NATIONAL – FordHarrison LLP, one of the country’s largest management-side labor and employment law firms, is pleased to announce that Joseph H. Harris has joined the Tampa office as Partner and Shawndra G. Jones has joined the New York City office as Partner.
“We’re thrilled to have Joe and Shawndra join FordHarrison,” said John Monroe, FordHarrison Managing Partner. “They each bring a wealth of labor and employment experience and we’re confident their addition will greatly benefit our clients in both the New York and Tampa markets. We look forward to the value they’ll add to the firm’s continued growth.”
Joe focuses his employment law practice on litigation, compliance counseling, and risk management. He defends employers in federal and state courts, and before administrative agencies, in matters involving discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage-hour law violations. He also represents employers in disputes involving the breach of post-employment restrictive covenants, such as noncompetition and nonsolicitation agreements. Joe's clients span a wide range of industries, including financial services, healthcare, media, hospitality, real estate, and professional services. Joe is often quoted in national media and legal publications, and has contributed to dozens of articles on workplace law. He is a sought-after speaker and has presented for organizations such as the Association of Corporate Counsel, SHRM, and various academic institutions on topics ranging from pay equity and independent contractor classification to managing internal investigations and preventing workplace misconduct. Joe joins FordHarrison from Barton LLP.
Shawndra is a seasoned labor and employment attorney who partners with employers to help them remain legally compliant and minimize risks, including in relation to using technology in the workplace and implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to promote equal employment opportunities. Active in multiple professional organizations, Shawndra has served in leadership roles in committees within the New York State Bar Association and New York City Bar Association. She is currently a co-chair of the New York City Bar Association’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee and is also a member of the Executive Committee of the National Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Law Section. Before entering private practice at a large U.S. law firm, Shawndra served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Alvin W. Thompson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. Shawndra earned her bachelor's degree cum laude with Distinction in Psychology from Yale University and was a member of Psi Chi, the National Honor Society in Psychology. She later graduated from Columbia University School of Law, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and the editor-in-chief of the Columbia Journal of Law and Social Problems. Before joining FordHarrison, Shawndra most recently worked at Epstein Becker & Green, P.C.