The law firm of Vedder Price announces that Amy L. Bess, former Managing Partner of Sonnenschein’s DC office and a member of that firm’s Litigation and Labor and Employment Law practices, joins the Washington, DC office of Vedder Price as a Shareholder.

“We could not be happier to have Amy join our ranks in DC,” stated Thomas M. Wilde, who heads Vedder Price’s Labor and Employment Law group. “She is a consummate advocate for management in employment law matters and brings significant employment class action defense and restrictive covenant/trade secret litigation experience as well as significant depth in counseling clients on all aspects of the employment relationship. The addition of Amy to our DC office signals Vedder Price’s strong commitment to the growth of our labor and employment practice in DC.”

Ms. Bess defends employers against claims of race, sex, disability and age discrimination, sexual harassment, whistleblowing, wrongful termination and wage and hour violations. Her work involves both day-to-day counseling on these matters as well as the representation of management in federal and state courts and a wide range of administrative agencies.

A graduate of Illinois State University (B.S., summa cum laude, 1982) and Northwestern University School of Law (J.D., 1987), Ms. Bess also represents employers in matters where employees violate employment agreements or attempt to misappropriate trade secrets. She has extensive trial and arbitration experience. Her recent matters include the defense of Sears, Roebuck and Co. in a nationwide class action brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the first chair of a jury trial in federal court in Baltimore involving breach of contract claims in which she obtained a complete defense verdict for her clients.

Ms. Bess is a member of the Bars of Illinois and the District of Columbia. She is a member of the American Bar Association (Section on Labor and Employment) and serves on the Board of Governors of the District of Columbia Bar. She is an active member of the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia and former member of the Board of Directors of that organization. She serves as General Counsel and is a board member of Everybody Wins! D.C.— a non-profit children’s literacy organization.