Attorney Shawndra Jones partners with employers to help them comply with labor and employment laws as they pursue their goals, including those related to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and counsels employers on questions arising at the intersection of technology and the workplace. Shawndra has also spoken extensively on legal and ethical issues associated with social media and other digital platforms.
In addition, Shawndra’s experience includes:
- Advising employers on complying with applicable laws, rules, and regulations concerning diverse labor and employment issues, such as family and medical leave, disability accommodation, wage and hour matters, anti-discrimination, and workplace privacy
- Drafting or updating provisions for employment applications, employee handbooks, offer letters, and separation agreements
- Presenting trainings or seminars regarding various topics, such as bystander intervention; anti-harassment; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and use of technology, for non-managerial employees, managers, human resources professionals, and in-house counsel
- Representing clients in labor and employment-related litigation before state and federal courts and administrative agencies
- Serving as a secondee within an in-house legal team at a global financial services institution
Since 2018, Shawndra has co-authored updates to the “Civil Discovery Issues” chapter of Practising Law Institute’s treatise on Social Media and the Law. She has also lectured on social media ethics, including as a guest speaker for a groundbreaking Technology and the Law course created through a partnership between the City University of New York School of Law and the New York State Bar Association.
Before joining Epstein Becker Green, Shawndra was an attorney in the New York office of a boutique law firm, where she focused on labor and employment matters, contract disputes, and commercial litigation. She began her career in private practice at a large U.S. law firm, where she worked on commercial litigation matters, including a trade secrets case.
While attending Columbia Law School, Shawndra was the editor-in-chief of the Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems and a co-chair of the Student Senate’s Graduation Committee. She also externed at the Office of the New York State Attorney General in the Internet Bureau and in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York and interned for the Honorable George B. Daniels of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
After graduating from law school, Shawndra served as a law clerk to the Honorable Alvin W. Thompson of the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut.
Focus Areas
Services
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Counseling
- Employment Compliance Counseling
- Employment Litigation
- Employment Training
- Employment, Labor & Workforce Management
- Privacy, Cybersecurity & Data Asset Management
- Remote and Hybrid Work
- Social Media and the Workplace
- Trade Secrets & Employee Mobility
- Wage and Hour
Industries
Recognition
- The Best Lawyers in America, Employment Law - Management (2024)
- The Best Lawyers in America, “Ones to Watch,” Labor and Employment Law - Management (2023)
- The National Black Lawyers – Top 100 (New York) (2023)
- National Bar Association’s 40 Under 40 Nation’s Best Advocates (2016) and Excellence in Innovation (2016) Awards
- The National Black Lawyers – Top 40 Under 40 (New York) (2016)
- Empire State Counsel® Outstanding Pro Bono Volunteer (2016)
- Empire State Counsel® Honoree (2013 and 2015)
Credentials
Education
- Columbia University School of Law (J.D., 2008)
- Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar
- Editor-in-Chief, Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems
- Yale University (B.A., cum laude, 2005)
- With Distinction in Psychology
- Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology
Bar Admissions
Court Admissions
- U.S. District Court, District of Connecticut
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York
- U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York
Professional & Community Involvement
- American Bar Association (Section of Labor and Employment Law; Center for Professional Responsibility CLE Committee, Former Member)
- American Bar Foundation, Fellow
- Association of Black Women Attorneys
- Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, 2022 Fellow
- National Bar Association (Labor and Employment Law Section, Executive Committee; Women Lawyers Division)
- New York City Bar Association (Judiciary Committee, Former Member; Former Co-Chair, Diversity in the Judiciary Subcommittee of the now Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee)
- New York State Bar Association (House of Delegates; Labor and Employment Law Section, Workplace Rights and Responsibilities Committee; Commercial and Federal Litigation Section, Social Media and New Communication Technologies Committee; Women in Law Section; Chair, Committee on Continuing Legal Education; Committee on Technology and the Legal Profession (Former Vice-Chair); Strategic Planning Committee; Special Committee on Strategic Communications (Former Member))
- Practicing Attorneys for Law Students Program (Former Mentor)
- Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts
