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Nicholas Woodfield
Principal & General Counsel

Nicholas Woodfield

Education

Samford University / Cumberland School of Law
JD (1995)

Washington and Lee University
BA (1990)

University of Oxford
Postgraduate studies (1999)

“Over the last 18 months, Nick has provided me with representation that saved my job and has ensured my future retirement. During this process I found him to be an anchor during some very stormy times.”

— Client testimonial

Nicholas Woodfield is a principal at The Employment Law Group® law firm and is the firm’s general counsel. A fellow of the prestigious College of Labor and Employment Lawyers, he is a seasoned trial attorney specializing in civil litigation and appellate advocacy and focuses his practice on whistleblower claims, wage non-payment and misclassification claims under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), discrimination and retaliation cases, and qui tam actions. Washingtonian Magazine and Northern Virginia Magazine named him to their “Top Lawyers” lists for his representation of employees in discrimination, retaliation, and whistleblowing cases.

Mr. Woodfield is known for his record of winning multiple retaliation cases under the federal Whistleblower Protection Act. Other notable victories for clients include:

  • Multiple seven-figure class action settlements
  • A $650,000 jury verdict leading to one of the most important appellate decisions in Maryland employment law in the last decade
  • A $1.13 million Wage Payment Act judgment; a $101,000 Title VII/Equal Pay Act jury verdict; and numerous settlements exceeding $1 million
  • The first Sarbanes-Oxley Act decision in favor of a whistleblower to survive appeal
  • Judgments in favor of federal employees under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, securing reinstatement for his clients at a promoted level; backpay at that higher level; and an increase in retirement benefits
  • The first Dodd-Frank Act whistleblower retaliation claim to survive a motion to dismiss in federal court
  • A federal court decision expanding the protections of the FLSA to protect all employees who file reasonable, good-faith reports of overtime violations

Mr. Woodfield’s cases have helped to define the contours of laws that protect employees. In Sharer v. Tandberg, he won a decision that bolstered the rights of employees to act collectively when their wages or benefits are unlawfully withheld. In Randolph v. ADT, a federal court granted summary judgment for his clients, expanding protections for employees who report their employer for not paying them properly.

Mr. Woodfield tried to judgment the seminal Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) whistleblower case of Kalkunte v. DVI Financial Services, Inc., which led to the first affirmation of a damages award to a SOX plaintiff. Mr. Woodfield also helped to redefine the scope of protections available to federal whistleblowers in Drake v. USAID; and to employees claiming retaliation under the False Claims Act in Young v. CHS Middle East, LLC.

Mr. Woodfield represents clients nationwide. He started his career in Birmingham, Ala., practicing in Alabama’s and Florida’s state and federal courts, and in 1999 he matriculated at the University of Oxford in Oxford, England, where he undertook an academic course of study as a Visiting Postgraduate Student in Law.

He is admitted to practice law in the state and federal courts of Alabama, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. In 2005, he was admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court.

Mr. Woodfield is a frequent media commentator on behalf of employee rights. His peers have selected him for recognition in lists including Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers, and in 2022, Lawdragon ranked him as one of the top 500 plaintiff-side employment and civil rights lawyers in the country.

Phone: (202) 331-3911

E-mail: nwoodfield@employmentlawgroup.com