“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.
Articles
New Overtime Rule: Could It Push You Into the ‘1099 Economy’?, The Employment Law Group, P.C., May-2016
Pulling back the ‘Triple Canopy’ on implied-certification claims under the False Claims Act, Westlaw Journal Government Contract, Aug-2015
Compensability of preliminary and postliminary activities under Integrity Staffing Solutions Inc. v. Busk, Westlaw Journal Employment , Jan-2015
Flawed validation tool causes workplace havoc, The Orlando Sentinel, Nov-2014
Workplace Tasks On Trial In Integrity Staffing Arguments, Law360, Oct-2014
The Road to Recovery: State False Claims Acts and Fraud in State-Funded Research, Bloomberg BNA Medical Research Law & Policy Report, Oct-2014
The importance of being an “employee”, Employment Law Daily, Sep-2014
Teleworking as ‘reasonable accommodation’ no longer a remote possibility, Virginia Lawyers Weekly, Aug-2014
Workplace Bullying: Harassment Without a Protected Class, The Employment Law Strategist, Aug-2014
The Game Has Changed for Management: The Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act and Its Applicability to State Entities, Virginia Lawyer, Jul-2014
Employers skirt wage requirements, The Baltimore Sun, Jul-2014
When Can an Employee Quit and Still Sue for Wrongful Discharge?, ABA Employment and Labor Relations , Jun-2014
Comments on the Russell decision by Nicholas Woodfield, principal, The Employment Law Group PC, Westlaw Journal Employment, May-2014
Class litigation and arbitration: Effects of Concepcion and Italian Colors on class action employment claims, Westlaw Journal Employment, Mar-2014
Why the 5th Circ. Was Wrong in Asadi v. GE Energy, Law360, Feb-2014
The Effect of the Genesis Healthcare ruling on FLSA collective actions, Westlaw Journal Employment, Feb-2014
The SEC’s New Rules for the Dodd-Frank Whistle-blower Program, Westlaw Journal on Employment, Volume 26, Issue 3, Sep-2011
DMD Extends FLSA’s Prohibition of Retaliation to Mistaken but Good Faith Complaints to a State Agency, Maryland State Bar Association Fall Newsletter, Dec-2010
Maryland Workplace Fraud Act and the Misclassification of Construction and Landscaping Employees, Maryland State Bar Association Section of Labor and Employment Law Newsletter, Dec-2010
CHANGING CURRENTS IN EMPLOYMENT LAW 2010: RECENT TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS, employmentlawgroup.com, Oct-2010
Wage and Hour Laws, Wage and Hour Laws, Sep-2008
Media Mentions
Casino Dealer Says Tip Pool Flouts FLSA In Quick Win Bid, , Jan-1970
Plaintiffs Will Pick Up Labor Enforcement Slack: Study, , Jan-1970
Personnel Moves May Expose Pruitt To Whistleblower Claims, , Jan-1970
Federal workers on edge over Trump call for firing power, , Jan-1970
#MeToo Push May Not Translate To More Harassment Suits, , Jan-1970
W.Va. Casino Raids Tip Pool To Fund Time Off, Dealers Say, , Jan-1970
Lufthansa Unit, Aircraft Co. Reach $1.1M Deal In OT Row, , Jan-1970
Federal judge rules against Lufthansa in restoration pay lawsuit, Sun Journal (Lewiston, Me.), Feb-2016
Snowed-In Hotel Worker Loses Job, Noticias Univision Washington D.C., Feb-2016
Hillary’s Email Woes, LIfeZette, Jul-2015
7 Social Media Mistakes That Can Get You Fired From Your Job, CheatSheet.com, Jul-2015
Religious Headscarf Ruling Leaves Questions Unanswered, The National Law Journal, Jun-2015
What the Supreme Court’s Abercrombie ruling could mean for pregnant women in the workplace, Bizwomen, Jun-2015
Nurses’ Whistleblowing Protected Under FCA, 4th Circ. Says, Law360, May-2015
ADA Interactive Process: It Sounds Easy, So Why Is It Hard?, SHRM.org, Mar-2015
Judge rules former Auburn airplane mechanic can expand lawsuit to other mechanics, Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal, Feb-2015
High Court’s Refusal To Hear PAGA Case To Spur New Fights, Law360, Jan-2015
What Happens To Uber Drivers And Other Sharing Economy Workers Injured On The Job?, Forbes.com, Jan-2015
Tech’s push to “disrupt” workers is a legal & social timebomb, Gigaom, Dec-2014
Law360 Interviewed Principal & Firm General Counsel Nicholas Woodfield on Random Drug Testing, Law360, Nov-2014
Principal and Firm General Counsel Nicholas Woodfield talks about Supreme Court Case Integrity v. Busk with CBS MoneyWatch, CBS MoneyWatch, Oct-2014
Law360 interviews Nicholas Woodfield On Why Wi-Fi Is Useful To Lawyers In The Courtroom, Law360, Oct-2014
5 Questions Before Cos. Enter Worker Arbitration Deals, Law360, Aug-2014
Amidst crisis, CFPB quietly offers legal services to worried managers, Washington Examiner, Jun-2014
No looking the other way, Virginia Lawyers Weekly, May-2014
Big Pharma’s Gender Headaches, Human Resource Executive Online, Feb-2014
Justices Won’t Weigh Notice Rule For Removal To Fed. Court, Law360, Jan-2014
Scapegoating sours workplace and often leads to upheaval, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Oct-2013
For the Under-banked, Payroll Cards Have Two Faces, The Fiscal Times, Oct-2013
Employment Pacts No Match For Whistleblower Protections, Law360, Sep-2013
Hired to Clean GW Dorms, Workers Fight Company to Recover Wages, The GW Hatchet, Sep-2013
Appeals court reinstates judgement against Germantown company, The Gazette, Jun-2013
Speaking Engagements
The Nuts and Bolts of FLSA Compliance and Litigation, Virginia CLE, Jan-2018
Webinar: “For Whom The Whistle Blows” An Examination of Whistleblower Protection for Public Sector Employees, New York State Bar Association , Jul-2017
Workers in the Sharing Economy: Employment Prospects for Independent Contractors Following the Uber Ruling?, BNA Bloomberg, Oct-2015
Wage and Hour Law Webinar, Virginia CLE, Dec-2014
The Substantial Jury Verdict and the Appeal in the Edgewood Management Corporation v. Donna Jackson Case, Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association (MWELA), Sep-2013
FLSA Litigation Strategy, Virginia Continuing Legal Education (Virginia CLE), May-2013
Department of Labor and Other Perspectives on Independent Contractor Misclassification, American Bar Association, Apr-2013
The Impact of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act on Litigation, The Federal Circuit Bar Association, Feb-2013
New wage and hour protections to home healthcare workers and new retaliation protections pursuant to the U.S. Supreme Court Kasden decision and 4th Circuit decisions, DCBAR Continuing Legal Education, Oct-2012
Identifying and Resolving Wage and Hour Claims – From the Plaintiffs’ Perspective, Virginia Continuing Legal Education (Virginia CLE), May-2012
FLSA: Current Issues, DCBAR, Apr-2012
Employment Law from a Plaintiff’s Lawyer’s Perspective, , Jan-2011
Maximizing the Value of Your Case,” Securing Wages, Protecting hours: Representing Workers Under the FLSA, , Jan-2011
Problems with FLSA: Classifications, Blackberries and Overtime Considerations, American University Washington College of Law, Jan-2011
Fair Labor Standards Act and Unpaid Wage Actions, DCBAR Continuing Legal Education, Oct-2010
FLSA and Qui Tam Law, Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association (MWELA), Apr-2008
Firm News
U.S. News & Best Lawyers Name TELG to Top Tier of DC Law Firms
For Third Year in Row, ‘Best Lawyers’ Honors Two TELG Principals
Super Lawyers Names Six TELG Attorneys to its 2014 List
Washingtonian Magazine Names Nicholas Woodfield of TELG as a 2013 Top Lawyer
U.S. News & Best Lawyers Name TELG to 2014 List of “Best Law Firms”
‘Best Lawyers’ Honors Two TELG Principals in 2014 List
Press Roundup: Top Media Outlets Quote TELG’s Attorneys on NSA Leaker, IRS Scandal, Win for Firm’s Client
Super Lawyers Honors All Four TELG Principals for 2013
Fourth Circuit Reverses Lower Court’s Rejection of Retaliation Jury Verdict in Favor of The Employment Law Group® Client
Press Releases
Superintendent of Gettysburg National Park Welcomes OIG’s Release of Report after U.S. Attorney Declines to Prosecute
The Employment Law Group Caps a Year of Recognition With Multiple Honors from U.S. News & World Report
Deepening Its Commitment to Whistleblower Rewards, The Employment Law Group Names Oswald to Lead Practice
Three Attorneys from The Employment Law Group® Law Firm Are Honored in Best Lawyers in America
Once Again, Super Lawyers Honors All Principals of The Employment Law Group® Law Firm as Top-Rated Lawyers
Maryland Appeals Court Restores $650,000 Jury Verdict for Employment Law Group Law Firm Client
DOL Issues Landmark Decision in Favor of SOX Whistleblower in TELG Case
Testimonials
Client: DM-Federal Government Whistleblower
"His evaluation was 100% correct."
Also worked with this client:
R. Scott Oswald
Client:
"A tiger in the court room"
Client:
"My attorney and protector"
Client:
"I was informed every step of the way"
Client:
"An anchor during some very stormy times"
Client:
"Thoroughness and toughness"
Client:
"The consummate professional"
Client:
"Tireless dedication"
Client:
"Mr. Woodfield gave his all in litigating my case."
Client:
"I really appreciate Mr. Woodfield's excellent handling of my case"
Client:
"I wholeheartedly recommend Mr. Woodfield"
Client:
"I would hire Mr. Woodfield again in a minute."
Client:
"Mr. Woodfield is a true professional"
Nicholas Woodfield Principal & General Counsel
Education
Samford University / Cumberland School of Law
JD (1995)
Washington and Lee University
BA (1990)
University of Oxford
Postgraduate studies (1999)
"A tiger in the court room"
