Former EEOC Senior Counsel James Paretti Joins Littler in Washington

James A. Paretti Jr. has joined Littler as a shareholder in the Washington, D.C., office. Previously, Paretti was the Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel to Acting Chair Victoria A. Lipnic at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

In a release, the firm said Paretti, who has nearly two decades of labor and employment public policy experience, will be a member of Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute (WPI). Paretti’s arrival coincides with a spate of cases brought by EEOC, which has filed 16 new discrimination or harassment lawsuits in August alone, the firm said.

“Jim’s legal, practical and institutional insight and first-hand experience with the EEOC will be invaluable to clients and move WPI to the next level,” said Michael Lotito and Maury Baskin, co-chairs of WPI, in a joint statement. “At WPI, we’re focused on defining and shaping workplace policy not just for our current clients with interests on Capitol Hill and before federal agencies, but also for future generations who will enter the workforce.”

Paretti joined Lipnic’s staff following her appointment in 2010 and most recently advised on legal, enforcement and policy matters before the EEOC. As manager and primary representative of the Office of the Chair, Paretti oversaw the agency’s operations, participated in negotiations with other Commissioners and internal constituencies, and served as a liaison to regulated stakeholders and legislators.

Prior to joining the EEOC, Paretti served as Workforce Policy Counsel to the Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce. In this role, he developed policy, provided legal counsel and helped advance the membership’s agenda relating to labor and employment law, healthcare and pensions. Paretti’s congressional experience also includes serving as Legislative Director (1994) and Special Counsel and Director of Communications (2002-2003) for U.S. Representative Marge S. Roukema (R-NJ).

“Jim is a key influencer in Washington with a wealth of first-hand experience addressing the equal employment opportunity issues facing the 21st century workplace,” said Alison N. Davis, Littler’s office managing shareholder in Washington, D.C. “His reputation in the Beltway as a savvy policymaker precedes him, and he’ll play an instrumental role in expanding the firm’s influence across a range of employment and labor law matters.”

In private law practice, Paretti represented a range of employers in federal and state employment and labor litigation, and has litigated matters in state and federal court, and before national and state administrative agencies. He is experienced in labor relations, collective bargaining negotiations, grievance arbitration, union organization campaigns, and proceedings before the National Labor Relations Board, the firm said.

He received his J.D., cum laude, from the New York University School of Law, where he was an editor of the NYU Law Review. He received his A.B. from Harvard College.