Phone: 206-233-2894 Fax: 206-628-6611 Email: jvestal@williamskastner.com V-Card

Two Union Square 601 Union Street, Suite 4100 Seattle, WA 98101

Experience

Jo Vestal's practice is exclusively in labor and employment law. She is a member in the Seattle office and is former chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment practice group. Ms. Vestal counsels employers ranging from multinational corporations to public employers to small private employers on regulatory compliance, their employment contracts, benefits and personnel policies, decision-making, and strategic planning. In addition, she litigates cases involving all aspects of employment law, including discrimination, sex harassment, wrongful termination, wage and hour matters and employee benefits. Ms. Vestal also has an extensive background in training and in investigation of employee complaints for both public and private employers.

Ms. Vestal appears at all levels of state and federal trial and appellate courts, before various administrative agencies, and in labor arbitration and mediation. She received advanced mediation training from National Employment Mediation Services and is certified as a 39.1 mediator by the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Ms. Vestal has an AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5 rating in Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™ and has been recognized by the Seattle Met magazine as a “Top Lawyer” in Labor and Employment.

Education and Training

Ms. Vestal received her law degree from the University of Washington in 1974, her BA from Mount Holyoke College in 1971, and attended Williams College from 1969 - 1970. She received advanced mediation training from National Employment Mediation Services and is certified as a 39.1 mediator by the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington.

Affiliations

• Washington State Bar Association (Labor and Employment Section)
• American Bar Association (Labor and Employment Section; Alternative Dispute Resolution Section)
• King County Bar Association (Labor & Employment Section)
• Defense Research Institute (Employment Law Section)
• Society for Human Resource Management
• Federal Bar Association Western District of Washington

Recent Articles

• Co-Author, “As Hospitals Trend Toward Employee Physicians, What Are the Employment Law Consequences?” Washington Healthcare News, June 2012.
• Co-Author, "Employment Law Update 2011 - The Year in Review," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, May 2011.
• Co-Author, "Obama Administration Changes Employment Rules of the Game," The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel, April 2009.
• "Employer Beware: 2009 to Bring Significant Employment Law Changes," Washington Healthcare News, February 2009.

Recent Seminars and Presentations

• Speaker, “I Hear You Knocking—Preparation and Compliance Tips When Federal and State Agencies Are At the Door,” Williams Kastner Labor & Employment Breakfast Seminar, Seattle, WA, October 7, 2011.
• Panelist, " 'Safe' Hiring: Best Practices," Williams Kastner Labor & Employment Half-Day Seminar, Seattle, WA, May 11, 2011.
• Co-Presenter, "Employer Social Media Policies - Why You Can't Be Friends," Williams Kastner Labor & Employment Breakfast Seminar, Seattle, WA. March 3, 2011.
• Panelist, "The Collision of FMLA, Worker's Compensation and ADA," Williams Kastner Labor & Employment Fall Half-Day Seminar, Seattle, WA, October 22, 2010.
• Panelist, “Employee Privacy in the Age of Social Networking,” Williams Kastner Labor & Employment Spring Half-Day Seminar, Seattle, WA, April 22, 2010.
• Panelist, "The Labor & Employment Rules Change: Current and Future Compliance Issues Under the Obama Administration," Williams Kastner Labor & Employment Fall Half-Day Seminar, Seattle, WA, October 29, 2009.
• Panelist, "Reductions in Force: Reducing the Legal and Personal Risks," Williams Kastner Labor & Employment Half-Day Seminar, Seattle, WA, March 12, 2009.
• Co-Presenter, "New Developments in Disability Law," Williams Kastner Labor & Employment Fall Update Seminar, Seattle, WA, October 29, 2008.
• Co-Presenter, "Leave Update," Williams Kastner Labor & Employment Half-Day Seminar, Seattle, WA, May 29, 2008.
• Co-Presenter, "Retaliation in the Employment and Labor Law Areas," Williams Kastner Labor & Employment Fall Update Half-Day Seminar, November 14, 2007.
• Presenter, "Employee Responsibilities Under USERRA", The Seminar Group, Seattle, WA, June 5, 2007.
• Panelist, "Stump the FMLA Experts," Williams Kastner Labor & Employment Spring Update Seminar, Seattle, WA, April 18, 2007.
• Co-Presenter, "Tips and Traps in Employee Handbooks," Williams Kastner Labor & Employment Breakfast Seminar, Seattle, WA, January 24, 2007.
• Co-Presenter, "Emerging Computer Issues in Employment Law," Williams Kastner Labor & Employment Fall Update Seminar, Bellevue, WA, October 19, 2006.
• Co-Presenter, "Employer Preparations for Possible Avian Flu Pandemic," Williams Kastner Labor & Employment Breakfast Seminar, Seattle, WA, September 21, 2006.
• Co-Presenter, "Issues With Undocumented Workers,"Williams Kastner Labor & Employment Half-Day Seminar, Seattle, WA, March 22, 2006.

Media Coverage

• "It's not just paid time off -- it's the law," Puget Sound Business Journal, September 16-22, 2011.