ABOUT
Janine Fletcher-Thomas is a senior associate at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP. Janine brings a comprehensive background, experience and skill-set having worked in all branches of federal government prior to starting private practice.
Janine’s practice focuses on labor and employment matters, white-collar crime and internal investigations, and general commercial business litigation. She counsels clients on employment matters, and other business-related claims including: contract disputes, wage and hours claims, discrimination claims arising out of the ADA, the Civil Rights Act, Equal Pay Act, Pregnancy Discrimination Act, and Age Discrimination in Employment Act, retaliation claims, and Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblower claims. Janine is a Certified Professional in Human Resources as certified by the HR Certification Institute (HRCI). She specifically sought out this additional training as it provides further insight and augments her abilities to advise and counsel clients in a broad range of HR and talent management areas. Janine is a regular contributor to Labor Days, Kelley Drye’s labor and employment law blog.
Prior to joining Kelley Drye, Janine was a law clerk in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California for Chief Judge Morrison C. England, Jr where her clerkship provided valuable experience and insight into how a judge views a case. This experience has assisted Ms. Fletcher in advising clients and in determining which legal strategies to pursue for litigation matters.
Before clerking, Janine served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia where she managed a large caseload including: conducting discovery; interviewing victims, witnesses, and law enforcement; negotiating plea agreements; and preparing cases for trial. Janine served as a first-chair in nearly 20 bench trials where she was responsible for drafting and arguing motions, examining facts and expert witnesses, admitting exhibits into evidence, and giving opening statements and closing arguments. As a result, we gain significant experience working as part of high-performing team and advocating on behalf of clients in Court.
From 2010 to 2012, Janine worked as an Attorney Advisor for Social Security Administration in the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR,) where she made recommendations to the Appeals Council for SSA on disability benefits challenges.
Prior to law school, Janine worked on the Hill and served as a Staff Assistant for Representative Melissa Bean from the State of Illinois. This experience provided a unique perspective and appreciation for federal law, legislative history and critical insight in to negotiation strategies and outcomes.
