Reed Smith Labor and Employment partner Betty Graumlich is a highly respected, established and experienced Labor and Employment practitioner who leads the Firm’s Virginia Labor & Employment team. Betty represents numerous global and national companies, including a Fortune 50 media and entertainment company, a nationwide optical manufacturer and retailer, global defense contractors, numerous health care providers, industry disrupters and a regional financial services company, among other notable clients. Her legal background, her strength in continuously staying abreast of changes in the law and adapting to the legal environment, as well as her diverse community involvement, have given her a unique ability to identify with the sensitive and evolving issues and communicate with clients in an effective and practical manner.
Clients frequently call upon Betty to defend them in matters involving whistleblower claims and claims for violations of Title VII, the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act. She routinely counsels and defends clients in False Claims Act, SOX, and Dodd-Frank Act whistleblower matters. She also has extensive experience working with clients in systemic federal agency investigations related to violations of Title VII (racial discrimination), the ADA and the FMLA, and she counsels clients regarding wrongful discharge claims, matters involving restrictive covenants, defamation and other employment torts, employment policies, harassment investigations and employment agreements. She provides preventative counseling to employers in a variety of industries on wage and hour matters, and has successfully defended her clients against wage and hour claims. Her experienced representation and practical approach has resulted in numerous victories and early settlements on behalf of her clients.
Betty defends management in both contract interpretation and discipline grievance arbitrations, counsels employers on issues involving the National Labor Relations Act, and serves as strike counsel during collective bargaining proceedings. Throughout her career, she has routinely represented management in federal and state courts nationwide, in agency investigations relating to charges of discrimination and in various proceedings involving voluntary reductions in force and labor strikes.
In addition to her skills at trial, Betty has handled more than 100 labor arbitrations. She consistently obtains favorable results on a variety of issues from companies’ abilities to subcontract out work and to use a lower wage title to perform certain contract work; as well as to sustaining employee discharges for use of offensive racial slurs in the workplace, violations of drug and alcohol policies; threat of workplace violence made against a supervisor; theft of company property; and lying about the reason for an absence.
Betty earned her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law (1983) where she was Order of the Coif and Senior Editorial Board Member of The Virginia Law Review. She received her B.A., with High Distinction, in Political and Social Thought from University of Virginia in 1979. As an undergraduate, she was an Echols Scholar.
Betty is admitted to the Bars of Virginia and the District of Columbia, and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals - District of Columbia Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals - Third Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals - Fourth Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals - Fifth Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals - Seventh Circuit, U.S. District Court - District of Columbia, U.S. District Court - Eastern District of Virginia, U.S. District Court - Western District of Virginia, U.S. District Court - Northern District of Indiana, and the U.S. District Court - Northern District of Texas. Betty is an active member of the Virginia Bar Association and a member of the governing council of the VBA Labor & Employment Section.