tax exemption.

Education:
Harvard Law School, J.D. cum laude, 2009
Vassar College, B.A., cum laude, 2004

Bar Admission:
Massachusetts
Admitted only in Massachusetts; supervised by partners of the firm who are members of the D.C. Bar.

Prior Professional Experience:
Deputy General Counsel, The Public Interest Network
Seevak Fellow, Demos

Elizabeth (Betsy) Grossman advises nonprofit clients, with a particular focus on organizations that conduct or fund social change work. She has significant experience advising large private grantmaking foundations, nationally- and internationally-known operating charities and advocacy organizations, and politically-active entities. Betsy has deep expertise in tax-exempt organization tax law and nonprofit corporate governance issues. She also advises on grantmaking, lobbying, government ethics, voter registration, campaign finance, ballot measure, charitable solicitation, contract, and other areas of law. In addition, Betsy has represented many tax-exempt organizations before the Internal Revenue Service and the Treasury Department in audits and myriad other IRS issues.

Prior to joining Trister Ross, Betsy served for eight years as in-house General Counsel for a large network of environmental and consumer advocacy groups, where she managed all legal issues for many section 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), 527 and PAC organizations, as well as for-profit businesses and investment entities. Prior to that, she represented private foundations, charities, and advocacy organizations at Caplin & Drysdale. She has also worked in organizational development and functional roles at nonprofits and served as law clerk to a federal appellate judge.

Education:
Harvard Law School, J.D., 2008
Co-President, Harvard Journal on Legislation
Oberlin College, B.A., 2002

Bar Admissions:
District of Columbia
Massachusetts (inactive)

Prior Professional Experience:
General Counsel, The Public Interest Network
Associate, Caplin & Drysdale, Chtd.
Law Clerk to the Hon. Peter W. Hall, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

Activities
Member & Corporate Secretary, Board of Directors, Mighty Earth, Inc.
Member, American Bar Association, Tax Section, Exempt Organizations Committee

Selected Publications
Elizabeth A. Grossman, Political Activities by Section 501(c)(4) and 501(c)(6) Organizations in Political Activity, Lobbying Laws, and Gift Rules Guide, West Publishing (Trevor Potter, Matthew Sanderson, eds.)

Douglas N. Varley & Elizabeth A. Grossman, Voter Registration, Education & Ballot Campaigns: A Funders’ Guide To Legal Issues, Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation (2011)

Allen Mattison helps nonprofit organizations to mitigate legal risks while maximizing their ability to advocate effectively for their public-policy missions.  From establishing corporations and securing I.R.S. tax exemptions, to managing employment matters and understanding options for political activism, he helps nonprofit leaders succeed in all phases of their organizations’ lives.  For nonprofit leaders who want to influence elections or pass new laws, he explains the available options and works with them to tailor their tactics to the relevant federal or state lobbying and campaign-finance regime.  For grant-funded section 501(c)(3) organizations, Allen teaches managers the line between educational and lobbying activities, so they can stretch their non-lobbying funds strategically to maximize their advocacy impact – saving scarce lobbying dollars for when they will have the biggest bang for the buck.

Before becoming a lawyer, Allen worked in political communications, serving as the Sierra Club’s national media relations director and in communications roles on campaigns and in the U.S. Senate.  These experiences give Allen perspective on the challenges nonprofit managers and grantmakers face in developing programs that maximize their advocacy power within the restrictions imposed on section 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) organizations and PACs.

Using his communications background, Allen has helped numerous organizations understand how to structure their social media outreach without violating lobbying and campaign-finance restrictions.  He wrote Friends, Tweets, and Links: IRS Treatment of Social Media Activities By Section 501(c)(3) Organizations, 67 Exempt Org. Tax Rev. 445 (May 2011), one of the first scholarly articles to address charities’ election-related use of Facebook, Twitter and other social networking tools.  He also wrote Influencing Public Policy in the Digital Age: The Law of Online Lobbying and Election-related Activities (Alliance for Justice, Fall 2011), a plain-language guidebook for nonprofit managers seeking to maximize their social media power without violating relevant laws.

Education:
Georgetown University Law Center, J.D. cum laude, 2006
Washington University in St. Louis, B.A. with college honors, 1996

Prior Professional Experience:
Sierra Club, Director of Media Relations, Press Secretary
Nixon for Senate, Press Secretary
Office of U.S. Senator John D. Rockefeller IV, Deputy Press Secretary

Honors:
Shepley Award for Scholarship, Leadership and Service to Washington University

Publications:
Influencing Public Policy in the Digital Age: The Law of Online Lobbying and Election-related Activities, Alliance for Justice 2011; 2nd edition 2022.

Friends, Tweets, and Links: IRS Treatment of Social Media Activities By Section 501(c)(3) Organizations, 67 Exempt Org. Tax Rev. 445 (May 2011).

Can the New Bankruptcy Law Benefit Debtors, Too?: Interpreting the 2005 Bankruptcy Act to Clean Up the Credit-Counseling Industry and Save Debtors from Chronic Poverty, 13 Geo. J. on Poverty L. and Pol’y 513 (2006).

Jennifer Manguera is TRSG’s Office Manager. She is responsible for keeping everything on track and managing the firm’s day to day operations: billing, retainers, scheduling, and other firm logistics.

Carly Mee represents employees in matters involving sexual harassment, racial discrimination, and other discrimination or retaliation issues. Her work also focuses on empowering progressive employers to navigate the complexities of employment law in a way that aligns with their values. She strives to make legal compliance an opportunity for positive change, and given her own background as a nonprofit attorney, she has a deep understanding of the legal intricacies and the unique challenges faced by nonprofit clients and other socially conscious employers. She works closely with clients so that they foster inclusive and supportive workplaces, understand their legal responsibilities, and create environments in which the organization can focus on its mission.

Carly has dedicated her career to public interest law and has extensive experience in the nonprofit legal sector. Before joining the firm, she primarily represented survivors of sexual violence at the kindergarten-12th grade, university, and graduate levels. She also represented education faculty and staff in Title IX complaints. Her work involved seeking academic and safety accommodations, serving as an advisor throughout grievance proceedings and campus hearings, writing appeals, and seeking other remedies to ensure everyone has equal access to education. She has filed many complaints with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights and Clery Compliance Division, in addition to conducting trainings for attorneys and other professionals on these topics. Carly has also represented survivors in Title IX litigation against higher education institutions, including one case in which she helped to achieve a limited victim-advocate privilege in the Fourth Circuit. Her experience also includes advocacy in criminal cases and policy reform.

Carly was the 2019 recipient of the Virginia Attorney General’s Unsung Hero Award. She has also previously served on the American Bar Association’s Commission on Sexual and Domestic Violence. She conducts trainings on sexual harassment within the education sector and the workplace. She has provided legal commentary to the New York Times, L.A. Times, NPR, CNN, and many other media outlets.

Education:
George Mason University School of cum laude, 2016
Occidental College, B.A. 2013

Bar and Court Admissions:
E.D. and W.D. of Virginia
Fourth Circuit
Admitted in Virginia; supervised by partners of the firm who are members of the D.C. Bar

Sarah Nason represents employees in matters involving discrimination, retaliation, sexual harassment, and other employment-related claims.  She also advises non-profit organizations and other clients of Trister, Ross, Schadler & Gold on matters of employment law policy and compliance questions.

Sarah joined Trister, Ross, Schadler & Gold in July 2016.  She graduated with honors from the George Washington University Law School in 2015, where she served as an Associate on The George Washington Law Review, and was the 2015 Recipient of the Laurence E. Seibel Memorial Award in Labor and Employment Law.

During law school, Sarah worked as a law clerk at Bernabei & Wachtel PLLC.  She also interned with the Department of Justice’s Access to Justice Initiative and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section.  Before joining Trister Ross, Sarah worked as the Civil Rights Litigation Fellow at Bernabei & Kabat PLLC.

Education:
The George Washington University School of Law, J.D., cum laude, 2015
West Virginia University, B.A., magna cum laude, 2012

Bar Admissions:
District of Columbia
New York

Ivan is Trister Ross’s Operations Manager, working to ensure the firm’s attorneys are able to serve clients as efficiently as possible. To that end, Ivan manages Trister Ross’s legal library, technology, and communications systems. He also assists clients by preparing corporate filings and tax-exemption applications. Prior to Trister Ross, Ivan worked at the Public Interest Network, a national nonprofit dedicated to environmental and consumer protection. In the Network’s Budget Department, he managed insurance, computers, logistics, and planning of all kinds for more than 100 corporations.

Education:
University of Chicago, A.B. with Honors

Karen Post specializes in all aspects of trademark and copyright law, providing intellectual property counsel to the firm’s clients. Karen also has expertise in drafting and negotiating various kinds of contracts.

Trademarks:  Karen regularly advises clients regarding the availability, protection and registrability of trademarks and service marks. She prosecutes trademark applications and prepares and files the necessary documents to maintain trademark registrations. She prepares and responds to cease and desist letters regarding trademarks, and represents clients in domain name disputes. Karen negotiates and drafts trademark license agreements, as well as collaborative agreements that include trademark licensing provisions.

Copyrights:  Karen counsels the firm’s clients regarding a wide range of copyright issues, including analyzing whether the use of a third party’s materials may be considered “fair use” under copyright law or whether a license would be required. She assists clients with all kinds of license agreements, as well as copyright registrations. Karen represents clients who believe that their works have been infringed by others, as well as clients who have been accused of infringing the rights of a third party.  

Contracts:  Karen drafts and negotiates all sorts of contracts, including consulting agreements, license agreements, collaboration agreements and spin-off agreements. She writes agreements that non-attorneys can read and actually understand. She always makes certain that our clients’ interests are protected, including ensuring that agreements contain strong provisions concerning ownership and license rights, confidentiality, representations and warranties and indemnification, as appropriate.

 

Education:
Columbia University School of Law, J.D., 1991
University of Pennsylvania, College of Arts & Sciences, B.A., 1988
University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School of Business, B.S. in Economics, 1988

Bar Admissions:
District of Columbia

Prior Professional Experience:
Dow, Lohnes, Senior Counsel

Teaching:
Taught class on Copyright & Trademark Law at George Washington University’s Center for Professional Development, 2002

 

Holly Ratliff advises charitable, advocacy, and political organizations and other firm clients on matters including campaign finance, lobbying, ethics, and tax exemption.  Prior to joining the firm in 2023, Holly spent eight years as in-house counsel for the League of Conservation Voters, where she advised and provided staff training on matters related to federal and state campaign finance and election law, advocacy and lobbying, fundraising, contractual agreements, and other aspects of the organization’s operations.  While in law school, Holly completed internships with the Federal Election Commission and the Smithsonian Institution.

 

Education

Duke University School of Law, J.D., cum laude 2015

Washington & Lee University, B.A., summa cum laude 2010

 

Bar and Court Admissions

District of Columbia

Virginia

 

Prior Professional Experience

Deputy General Counsel, League of Conservation Voters

Lori Ridgeway advises nonprofit and political organizations and other firm clients on lobbying, campaign finance, ethics, and tax-exemption matters. Prior to joining the firm in 2024, Lori was Assistant General Counsel at the Sierra Club, where she advised on various legal issues including advocacy, federal and state campaign finance, board governance, contracts, and other nonprofit compliance matters.  Prior to that, Lori practiced nonprofit and political law at Venable LLP in Washington, DC. Lori also worked at The Nature Conservancy and served as law clerk to the Honorable Arrie W. Davis, Maryland Court of Special Appeals.

Education:
George Washington University Law School, J.D., 1996
Executive Articles Editor, The Environmental Lawyer
University of Delaware, B.S., 1991

Bar Admission:
District of Columbia
Maryland

Prior Professional Experience:
Sierra Club, Assistant General Counsel
Venable LLP, Counsel
Law Clerk to the Honorable Arrie W. Davis, Maryland Court of Special Appeals

Jessica Robinson practices in all areas of political law, advising labor unions, PACs, non-profit organizations, advocacy groups, candidates, and political professionals. She focuses on managing legal risks and minimizing compliance burdens so that her clients can focus on voter contact, advancing progressive policies, and winning elections. She has 15 years’ experience helping clients navigate campaign finance laws, Internal Revenue Code, counseling organizations and individuals engaged in election campaigns and direct and grassroots lobbying efforts at the federal, state and local levels.

Ms. Robinson has successfully represented clients before the Federal Election Commission and various state and local campaign finance agencies. Before joining Trister Ross, Ms. Robinson was an Associate General Counsel at the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), where she advised the union on all aspects of its political program and advocacy work, and served as counsel to the union’s federal and state PACs as well as its charitable organization.

Prior to her time at AFSCME, Ms. Robinson served as in-house counsel to the nation’s largest independent voter registration and engagement operation. Before that, she was an associate at a D.C. firm, representing federal, state and local candidates, political parties, PACs, unions, corporations, outside groups, donors and political professionals with respect to campaign finance, election and tax law, as well as lobbying and legislative ethics rules.

Education:
Georgetown University Law Center, J.D. 2002
The George Washington University, B.A., 1997

Bar Admissions:
Maryland
District of Columbia
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

Prior Professional Experience:
Associate General Counsel, AFSCME
Counsel, America Coming Together
Associate, Ryan, Phillips, Utrecht & MacKinnon
Investigative Staff, U.S. House of Representatives Government Reform and Oversight Committee
Investigative Researcher, U.S. Senate Governmental Affairs Committee

John Sawyko advises non-profit clients on all aspects of their operations, focusing on their lobbying and political activities. He previously served for five years as in-house counsel at the American Cancer Society, where he worked primarily with the Society’s affiliated advocacy organization, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. During law school, he was a lead articles editor of The Tax Lawyer and completed internships with multiple non-profit organizations and government agencies.

Education:
Georgetown University Law Center, J.D. 2011
George Washington University, B.A., summa cum laude 2004

Bar admissions:
New York
District of Columbia

Holly Schadler concentrates her practice on representing tax-exempt organizations, including private foundations, public charities, 501(c)(4) organizations and PACs, in connection with tax; federal, state and local campaign finance; governmental ethics; lobbying and corporate matters as well as advising on the Foreign Agents Registration Act.   Her clients include many of the nation’s largest advocacy and grantmaking organizations.  She defends clients facing audits, examinations and complaints by the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Election Commission and other government bodies.  Holly successfully litigated the Sierra Club’s landmark case through the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit regarding treatment of royalty income from mailing lists and affinity credit cards and unrelated business income tax.

While some groups seek her counsel after finding themselves the target of an investigation, many organizations rely on Holly’s day-to-day advice as their outside general counsel.  Her prior experience working for tax-exempt organizations as a CEO, political director and lobbyist has proven particularly useful in representing organizations in every aspect of their work.  For complex organizations with affiliated 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4) and political organizations, she provides the guidance and training necessary for legal compliance.  Her legal guide, The Connection, (published by the Alliance for Justice), now in its fourth edition, addresses the complexities of managing networks of tax-exempt and political groups.

Holly speaks frequently on nonprofit issues, and has written numerous articles on tax-exempt organization topics.

Education:
George Washington University, J.D. with honors, 1987
Vassar College, B.A. with honors, 1977
University of Chicago, 1975-1976

Bar admission:
District of Columbia

Professional Activities:
Adjunct Professor, American University, Washington College of Law, The Law of Advocacy and Elections.

Prior professional experience:
Sierra Club, Associate Political Director
Connecticut Preservation Action, Executive Director

Publications:
The Effect of Citizens United on Tax and Campaign Laws Governing Tax-Exempt Organizations, 65 Exempt Org. Tax Rev. 229 (March 2010) (with Laurence E. Gold)

Legal Consultant, State Law Resources website, Alliance for Justice

The Connection: Strategies for Creating and Operating 501(c)(3)s, 501(c)(4)s and Political Organizations, Alliance for Justice, Fourth Edition, 2018

Non-Profit Organizations, Public Policy and the Political Process: A Guide to the Internal Revenue Code and Federal Election Campaign Act, The Tides Center

No Free Lunch? The House and Senate Gift Rules and Nonprofit Organizations, Exempt Organizations Tax Review

Investing in Change: A Funders Guide to Supporting Advocacy, Alliance for Justice

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002: How Will It Affect Nonprofits?, 36 Exempt Org. Tax Rev. 171 (2002) (with Michael B. Trister)

Royalties as Compensation for Services: Structuring Licensing Agreements Under the Sierra Club Case, Association Law & Policy  

 

Speeches and participation on panels sponsored by the ALI-ABA, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, District of Columbia Bar Association, American Bar Association and Alliance for Justice.

Joe Steinberg counsels advocacy and charitable organizations, labor unions, political organizations, political professionals, and other firm clients on campaign finance, lobbying, ethics, tax, and corporate matters.

Joe brings clients substantive expertise, political acumen, and practical experience.  Before joining the firm in 2015, he worked as a legislative counsel at a nonprofit organization and clerked for a federal appellate court judge.  During law school, he was Editor-in-Chief of Law & Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice.

Education:
University of Minnesota Law School, J.D., magna cum laude, 2009
Wesleyan University, B.A., with honors, 2004

Bar and Court Admissions:
District of Columbia
Minnesota
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Prior Professional Experience:
Law Clerk to the Honorable Morgan Christen, United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Legislative Counsel, Alliance for Justice

Renata Strause advises labor unions, charitable and advocacy organizations, and other firm clients on all aspects of their operations. Renata joined the firm in 2021 after working for five years as Associate General Counsel of the AFL-CIO, where she principally advised the federation on matters relating to campaign finance, voting rights and election administration, and data and technology contracts.

Prior to her time at the AFL-CIO, Renata clerked for a federal district court judge and, before law school, worked for the House Judiciary Committee’s oversight team. Renata has also worked as a consultant assisting candidates, PACs, and labor unions with FEC compliance.

Education:
Yale Law School, J.D., 2013
Oberlin College, B.A., 2005

Bar Admissions:
Pennsylvania
District of Columbia

Prior Professional Experience:
AFL-CIO, Associate General Counsel
U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary, Professional Staff
Evans & Katz LLC, Washington, D.C. Director

Karen Tanenbaum has spent the last decade helping employees and their employers resolve disputes and achieve workplace equity.  She joined TRSG in August 2023 to help progressive organizations craft policies and address conflicts in ways that align with their values.  She also represents and advises individual workers and progressive employers on all manner of federal, state, and local employment laws.

Prior to joining TRSG, Ms. Tanenbaum was an attorney with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, an independent federal oversight and prosecutorial agency, where she oversaw sensitive investigations into whistleblower disclosures and investigated and resolved employee complaints involving retaliation, discrimination, and other workplace misconduct.  She has extensive experience negotiating and resolving complex workplace issues with diverse stakeholders.

Before OSC, Ms. Tanenbaum was an associate at a leading national employment law firm, where she represented individual employees facing discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.  She began her legal career as a judicial law clerk in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and has worked and volunteered with several progressive non-profit organizations.

Ms. Tanenbaum graduated cum laude from The University of Georgia School of Law and summa cum laude from The University of Georgia’s Morehead Honors College.  She is also the proud parent of one cat, one dog, and one human, and currently splits her time between Southern Spain and the District of Columbia.

Bar Admissions:
District of Columbia
Georgia (inactive)

Prior Professional Experience:
Attorney, U.S. Office of Special Counsel
Associate Attorney, Bernabei & Wachtel, PLLC (now Bernabei & Kabat, PLLC)
Judicial Law Clerk, The Hon. Patricia A. Broderick, Superior Court of the District of Columbia
Law Clerk, Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice
Legal Fellow, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights

Briana Thibeau focuses her practice on intellectual property and commercial contracts matters. Her expertise includes copyright and trademark law and legal issues relating to the internet, digital media, and e-commerce. She structures, drafts, and negotiates a wide variety of contracts, including technology licensing agreements, vendor contracts, professional services agreements, marketing and branding agreements, collaboration agreements, confidentiality agreements, event contracts, publishing contracts, content licensing, production, and distribution agreements, and bespoke/custom contracts. Briana also assists clients with website terms of use and privacy policies and other user-facing terms and conditions.

Before joining Trister Ross, Briana served as Deputy General Counsel at NPR, providing guidance to the organization on a wide range of legal matters and assisting with new initiatives and strategic planning in support of NPR’s mission. Prior to her time at NPR, she was a senior attorney at Time Warner Cable (now Charter Communications), where she was responsible for negotiating large procurement and technology deals and advising on legal and policy issues relating to the company’s operations. She started her legal career at the law firm of Dow Lohnes PLLC (now part of Cooley LLP) counseling newspaper, broadcast, cable, IT and wireless companies. Briana contributed to the book “Internet Law: A Field Guide,” and has delivered presentations on digital copy protection, fair use, and legal issues in online publishing.

 

Education:

Boston College Law School, J.D.

Colby College, B.A., Political Science

 

Bar Admissions:

District of Columbia

Maryland

Massachusetts

 

Prior Professional Experience:

Deputy General Counsel, NPR

Assistant Chief Counsel, Time Warner Cable

Associate, Dow Lohnes PLLC (now part of Cooley LLP)

David Wachtel has practiced employment law for individual employees in Washington, D.C. since 1993. Recently, he has been selected by colleagues as a member of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, by Law Dragon as one of the Top 500 Plaintiff’s Employment Lawyers in the country, and by Washingtonian Magazine as one of the best Plaintiffs Employment Lawyers in Washington, DC. Reviews from over two dozen past clients are available on the AVVO site.

Dave’s work includes trial court and administrative litigation, arbitration, and mediation. He has successfully represented employees with claims of race, sex, age, and disability discrimination, sexual harassment, violation of civil service rights, interference with FMLA rights, and retaliation on the basis of whistleblower activity in the nuclear, aviation, defense, and finance industries.

Dave offers individuals suffering job loss or workplace harassment individual attention, lean, versatile strategies, and a calming influence on (almost) every stressful situation.

Since joining Trister, Ross in February 2016, Dave has broadened his practice to advise dozens of non-profit organizations on all manner of employment law policy and compliance questions.  He offers organizations an especially informed and experienced understanding of employment policy and how to achieve resolution of workplace disputes.

Education:
University of Texas School of Law, with honors, 1989
Texas Law Review Editorial Board
Washington University in St. Louis, B.A., 1984

Bar Admissions:
California
District of Columbia
Maryland
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
United States Courts of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Fourth, Seventh Circuits
District of Columbia Court of Appeals

Prior Professional Experience:
Partner, Bernabei & Wachtel, PLLC, 2006-2016
Associate and Member, Rose & Rose, P.C., 1993-2005

Activities:
D.C. Circuit Mediation Panel
National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA)
Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association (MWELA)

Publications:
Amended Disabilities Act Widens Protection, Policy & Practice: The Magazine of the American Public Human Services Association

Interactive Process for Hiring the Disabled, Policy & Practice: The Magazine of the American Public Human Services Association

What Does Broad New Definition of ‘Retaliation’ Mean to You? The HR Specialist’s Employment Law

Sanctions for Deleting and Over-writing Electronic Information: Broccoli v. Echostar Communications Corp., Maryland State Bar Association, Section of Labor & Employment Law Newsletter

Perspective: Managing Your Employees’ Emotional Disability Claims, You & the Law

Spotlighting: Shop Smart for Insurance Against Employee Bias Claims, You & the Law,

Spotlighting: Sexual Harassment: Supreme Court Says You’re Safe If You Exercise “Reasonable Care.” What Does That Mean? You & the Law

Presentations:
Panelist, Employee Well-Being: What Can and Can’t Employers Ask?, October 15, 2019 American Bar Association Webinar

Panelist, Addressing Smart Technology: Ethical & Evidentiary Issues, National Employment Lawyers Association, Annual Convention

Panelist and Organizer, Smart Phone Discovery, Privacy, and Practice – A Braver Newish World, District of Columbia Bar, Labor & Employment Section

Sexual Orientation and Identity in Employment Law, Audio Conference for West Legal Education Center (with Karen Tanenbaum, Esq.)

Are You Smarter Than Your Cell Phone? Audio Conference for West Legal Education Center (with Matthew Radler, Esq.)

Seminar on Issues in the Administration of Justice for the Tribunal of Justice of Rio de Janeiro, Litigating a Civil Case –Summary Judgment & Pretrial Issues, Washington, D.C.

UAVs/Drones and Privacy Issues, Audio Conference for West Legal Education Center

EEOC’s Final ADAAA Regulations, Audio Conference for Law Seminars International

Age Discrimination–Supreme Court Spurs New Litigation (Plaintiff’s Perspective) Audio Conference