Jessica is counsel in the firm’s Labor & Employment group. She counsels businesses on employee relations and assists in preparing complex executive and employment agreements, conducting compliance reviews of employment policies and practices, and performing workplace investigations. She also represents and defends employers in litigation, including investigating and responding to agency charges, workers’ compensation appeals, wage and hour collective actions, and other employment-related disputes.
Focus Areas
Examples of Jessica’s experience include:
- Serving as inhouse Labor & Employment secondee to two multi-national firms, a Fortune Global 500 logistics provider and a Big 4 accounting firm.
- Successfully defending employer and defeating plaintiff’s motion for conditional certification in an FLSA collective action, resulting in settlement of named plaintiff’s individual claims.
- Assisting as second-chair at bench trial that secured verdict for minority shareholder on claims of breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract brought against majority shareholder of closely held company.
- Assisting as second-chair at jury trial involving an employer intentional tort claim resulting in verdict exceeding $1 million in favor of injured worker who suffered permanent injuries caused by unguarded machinery.
- Securing dismissals or settlements in numerous EEOC and/or OCRC charges of discrimination.
- “$22.5 Million Verdict Highlights Employer Obligations to Provide Pregnancy Accommodations,” Benefits Law Journal, June 2026
- Thompson Hine Mobility Matters Quarterly, June 2026
- “The Old Rule Is Now the New Rule: DOL Restores Prior Overtime Salary Thresholds,” Thompson Hine Labor & Employment @lert, May 2026
- “Proposed DOL Rule Clarifies Joint Employer Liability Under FLSA, FMLA and MWPA,” Thompson Hine Labor & Employment @lert, April 2026
- “$22.5M Verdict Highlights Employer Obligations to Provide Pregnancy Accommodations; Key Takeaways,” Thompson Hine Labor & Employment @lert, April 2026
- “DOL Proposes Major Changes to Employee and Independent Contractor Classification Rules,” Thompson Hine Labor & Employment @lert, February 2026
- “EEOC and DOJ Issue Warning Against Unlawful DEI-Related Discrimination,” Thompson Hine Transition – A Presidential Change Update, March 2025
- Thompson Hine Mobility Matters Quarterly, February 2025
- “Federal Court Blocks Key Aspects of Executive Orders Targeting DEI Programs,” Thompson Hine Labor & Employment @lert, February 2025
- “Texas District Court Vacates DOL’S 2024 Final Overtime Rule,” Thompson Hine Labor & Employment @lert, November 2024
- “Fifth Circuit Vacates DOL Final Tip Credit Rule,” Thompson Hine Labor & Employment @lert, August 2024
- “Navigating Today’s Health Care Employment Law Challenges: Immigration, Workforce & Safety,” Thompson Hine Webinar, May 2026
- “Blow the Whistle, Not the Case: Navigating Whistleblower Laws, Investigations and Retaliation Risks with Confidence,” Thompson Hine Annual Labor & Employment Seminar, November 2025
- “Sick of the Confusion? HR’s Prescription for Navigating Medical Leaves and Disability Accommodations,” United Sates Cutting Tool Institute Annual HR Leadership Seminar, June 2025
- “Recapping Significant Rulemaking in 2024,” Thompson Hine Annual Labor & Employment Seminar, November 2024
- Selected to the Ohio Super Lawyers list, 2024-2027
- Selected to the Ohio Rising Stars list, 2017-2020
Professional Associations
- Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association, N.D. Ohio Chapter
Community Activities
- Community Housing Solutions, board member
Education
- Cleveland State University College of Law, J.D., summa cum laude,
Cleveland State Law Review, research editor, Student Note published in law review and selected as Note of the Year
- Baldwin-Wallace College, B.A., magna cum laude
Bar Admissions
- Ohio
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio
- U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- 22.5 Million Verdict Highlights Employer Obligations to Provide Pregnancy Accommodations,
Benefits Law Journal
, June 24, 2026 - Mobility Matters Quarterly – June 2026, June 11, 2026
- The Old Rule Is Now the New Rule: DOL Restores Prior Overtime Salary Thresholds,
Labor & Employment @lert
, May 15, 2026 - Proposed DOL Rule Clarifies Joint Employer Liability Under FLSA, FMLA and MWPA,
Labor & Employment @lert
, April 23, 2026 - $22.5M Verdict Highlights Employer Obligations to Provide Pregnancy Accommodations; Key Takeaways,
Labor & Employment @lert
, April 2, 2026 - DOL Proposes Major Changes to Employee and Independent Contractor Classification Rules,
Labor & Employment @lert
, February 26, 2026 - EEOC and DOJ Issue Warning Against Unlawful DEI-Related Discrimination,
Transition – A Presidential Change Update
, March 21, 2025 - Mobility Matters Quarterly – February 2025, February 26, 2025
- Federal Court Blocks Key Aspects of Executive Orders Targeting DEI Programs,
Labor & Employment @lert
, February 24, 2025 - Texas District Court Vacates DOL’S 2024 Final Overtime Rule,
Labor & Employment @lert
, November 18, 2024