Experience

She is experienced in handling matters involving

  • discrimination,
  • harassment,
  • accommodation of disabilities,
  • family and medical leave,
  • wage payment,
  • prevailing wage,
  • plant closing,
  • performance management,
  • hiring,
  • work authorization,
  • I-9 audits,
  • termination of employment,
  • policy compliance, and
  • non-competition agreements, among others. 

She has

  • negotiated collective bargaining agreements,
  • conducted impact-and-effects bargaining for management,
  • counseled employers on labor relations, grievances, and the implementation of collective bargaining agreements, and
  • litigated unfair labor practice charges at the National Labor Relations Board. 


She regularly

  • prepares and reviews documents relating to all aspects of the employment relationship, such as offer letters and employment contracts, employment handbooks and policies, non-competition agreements, disciplinary notices, termination letters, and severance agreements, and
  • gives training programs for her clients’ executives, managers, and staff.


Melissa conducts internal workplace investigations and investigates complaints filed with federal, state, and local administrative agencies on employment matters involving Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the ADA, FMLA, FLSA, the Davis Bacon Act and state legislation.  She Jones has advocated on behalf of clients before the:

  • U.S. Department of Justice/Office of Civil Rights;

  • U.S. Department of Labor;

  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service;

  • Equal Employment Opportunity Commission;

  • National Labor Relations Board;

  • Maryland Commission on Civil Rights;

  • Howard County Commission on Human Rights;

  • Montgomery County Office of Human Rights;

  • Prince George’s County Human Relations Commission; and

  • Baltimore City Office of Civil Rights and Wage Enforcement.

Attorney Profile
Education
  • Dickinson School of Law, Pennsylvania State University (J.D., 1996)
  • Whitman College (B.A., 1986)
  • Community Mediation Maryland, 45 Hour Basic Mediation Training, 2014
  • Maryland State Bar Association, 40 Hour Basic Mediation Training, 2012
Bar Admissions
  • State of Maryland
  • District of Columbia
  • State of Montana
  • State of California (Inactive)
Court Admissions
  • U.S District Court, Northern District of California
Activities
  • Meritas Law Firms World Wide, Member Contact, 2010 to present; Chair/Co-Chair, Labor and Employment Section, 2006 – 2013; Steering Committee, Labor & Employment, 2013-2019; Member, Labor and Employment Section, 2019 – present
  • Meritas Law Firms Worldwide, Executive Committee and Vice Chair of Finance, 2011 – 2013; Board of Directors, 2009 – 2012; Finance Committee, 2008; Leadership Institute, 2006
  • American Immigration Lawyers Association
  • District of Columbia Bar, Employment Section
  • Society for Human Resource Management
  • Maryland State Bar Association, Immigration Section Council, 2015-2017
  • Panelist, “Legal Trends: Evolving Issues with NDAs and Noncompetes: What Employers Should Know,” webinar hosted by The Daily Record and sponsored by the Maryland State Bar Association, June 2022.
  • Panelist, The Daily Record webinar, "Business Impact First 100 Days," January 27, 2021
  • Co-presenter, "Beyond the FLSA Ruling - What's Next?," The Daily Record webinar, December 2016
  • Speaker, "Parental Leave and Pregnancy Accommodations," Tydings Employment Law Breakfast Briefing, September 2014
  • Chesapeake Regional Tech Council, 2008-2014
  • Health Facilities Association of Maryland, Education and Quality Committee, 2007-2009
Honors & Awards