LYNNE BERNABEI, PARTNER

Lynne Bernabei has been litigating employment discrimination, civil rights, and whistleblower protection cases for almost thirty years. She is a founding partner of Bernabei & Wachtel, PLLC where she handles claims of civil rights violations, discrimination, and other employment and contract disputes. Ms. Bernabei has developed extensive trial experience in federal and local courts in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia and before administrative agencies. Ms. Bernabei has argued appeals before the United States Courts of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the Fourth Circuit, the Sixth Circuit, the D.C. Circuit, and the Federal Circuit.

Lynne Bernabei received a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from Harvard University in 1972. In 1977, she received a J.D. degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School. Ms. Bernabei clerked for the Honorable William B. Bryant, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, from 1977-1978.

Ms. Bernabei was selected for inclusion in the 2006 and 2008 editions of The Best Lawyers In America. In December 2004, the Washingtonian magazine named Lynne Bernabei on its list of Best Attorneys in Washington, D.C. In April, 2004 the Legal Times Magazine named Lynne Bernabei one of top 12 Leading Labor & Employment Litigators in Washington, D.C. In November, 2002, Washingtonian magazine named Ms. Bernabei as one of Washington, D.C.'s top 75 lawyers. In November, 1997, Washingtonian magazine named Ms. Bernabei as one of Washington, D.C.’s top 100 most powerful women. Ms. Bernabei has also been featured in an article that appeared in The City Paper in August of 1992, entitled "The Women to See," and in the July/August, 1988 edition of The American Lawyer, entitled "Lynne Bernabei: In Tune with Whistle-Blowers." She was also featured in an article that appeared in The Washington Lawyer entitled "Whistleblowers and the Law," June 2001

Ms. Bernabei has appeared on "Sixty Minutes," the "Today" show, Court TV, CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, FOX, and MSNBC national news broadcasts, National Public Radio, and many other broadcast media outlets. She has also been quoted regularly by New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, People, Time, National Law Journal, Legal Times, ABA Journal, and numerous other print media outlets for her expertise in employment law and civil rights issues.

Ms. Bernabei serves as a member of the editorial board of the Labor Law Journal and formerly served on the board of the Journal of Employment Discrimination. She is also a faculty member of the American Law Institute-American Bar Association and teaches courses on employment law and civil rights matters for the District of Columbia Bar and as a guest lecturer at law schools. Ms. Bernabei has been selected as a member of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers.  She is also a member of the National Employment Lawyers Association, the American Trial Lawyers Association, and Trial Lawyers for Public Justice.  Ms. Bernabei has been approved by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) for its National Roster of Neutrals.

Ms. Bernabei is proficient in Italian, Spanish, and French.

Ms. Bernabei is co-author of The High Citadel: The Influence of Harvard Law School, Hougton Mifflin, 1978.