John T. Harrington, who goes by Tom, is a principal with The Employment Law Group® law firm.
Honored by Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” for five years running, Mr. Harrington has extensive experience representing private-sector and federal employees in cases that involve discrimination, retaliation, whistleblowing, contract disputes, wage violations, and other violations of employment and civil rights laws. In 2022, he was ranked by Lawdragon as one of the top 500 plaintiff-side employment and civil rights lawyers in the country.
Mr. Harrington is admitted to practice law in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, and he has represented clients in federal courts nationwide. He also has deep experience before state and federal administrative bodies including the EEOC, the MSPB, and various arms of the U.S. Department of Labor.
Mr. Harrington represents clients who have suffered harm under a wide variety of laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Americans with Disabilities Act; the Family and Medical Leave Act; the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act; the Whistleblower Protection Act; the False Claims Act; the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX); and state and local laws such as the D.C. Human Rights Act and the Maryland Fair Employment Practices Act.
Among his notable victories is a $1.36 million jury verdict for violation of the anti-retaliation provision of the False Claims Act.
Law is Mr. Harrington’s second full career. He joined The Employment Law Group as a litigation law clerk while attending the George Mason University School of Law as an evening student. Following his graduation from George Mason Law, he was named as an associate of the firm — and in 2013 he became the first former law clerk to ascend to ownership at The Employment Law Group.
Before attending law school, Mr. Harrington worked for 19 years in various positions at the National Association of Securities Dealers (now known as FINRA) and the NASDAQ Stock Market. In addition to helping him represent employees who report breaches of SOX, his background in financial regulation drove a strong commitment to address the imbalance of power between corporations and workers.
“I went to law school to make a positive difference for people whose civil rights have been violated — especially people who have been wronged despite working hard and playing by the rules,” he explains. “I joined TELG to gain practical legal experience while I studied, and I quickly realized that employment law was a perfect fit for someone with my goals — particularly the way we practice employment law at TELG, where we focus on achieving outcomes that are chosen by each individual client.”
Also contributing to Mr. Harrington’s success as an attorney: A lifelong interest in literature. Having majored in English Literature at the University of California, Los Angeles, he became a Writing Fellow at George Mason Law, where he also served as a senior staff member of the Federal Circuit Bar Journal. At The Employment Law Group, Mr. Harrington frequently works with new clerks on their legal writing skills.
Articles
How to Avoid or Dispute an Unfair NPDB Report, , May-2022
25 Years of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Corporate Counsel, Aug-2015
Bring On the Babysitters: Testing the Boundaries of Lawson V. FMR LLC, Connecticut Lawyer, Jun-2015
The Front Burner: Mandatory Vaccinations for Workers? No: Companies shouldn’t serve as surrogate parents, The Orlando Sentinel, Jul-2015
Don’t Just ‘Walk it Off’: Protections in the Workplace for Employees With HIV, HIV Plus, May-2015
Corporate Knowledge Doctrine And The ‘Cat’s Paw’ Theory, Westlaw Journal Employment, May-2015
Doctors and Lawyers—Employers That Incentivize Good Health May Need to Consult Both, Corporate Law Advisory, Apr-2015
Dismissiveness of Mental Illness in the Workplace and Protections for Employees, HealthNewsDigest.com, Apr-2015
Transcending the Workplace: Sexual Harassment in the 21st Century, Occupational Health & Safety, Apr-2015
Incentivizing good health: The legal issues presented by health-contingent wellness plans, Westlaw Journal Employment, Feb-2015
Even Without Passage, Legislation Could Encourage Unionization, Hospitality Law Magazine , Jan-2015
Moving on? The top 5 steps to take when your company loses a contract, Westlaw Journal Government Contract, Jan-2015
With All Due Deference: Following the ARB’s Lead in Defining Protected Activity, Employment Law Strategist, Dec-2014
When Employers Must Pay Leave Benefits on Employees’ Separation, SHRM.org, Dec-2014
Defining Protected Activity Under SOX, Corporate Counsel, Dec-2014
With All Due Deference: Following the ARB’s Lead in Defining Protected Activity under SOX, The Corporate Counselor, Nov-2014
Extraterritoriality And Whistleblower Retaliation: Crossing the Line, The Corporate Counselor, Oct-2014
Temporary impairments under the ADAAA and the impact on government contractors, Westlaw Government Contractor, Sep-2014
Leaving with what you brought: Non-compete agreements when you bring your book with you, The Government Contract Litigation Reporter , Sep-2014
The Best Defense is a Good Offense – Invalidating Non-Competition Agreements when Departing from a Company, The Government Contract Litigation Reporter, Aug-2014
Workplace Rights and Discrimination Laws, Small Business Opportunities, Jul-2014
Company liability and employee protections for FCC whistleblowers, Compliance & Ethics Professional, Jul-2014
Where do employee rights start, and how far do they go?, Employee Benefit News, Jun-2014
Current trends in EEOC enforcement: Trends that suggest creative and progressive legal arguments, Plaintiff, Jun-2014
The Rebranding Of “But-For” Causation In Title VII Cases, Law360, Jun-2014
Whistleblowers in the Intelligence Community, Corporate Compliance Insights, Apr-2014
HR Is Employer’s First Line of Defense Against Lawsuits, SHRM.com (Society for Human Resource Management), Apr-2014
Acquiring More Than Just Assets: The Impact of Teed v. Thomas & Betts Power Solutions, LLC, The Corporate Counselor, Mar-2014
Media Mentions
The Long, Hard Road of Fighting Age Bias in the Workplace, Kiplinger, May 2022
VERIFY: Yes, if you are fired for not getting a required vaccine, you can be denied unemployment benefits, WUSA9, August 2021
What companies can and can’t do when trying to increase diversity, Washington Business Journal, June 2021
ManTech to pay $2M in damages to former employees alleging retaliation, Washington Business Journal, November 2016
Bellmorite sues Capitol Police for sex discrimination, Bellmore Herald, December 2016
Hate Speech, Fresh Outlook, January 2016
Providers Must Tread Carefully if Patient Objects to Caregiver, Healthcare Risk Management, September 2015
Moves To Protect Workers From Financial Loss But May Cost Some Thousands, Mainstreet.com, May 2015
Breaking Down Employment Barriers, CAREERS & the disABLED, January 1970
3 Tips For Keeping Noncompetes in Check, Law360, October 2014
On the anniversary of the ADA, some say barriers still remain, Monster.com, July 2014
People on the Move: Tom Harrington, Washington Business Journal, January 1970
The Employment Law Group practices what it preaches as first night-student law clerk is named firm principal, Employment Law Daily, March 2014
Speaking Engagements
The ADA and FMLA: Protections, Recent Developments, and Interaction between Two Statutes, Bloomberg BNA, May-2015
The ADA and FMLA: Protections, Recent Developments, and Interaction between Two Statutes, American Bar Association Commission on Disability Rights, May-2015
Accommodating Workers with Disabilities: Best Practices for Employers and Employees, American Bar Association, Mar-2015
Finding Talent & Labor Laws, Washington, DC Economic Partnership, Jun-2014
Testimonials
Client:
"He was very thorough and his understanding of my situation made me comfortable with the experience"
Also worked with this client:
R. Scott Oswald
Tom Harrington
Principal
John T. Harrington, who goes by Tom, is a principal with The Employment Law Group® law firm.
Honored by Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” for five years running, Mr. Harrington has extensive experience representing private-sector and federal employees in cases that involve discrimination, retaliation, whistleblowing, contract disputes, wage violations, and other violations of employment and civil rights laws. In 2022, he was ranked by Lawdragon as one of the top 500 plaintiff-side employment and civil rights lawyers in the country.
Mr. Harrington is admitted to practice law in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia, and he has represented clients in federal courts nationwide. He also has deep experience before state and federal administrative bodies including the EEOC, the MSPB, and various arms of the U.S. Department of Labor.
Mr. Harrington represents clients who have suffered harm under a wide variety of laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Americans with Disabilities Act; the Family and Medical Leave Act; the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act; the Whistleblower Protection Act; the False Claims Act; the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX); and state and local laws such as the D.C. Human Rights Act and the Maryland Fair Employment Practices Act.
Among his notable victories is a $1.36 million jury verdict for violation of the anti-retaliation provision of the False Claims Act.
Law is Mr. Harrington’s second full career. He joined The Employment Law Group as a litigation law clerk while attending the George Mason University School of Law as an evening student. Following his graduation from George Mason Law, he was named as an associate of the firm — and in 2013 he became the first former law clerk to ascend to ownership at The Employment Law Group.
Before attending law school, Mr. Harrington worked for 19 years in various positions at the National Association of Securities Dealers (now known as FINRA) and the NASDAQ Stock Market. In addition to helping him represent employees who report breaches of SOX, his background in financial regulation drove a strong commitment to address the imbalance of power between corporations and workers.
“I went to law school to make a positive difference for people whose civil rights have been violated — especially people who have been wronged despite working hard and playing by the rules,” he explains. “I joined TELG to gain practical legal experience while I studied, and I quickly realized that employment law was a perfect fit for someone with my goals — particularly the way we practice employment law at TELG, where we focus on achieving outcomes that are chosen by each individual client.”
Also contributing to Mr. Harrington’s success as an attorney: A lifelong interest in literature. Having majored in English Literature at the University of California, Los Angeles, he became a Writing Fellow at George Mason Law, where he also served as a senior staff member of the Federal Circuit Bar Journal. At The Employment Law Group, Mr. Harrington frequently works with new clerks on their legal writing skills.
