Shawndra G. Jones

Attorney Shawndra Jones is an employment law counselor with a litigator’s background and perspective. She partners with employers to help them both comply with labor and employment laws and mitigate risk as they pursue their goals, including those related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

Shawndra also counsels employers on questions arising at the intersection of technology and the workplace. She has spoken extensively on ethical and legal issues associated with social media and other digital platforms, including in relation to employee use, and has presented on legal issues related to using artificial intelligence.

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, DEI, 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 also has lectured in classes 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.

Additionally, Shawndra has given presentations on a variety of DEI-related topics. She is also active on Epstein Becker Green’s Diversity and Professional Development Committee, a board-level committee.

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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.

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• The Best Lawyers in America, Employment Law – Management (2024, 2025)
• The Best Lawyers in America, “Ones to Watch,” Labor and Employment Law – Management (2023)
• The National Black Lawyers – Top 100 (New York) (2023, 2024)
• 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)

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

Professional & Community Involvement

• American Bar Association:
  • Section of Labor and Employment Law
  • Section of Science & Technology Law
  • Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice
  • 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
• National Employment Law Council
• New York City Bar Association:
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, Co-Chair; Diversity in the Judiciary Subcommittee (Former Co-Chair)
  • Judiciary Committee (Former Member)
• 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, Executive Committee & Partners Committee, Co-Chair
  • Committee on Continuing Legal Education, Immediate Past Chair
  • Committee on Technology and the Legal Profession (Former Vice-Chair)
  • Strategic Planning Committee (Former Member)
  • Special Committee on Strategic Communications (Former Member)
• Practicing Attorneys for Law Students Program (Former Mentor)
• Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts