7/29/2023 0 Comments Debra schwartz birth recordHe was a "preemie," as was his twin brother, who was adopted by another family. Debra, a nurse, adopted Justin when he was 1, while she was working in Alaska. Justin's mother, Debra Schwartz, and her brother and sister all grew up in Chehalis, graduating from W.F. "It's a case of him being at the wrong place at the wrong time," he said. On Thursday afternoon, the 73-year-old Ken Schwartz sat in his downtown Chehalis office, smoking a cigarette, and spoke of his 22-year-old grandson. While young members of the rave community have mourned the deaths from Saturday morning, families of those killed, too, have been trying to make sense of the losses. Within 10 minutes, a telephone call from his daughter told him that her son, his grandson, Justin Grant Unin Schwartz, was among the dead. He read a small item about six young partygoers gunned down at a Seattle house the day before, and said out loud, "the bastard." Outside the office, I enjoy traveling and spending time with my husband and our adult children, gardening, participating in social activities at The Temple, attending theater, and, to Jay’s chagrin, cheering for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks.Chehalis resident Ken Schwartz had just gotten off a cruise ship and picked up the Sunday newspaper over breakfast in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. In addition, I have served formally as a mentor of both NELA Georgia and the Georgia Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section. I assist my corporate clients in understanding and implementing their obligations and rights under the law.Īlways inspired to share my experience and give back to the community, I have been a long-time member of the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) and one of the original founders for the Georgia Chapter of this leading organization for attorneys representing U.S. In addition to helping individuals protect their employment rights, I enjoy representing small to mid-size businesses as they establish workplace rules and policies, provide severance agreements to exiting employees and defend themselves against unwarranted EEOC charges, overtime claims or sexual harassment law suits. I helped an assistant district attorney, fired due to her pregnancy, obtain a nearly $800,000 settlement at mediation, regain her confidence, and ultimately put her career back on track. While I am always prepared to litigate, my goal is to efficiently and effectively advance the rights and interests of my clients, whether through the courts, mediation or other resolution strategies. In this latter case, we convinced the Court to hold the City in contempt, reinstate our 3 clients to their jobs, and pay them the full jury award, including lost pay and benefits and compensatory damages. My knowledge, experience, preparation and skillset have served as a cornerstone for success in securing with my partner, Jay Rollins, high six-figure jury verdicts in several cases including a race discrimination suit against MARTA, and a whistle-blower retaliation claim against the City of Atlanta. District Courts in Georgia and have successfully argued numerous cases before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals. I have extensive experience as lead counsel in employment litigation in the U.S. These highlights only provide a snapshot of my interest and expertise in helping to safeguard and promote the welfare of employees in the workplace. I have also partnered with the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the General Counsel of the Seventh-Day Adventists Church to protect employees’ religious rights. My track record also includes bringing litigation against a law firm for failing to properly pay its employee overtime wages, as well as working with the ACLU and LAMBDA to represent employees in several leading-edge cases against public employers. Long before marriage equality took the spotlight as an equal rights issue, I represented attorney Robin Shahar in her fight against discrimination when former Georgia Attorney General Mike Bowers terminated her employment for engaging in a Jewish wedding ceremony with her female partner. Keenly focused on helping to protect individuals from legal abuses in the workplace, I have always been willing to tackle cases involving multi-faceted claims and unpopular causes. Whether I am helping to oppose race discrimination under the Civil Rights Act, recover overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act, or ensure that an employee is permitted to return to work following a medical leave of absence, I remain committed each and every day to serving as an advocate for my clients. Thus, over the past 35 years I have dedicated my career to representing employees at virtually all job levels and across all industries. Striving for equal treatment in the workplace and empowering employees to understand and enforce their rights under federal employment laws is a passion for me.
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