Joyce Smithey

Practice Areas

Employment

Career

Joyce Smithey is the founder and managing partner of Smithey Law Group. A trial lawyer with more than 25 years of experience in employment and labor law, Ms. Smithey is a highly respected attorney who represents employers and employees throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia in a diverse range of legal matters. She brings a wealth of knowledge to helping clients cost-effectively protect their interests in administrative hearings, state and federal litigation, and day-to-day practice.

Whether drafting employee handbooks or arguing vigorously on behalf of her clients in federal court, Ms. Smithey regularly secures multimillion-dollar outcomes for her clients in high-profile cases and serves as a go-to source and advisor on employment law for media, bar associations, and the state legislature. Ms. Smithey is a noted speaker on employment law topics, regularly teaches seminars, and is a sought-after panelist for CLE programs. She authored the Fourth Edition of Maryland Rules Commentary, often cited by the highest court in the state, and co-authored the MSBA Maryland Employment Law Deskbook, while also regularly contributing to the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association’s newsletter and The Employee Advocate.

Ms. Smithey’s experience and reputation have led her to become a go-to source for the media regarding employment law. She’s regularly interviewed on current topics by a variety of outlets, including television networks, local newspapers, national legal trades and others. Some of her most notable media appearances have been in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, NBC and The Daily Record.

Professional Memberships

American Bar Association; DC Bar Labor and Employment Law Section; Maryland Employment Lawyers Association board member; MSBA Labor and Employment Law Section – Section; Council Member, Legislative Liaison, and President-Elect; National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA); Women’s Bar Association of Maryland; Maryland Association for Justice; League Representative in East Severna Park Swim League; Member of American Bar Foundation

Work Highlights

Focusing her practice exclusively in the areas of employment and labor law, Ms. Smithey is known as one of the leading employment attorneys in Maryland and the District of Columbia. She represents employers and employees throughout the region. Ms. Smithey has secured millions of dollars for her clients in matters involving discrimination, wrongful termination, retaliation, whistleblowing, sexual harassment and other claims. Some of her prominent successes and current matters include i) representing a senior engineer at a publicly traded multinational defense contractor in a complaint alleging gender and disability discrimination as well as retaliation. The high-profile suit sought six figures in damages and settled for a confidential amount. It received coverage in media outlets across the country, including USA Today, the Associated Press and the Baltimore Sun; ii) securing a six-figure settlement for a manager at a Fortune 500 international bank who alleged that he was being retaliated against based on his whistleblower activities, sex and sexual orientation; and iii) serving as co-counsel to a whistleblower in connection with a major government contract involving a Fortune 500 company. While operating as a subcontractor, the whistleblower learned of highly suspicious activity in connection with the transaction and properly notified the Fortune 500 company. Rather than reacting appropriately to the reasonable concerns, the company terminated its long-term agreement with the whistleblower. Ms. Smithey secured a 7-figure confidential settlement for her client.

Experience

After graduating from Maryland’s Severna Park High School, Ms. Smithey moved across the country to attend Pepperdine University. Following her graduation with a Bachelor of Arts in 1993, she worked her way back to the East Coast, enrolling at Boston University School of Law in 1996. During law school, Ms. Smithey served as a district court intern for the Maryland State’s Attorney’s Office, and authored, “Housing Discrimination Against People with Mental Disabilities: How does the Fair Housing Amendment Act of 1988 Help Implement the Goals of Deinstitutionalization?” Ms. Smithey began her legal career with a law firm in New Hampshire. Several years later, she returned to Maryland, spending time at two Baltimore firms before joining Rifkin Weiner Livingston LLC in 2007, where she was an equity partner with the firm and the Chair of its Labor and Employment Practice Group. Ms. Smithey opened her own practice, Smithey Law Group LLC, in 2018. She is admitted to the bars of Maryland, District of Columbia and New Hampshire, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court.