Jennifer A. Harper

Jennifer is a member of the firm’s Labor & Employment and Government Contracts Practices, as well as internal global projects and executive action teams. Jennifer’s background includes over 15 years as a litigator, serving as first or second chair in employment and contract matters before federal/state courts, government agencies and arbitration tribunals. She also advises and defends clients involved in federal government audits, investigations and enforcement actions, both in the traditional employment context and in government contracts.

Jennifer represents domestic and foreign organizations in a wide array of industries, such as information technology, sports, entertainment, finance, transportation, utilities, nonprofits and educational institutions. Her clients include global conglomerates, Fortune 500 companies, small and mid-size businesses and startup enterprises. Her expertise covers the entire spectrum of people operations from recruitment through post-termination, as well as employment agreements, cross-border matters, mergers and acquisitions, workforce transitions, secondments and foreign company entry to the US. She works across the organizational matrix, advising clients at every level and stage of growth while achieving practical solutions to ensure confidence across all business platforms. She has served as outside counsel as well as in-house corporate counsel and as counsel to C-suite executives, boards of directors and trustees.

Jennifer’s expertise in government contracts includes compliance with federal labor standards in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), The Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) and similar agency regulations, as well as White House executive orders and other federal and state labor and employment laws. In addition, she provides cradle to grave comprehensive guidance throughout the contacting and performance cycle, including Equal Employment Opportunity and anti-discrimination, Davis Bacon Act, Service Contract Act, Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act, EO 13706 paid sick leave and other executive orders, local hiring requirements, project labor agreements, as well as similar labor and employment laws involving government contracts, leases and grants. She works closely with grant recipients and contractors at all tiers to ensure effective performance. She drafts agreements, assists with proposals and defends against adverse government actions and contract disputes involving labor standards. Her experience includes procurement and grants involving large contractors and Section 8(a) small businesses and most federal agencies, such as the General Services Administration (GSA), Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the Treasury Department, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Education (DOE).

Jennifer also represents individuals and stakeholder groups before Congress, the White House and executive agencies. She is a registered lobbyist and has advocated on behalf of government and business interests on a wide range of issues, including labor, appropriations, transportation, infrastructure, education and housing. Throughout her career, she has represented interest groups before the US Department of Labor (DOL), DOE, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), HUD, DOT, FEMA, the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs and numerous congressional offices and committees. Most recently, she set precedent as the only one to successfully convince the US DOL to rescind a portion of its Davis Bacon regulations expanding prevailing wages to offsite modular construction.

Before joining our firm, Jennifer served as a principal counsel at DC Water, a US$4 billion District of Columbia independent agency created by Congress. Before that, she was a partner at two other major law firms in Washington DC. Earlier in her career, she was a lobbyist representing over 700 local governments and later working with small businesses. She also helped create the International Institute for Regional Development, an organization dedicated to public-private partnerships between US counties and their counterparts in Europe.

Jennifer is a former national member of the Association for Corporate Counsel (ACC) Employment and Labor Law Committee, serving as Co-Chair of the Communications and Policy Subcommittees for three years. She is a frequent speaker and has been featured in local and national media such as USA Today and Athletic Business Magazine. She has published numerous articles on law and business and is a co-author and editor of the Title IX chapter in The Sports Law Handbook published by the New York State Bar. Jennifer is a member of the board of directors of the Legal Accountability Project and previously served as a pro bono election counsel for the Virginia Democratic Party.