WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 20, 2018) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, is pleased to announce that James A. Paretti Jr. has joined the firm as a shareholder in the Washington, D.C., office. Previously, Paretti was the Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel to Acting Chair Victoria A. Lipnic at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Paretti, who has nearly two decades of labor and employment public policy experience, will be a member of Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute® (WPI™), which engages all branches of government to ensure that employers have a voice in legislative and regulatory developments that impact their workplaces and business strategies. Paretti’s arrival coincides with a spate of cases brought by EEOC, which has filed 16 new discrimination or harassment lawsuits in August alone.
“Jim’s legal, practical and institutional insight and first-hand experience with the EEOC will be invaluable to clients and move WPI to the next level,” said Michael Lotito and Maury Baskin, co-chairs of WPI, in a joint statement. “At WPI, we’re focused on defining and shaping workplace policy not just for our current clients with interests on Capitol Hill and before federal agencies, but also for future generations who will enter the workforce.”
“Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute has established itself as a prominent player at the intersection of employment law, policy and strategy – the gold standard for both employers and government officials,” said Paretti. “Washington leaders at the highest levels turn to WPI for counsel regarding the most pressing workforce issues, including workplace wellness, pay equity, the role of artificial intelligence in the technological displacement of workers, among others.”
Paretti joined Commissioner Lipnic’s staff following her appointment in 2010 and most recently advised on all legal, enforcement and policy matters before the EEOC. As manager and primary representative of the Office of the Chair, Paretti oversaw the agency’s operations, participated in negotiations with other Commissioners and internal constituencies, and served as a liaison to regulated stakeholders and legislators.
Prior to joining the EEOC, Paretti served as Workforce Policy Counsel to the Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce. In this role, he developed policy, provided legal counsel and helped advance the membership’s agenda relating to labor and employment law, healthcare and pensions. Paretti’s congressional experience also includes serving as Legislative Director (1994) and Special Counsel and Director of Communications (2002-2003) for U.S. Representative Marge S. Roukema (R-NJ).
“Jim is a key influencer in Washington with a wealth of first-hand experience addressing the equal employment opportunity issues facing the 21st century workplace,” said Alison N. Davis, Littler’s office managing shareholder in Washington, D.C. “His reputation in the Beltway as a savvy policymaker precedes him, and he’ll play an instrumental role in expanding the firm’s influence across a range of employment and labor law matters.”
In private law practice, Paretti represented a range of employers in federal and state employment and labor litigation, and has litigated matters in state and federal court, and before national and state administrative agencies. He is experienced in labor relations, collective bargaining negotiations, grievance arbitration, union organization campaigns, and proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board.
Paretti is a well-known and accomplished speaker on workforce and employment matters, and has presented to local, regional and national trade and employer associations. He received his J.D., cum laude, from the New York University School of Law, where he was an editor of the NYU Law Review. He received his A.B. from Harvard College.
About Littler
Littler is the largest global employment and labor law practice, with more than 1,500 attorneys in 80 offices worldwide. Littler represents management in all aspects of employment and labor law and serves as a single-source solution provider to the global employer community. Consistently recognized in the industry as a leading and innovative law practice, Littler has been litigating, mediating and negotiating some of the most influential employment law cases and labor contracts on record for over 75 years. Littler Global is the collective trade name for an international legal practice, the practicing member entities of which are separate and distinct professional firms.
