M. Therese Waymel

Practices

• Employment and Labor Law
• Legal Ethics Counseling
• Professional Liability
• General Liability
• Class Action Litigation
• Business Law and Commercial Litigation

About

Therese Waymel represents individuals and entities in complex civil and commercial litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and Illinois. Her current practice is focused on labor and employment litigation and counseling, professional liability and ethics counseling.

Therese handles disputes involving wrongful termination, unlawful discrimination, and retaliation under Title VII, ADA, and ADEA, and state equivalents. She provides counseling to employers on a wide variety of matters under state, federal, and local laws, including: termination, disciplinary, and wage and hour matters; developing and implementing compliant employment handbooks, policies, and procedures, conducting internal investigations, and training compliance. She has a demonstrated litigation background. She also has experience in general liability, premises liability, class-actions, and business litigation.

Therese is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Honors Society. While at the George Mason School of Law, she served as a Judicial Intern in the 19th Judicial District in Fairfax County, Virginia and as a Legal Intern for the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. She was instrumental in the establishment of the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project as Program Director for the Virginia Bar Association Pro Bono Society at George Mason School of Law.

Therese began her practice on the plaintiff side litigating a high volume of complex personal injury and medical malpractice before transitioning primarily to the defense side. She also assisted in the defense of members of the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department Fraternal Order of Police in various stages of matters before the Office of Police Complaints, the Public Employee Relations Board and the Office of Employee Appeals.

Throughout her career, Therese has worked at small, medium, and large law firms representing diverse clientele, from individuals to Fortune 500 companies. Her experience litigating cases on both the plaintiff and defense side on behalf of a variety of clients provides her with a well-rounded and unique analytical perspective on client disputes and resolution strategies.

Representative Experience

• Represented and counseled employers in all aspects of employment disputes from pre-litigation through litigation in state and federal trial and appellate disputes and arbitrations.
• Represented and counseled employers in disputes pending in administrative agencies in all stages of the investigatory process.
• Defended government contractor in a multi-million-dollar claim involving complex legal issues concerning employer / employee duties and roles and significantly reduced client exposure by arguing the implications of the applicable workers’ compensation exclusivity rule.
• Obtained defense verdict for global corporate client in employment discrimination arbitration.
• Assisted in successful litigation of legal malpractice appeal in Virginia Supreme Court.
• Served as local counsel for out-of-state law firm to assist with and facilitate the adjudication and resolution of a multi-million-dollar claim involving fatalities and catastrophic injuries of more than fifteen claimants, including minors.
• Represented defendants in various complex civil litigation claims and participated in the negotiation and drafting of complex releases and matters related to mandatory lienholders.
• Represented individuals in premises liability and general liability jury trials in Maryland and Virginia.
• Conducted multiple internal investigations for global corporations into serious employee complaints and prepared official investigative findings to corporation leadership.

Education

Publications

• Author, Lexis Nexis Practice Guide: District of Columbia Civil Practice, (2023 edition).
• Co-author, EEOC Compliance and the Covid-19 Pandemic, Today’s General Counsel (July 21, 2020), Barry A. Hartstein and M. Therese Waymel.
• Co-author, The Next Normal: A Littler Insight on Returning to Work – EEO Compliance, Littler Insight (May 11, 2020), Barry A. Hartstein and M. Therese Waymel.
• Co-Author, “Complexities of Defending a Professional at Trial,” For The Defense, March 2019
• Author, “D.C. Circuit Addresses Telephone Consumer Protection Act,” Carr Maloney’s Legally Speaking, October 2017

Speaking Engagements

• UDoTest Return to Work – Discussion with the Experts Webinar, (Aug. 28, 2020), M. Therese Waymel.
•  Defending the Professional at Trial Panel, DRI Professional Liability Seminar (New York, NY – November 2018), Newton C. Marshall, China Ladner, and M. Therese Waymel.
• Telephone Consumer Protection Act Best Practices Presentation, DRI Business Litigation Seminar (Denver, CO – April 2018), Matthew D. Berkowitz, M. Therese Waymel.

Admissions

States

• Virginia
• Maryland
• District of Columbia
• Illinois

U.S. District Courts

• U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
• U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
• U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
• U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
• U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois

U.S. Court of Appeals

• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Judicial Circuit