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Meredith “Merry” Campbell

Meredith “Merry” Campbell

T 301-255-0550
F 301-230-2891

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Meredith (“Merry”) Campbell serves as a business advisor to local, national and global clients who look to her for counsel on managing their most important asset — their employees. Clients hire her because she successfully resolves workplace-related issues while helping them to maintain a positive and productive workplace. She often serves as outside-General Counsel to her clients, advising on personnel matters and ensuring that her clients are up-to-date on compliance, training and other related issues. One long-term client said, “Merry is my go-to resource. She knows employment law inside and out and I always know she will have the answers to my problems.” And when there is a complaint or concern about potential inappropriate behavior, Merry helps guide clients on how to properly investigate and respond with the goal of avoiding turning problems into tragedies.

Employers regularly praise Merry’s “combination of knowledge and practicality” and appreciate her proactive advice on employment agreements and handbooks, workplace harassment issues, performance management, reductions in force, FLSA and wage/hour compliance, independent contractors, social media and other aspects of the employment relationship. Many clients have remarked on Merry’s ability to not only give them sound advice, but to also recommend the best implementation tailored to the specific work environment. One client notes, “Merry is outstanding. When I became General Counsel, I ultimately replaced all existing counsel with the exception of Merry. I think that speaks volumes.”

Merry has been a mainstay for clients and prospective clients navigating through the COVID-19 pandemic and the myriad issues it has created. Delivering webinars, issuing timely legal alerts and responding to questions day-in, day-out, Merry has been a “calming counterbalance to the unknown. We appreciate that as soon as there is a change in regulations, she lets us know – and as soon as we have a question, she has an answer.”

Merry conducts harassment prevention and related training for companies, and also develops handbooks, offer letters and other employment documents that she offers on a flat-fee basis. She regularly conducts harassment investigations for clients and as a third-party neutral. She uses her counseling experience to dig into the facts and circumstances of an allegation, providing impartial and thorough results and guidance on what to do next.

Perhaps more than anything, clients appreciate that Merry answers the phone. She treats her clients’ problems as her own, and is always responsive. She has delivered exceptional results for manufacturing, technology and services employer-clients, including family-owned businesses, local and regional companies, and national and multi-national corporations in all phases of employment law. When faced with equal employment claims, wage and hour issues, the protection of confidential and proprietary business information and the enforcement of restrictive covenants, Merry deftly resolves disputes outside of the courtroom – and, if litigation becomes necessary, she works in tandem with the Shulman Rogers litigation team to ensure clients receive the most zealous representation possible.

Merry’s practice also includes representation of management in dealings with labor unions and the NLRB, representing employers with bargaining units ranging from a handful to hundreds of employees. She has helped clients defeat union campaigns and defend against ULPs, but she also understands that dealing with a union means creating a long-term relationship in which you need to know how to pick your battles. She works with companies across industries and work environments — including clients subject to the Service Contract Act (SCA) — and she regularly negotiates collective bargaining agreements that allow her clients to maintain workplace harmony while preserving management rights.

After obtaining her law degree from Harvard and starting her career with an international law firm, Merry returned home to Montgomery County, Maryland. She is the Chair of the Shulman Rogers Employment and Labor Practice Group and of the Corporate Investigations, Governance and Risk Management Group, and is a member of the firm’s Board of Directors. She has been quoted in BusinessWeek, The Washington Post and other respected publications and is a published author for Thomson Reuters.

Professional & Community Affiliations

  • Maryland Chamber of Commerce Employment Issues Committee, Member
  • Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Member
  • Human Resources Bioscience Alliance (HRBA), Member
  • Bar Association of Montgomery County, Member
  • Maryland State Bar Association, Member
  • Coalition of Women’s Initiative in Law, DC Chapter Steering Committee Member
  • Successfully defended an employer in a jury trial brought by the EEOC, where the EEOC claimed that a former employee was subject to a sexually and racially hostile environment. After a 7-day trial, the jury found in favor of Ms. Campbell’s client and denied the EEOC’s claims. 
  • Investigated allegation of workplace harassment and advised client on how to avoid future liability.
  • Persuaded the Department of Labor (DOL) to significantly reduce fines and settlement obligations assessed in connection with an FLSA audit.
  • Successfully defeated harassment allegation on summary judgment that was affirmed on appeal to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
  • Persuaded a federal court to dismiss a discrimination complaint on a motion to dismiss, meaning the client did not have to incur the expense of costly discovery in defending the claim.
  • Successfully negotiated a collective bargaining agreement in a contentious situation where the union threatened, but did not implement, a strike.
  • Represented management in a successful campaign to defeat a union election.
  • Negotiated a complex CEO employment contract through which the organization was able to meet its goals and the new hire felt valued and excited to join the organization.
  • Fellow, American Bar Foundation
  • AV Preeminent Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
  • Top Employment Attorney, Bethesda Magazine, 2019
  • Lawdragon/HRE Leading Employment Lawyers, 2017, 2019
  • Nation’s Most Powerful Employment Attorneys, Human Resource Executive, 2015, 2018
  • Presented to the Society for Human Resource Management on Workplace Tech Solutions Enhancing Employees’ Wellbeing
  • Presented to the Montgomery County Society for Human Resource Management on leave laws
  • Guest lecturer on employment-related issues for American University Washington College of Law
  • Regularly hosts breakfast roundtables to discuss current employment and labor issues
  • Presented to the Human Resources BioScience Alliance on employment law updates

Seminars & Speaking Engagements

  • Presented to the Society for Human Resource Management on Workplace Tech Solutions Enhancing Employees’ Wellbeing
  • Presented to the Montgomery County Society for Human Resource Management on leave laws
  • Guest lecturer on employment-related issues for American University Washington College of Law
  • Regularly hosts breakfast roundtables to discuss current employment and labor issues
  • Presented to the Human Resources BioScience Alliance on employment law updates

News & Events

Practice Areas

Industries

Education

  • Harvard Law School, J.D., 2001
  • Lehigh University, B.A., 1998, summa cum laude

Bar & Court Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • Maryland
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
  • U.S. Supreme Court

What Clients Say

“A talented, reliable, and thoughtful partner to our team, Merry is an integral part of our strategic growth, ensuring we are compliant and assisting in our continuous improvement of processes and practices.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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