Ms. Alden maintains the firm's special emphasis on the law, rules and regulations pertaining to employment in the federal government, nationwide and globally. Additionally, Ms. Alden represents private sector clients in Virginia, Washington D.C. and Maryland, in matters relating to employment contracts and agreements, civil rights, and employment law. Ms. Alden also represents members of local and state governments.
Ms. Alden has litigated and argued cases in state and federal courts, before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), the Office of Special Counsel, the Federal Labor Relations Authority (FLRA), the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS), and in many local administrative agencies, including the Human Rights Offices in Alexandria, Arlington, and Fairfax, Virginia and the District of Columbia .
In 2010, and for the first time in over 27 years, the Merit Systems Protection Board held oral argument on cases of special significance, due to their broad potential impact on the Federal civil service and the merit system. On October 18, 2010, Ms. Alden presented oral argument to the Board in one of these historic cases. Go here for more information.
Ms. Alden is currently serving as the Vice Chair of the District of Columbia Bar's Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Committee. This appointment follows an extended term as a Member of the Committee. Ms. Alden has been deeply involved in the work of the D.C. Bar's Labor and Employment Section, where she chaired and presented CLE and other courses. She chaired and moderated the D.C. Bar's Employment, Labor & Benefit Section's CLE course on the Fundamentals of Employment Law in the District of Columbia. She served as the Public Sector Chair of the District of Columbia Bar's Labor and Employment Section from 2001 through 2004, where she prepared and presented programs on a variety of employment law topics. Ms. Alden is a frequent speaker, lecturer and moderator. She is also an active member of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association (MWELA), and the Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia.
Ms. Alden offers years of experience in complex employment and labor law. She believes in creative, practical, cost-effective approaches to our clients' employment and labor situations.
Ms. Alden wants what is best for her clients. Her advice always focuses on her clients' long-term goals for their careers, their reputations and their futures.
Whether her clients need help litigating disputes, negotiating bargaining and employment relationships, or exploring legal options, she brings years of successful employment and labor law experience to the conference room, the court room and the bargaining table.
Ms. Alden's clients can depend on her to resolve problems, protect their rights and fight for their interests aggressively, effectively and efficiently. Her total commitment to her clients' interests is the key to her success and to the successful outcomes - whether by informal resolution or litigation - of hundreds of cases she has handled.
Ms. Alden represents a diverse client, including workers, professionals, and managers, members of the Senior Executive Service, unions, and federal agencies. She is located in the nation's capital, and her clients are located throughout the country and the world.
Ms. Alden is a co-author of the Federal Employees Legal Survival Guide: How to Protect and Enforce Your Job Rights, published by Workplace Fairness and Passman & Kaplan, P.C. (2004). Ms. Alden was a contributing author to Employment Discrimination Law, Third Edition, Second Supplement, American Bar Association, Section of Labor and Employment Law.
Ms. Alden has appeared on radio and television programs discussing current topics in employment law.
• Federal Sector Employment Disputes, D.C. Bar Continuing Legal Education, Program Chair, Moderator and Presenter, 9/09
• Issue Spotting and Navigating the Federal Sector Labyrinth, National Employment Lawyers Association, Annual Convention and Continuing Legal Education program (6/09)
• Advanced EEO Workshop Series: Litigating Before an Administrative Judge, EEOC Training Institute (5/09)
• Special Considerations In Federal Sector Constructive Discharge Claims, National Employment Lawyers Association, Annual Convention and Continuing Legal Education program (6/07)
• Fundamentals of Employment Law in the District of Columbia, Program Chair, D.C. Bar's Labor and Employment Section, Continuing Legal Education program (10/04)
• Best Practice Tips For Litigating Federal Employee Cases, National Employment Lawyers Association's Federal Sector Convention (10/04)
• Discovery & Evidentiary Issues in Litigating Federal Employee Cases, National Employment Lawyers Association, Annual Convention (6/04)
• Litigating a Federal Sector Case at the EEOC, D.C. Bar's Labor and Employment Section, Public Sector Committee (10/03)
• Pitfalls to Avoid in Settling EEO Complaints, American Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Section, Federal Service Committee (1/03)
• Settlements in Public Sector Cases: Thinking Outside the Box, D.C. Bar, Labor and Employment Section, Public Sector Committee (1/03)
• How to Litigate a Federal Sector EEO Case, Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association (11/02)
• EEO Investigations, Rights and Obligations, and Reprisal, Federal Training Foundation (5/02)
• Reasonable Accommodations, NAACP Federal Sector Task Force Summit III (1/02)
• Reception Honoring EEOC Chair (2002)
• The Ins And Outs Of Maximizing Damages & Recovering Attorney Fees In Federal Sector Cases, National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA), June 2011
• Introduction to Federal Personnel Law: Practice Before the EEOC, MSPB, OSC, and Other Administrative Proceedings in the Federal Sector, D.C. Bar Association, Continuing Legal Education, Presenter, May 2011
• Election of Remedies For Federal Sector Labor Unions, 9/10
• Federal Sector Employment Disputes, D.C. Bar Continuing Legal Education, Program Chair, Moderator and Presenter, 9/09
• Issue Spotting and Navigating the Federal Sector Labyrinth, National Employment Lawyers Association, Annual Convention and Continuing Legal Education program (6/09)
• Advanced EEO Workshop Series: Litigating Before an Administrative Judge, EEOC Training Institute, Presenter (5/09)
• Special Considerations In Federal Sector Constructive Discharge Claims, National Employment Lawyers Association, Annual Convention and Continuing Legal Education program, Moderator and Presenter (6/07)
• Fundamentals of Employment Law In the District of Columbia, Program Chair and Moderator, D.C. Bar's Labor and Employment Section, Continuing Legal Education program (9 credits [2 ethics] (10/04)
• Best Practice Tips For Litigating Federal Employee Cases, National Employment Lawyers Association's Federal Sector Convention, Presenter (10/04)
• Discovery & Evidentiary Issues in Litigating Federal Employee Cases, National Employment Lawyers Association, Annual Convention and Continuing Legal Education program, Presenter and Moderator (6/04)
• Litigating a Federal Sector Case at the EEOC, D.C. Bar's Labor and Employment Section, Public Sector Committee (10/03)
• Pitfalls to Avoid in Settling EEO Complaints, American Bar Association, Labor & Employment Law Section, Federal Service Committee, Presenter (1/03)
• Settlements in Public Sector Cases: Thinking Outside the Box, D.C. Bar, Labor and Employment Section, Public Sector Committee (1/03)
• How to Litigate a Federal Sector EEO Case, Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association (11/02)
• EEO Investigations, Rights and Obligations, and Reprisal, Federal Training Foundation (5/02)
• Reasonable Accommodations, NAACP Federal Sector Task Force Summit III (1/02)
• Reception Honoring EEOC Chair Cari M. Dominguez, DC Bar, Labor and Employment Section, Public Sector Committee (12/01)
• The Do's And Don't's Of Negotiating Your Employment Contract, Washington Independent Writers Association (5/01)
• Brown Bag with MSPB Chairman Beth Slavet, DC Bar, Labor and Employment Section, Public Sector Committee (1/01)
• EEOC Administrative Forum, DC Bar, Labor and Employment Section, Public Sector Committee (11/00)
LEGAL ACTIVITIES:
Vice Chair, Continuing Legal Education Committee, District of Columbia Bar, 2008—
Program Chair, Committee Member, Continuing Legal Education Committee, District of Columbia Bar, 2005 - 2008
Chair, Public Sector Committee, Labor and Employment Law Section, District of Columbia Bar, 2000 - 2005
Co-author, Federal Employee's Legal Survival Guide, a guide to employment law for federal employees
Contributing author, Employment Discrimination Law, Third Edition, Second Supplement
Guest commentator on radio and television.
