Company Profile
National Employment Lawyers Association
Company Overview
OUR MISSION
The National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) advances employee rights and serves lawyers who advocate for equality and justice in the American workplace.
OUR VISION
Employees will be paid at least a living wage in an environment free of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and capricious employment decisions; employers will fulfill their promises to provide retirement, health, and other benefits; employees’ safety and livelihood will not be compromised for the sake of corporate profit and interests; and individuals will have effective legal representation to enforce their rights to a fair and just workplace, adequate remedies, and a right to trial by jury.
OUR BUSINESS
We accomplish our purpose through education, legislation, public policy, amicus curiae briefs, judicial oversight, publications, technical support and other activities.
Company History
NELA is a community of employee rights advocates who engage in information sharing, networking, and mutual support. Our greatest strength is human power effectively mobilized to bring employees’ perspectives into the courtroom, the classroom, the media, before Congress and administrative bodies, and to the public at large.
A Brief History
In March 1985, a dozen plaintiff employment lawyers from nine states decided to form the Plaintiff Employment Lawyers Association (PELA). The founding members envisioned that this new organization would provide assistance and information sought by attorneys representing employees, particularly in wrongful termination cases. It would develop the professional network necessary for effective sharing and support of ideas, successes, problems, and frustrations. PELA would also serve as an instrument for advancing public policy and legislation affecting the rights of employees.
In 1990, PELA changed its name to the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) to reflect its growing nationwide presence. By this time, the organization had expanded to almost 1,000 members with a local chapter in almost every major metropolitan area of the country.
Twenty-five years after its founding, NELA, with its 67 state and local affiliates, has grown to a membership of more than 3,000 employee rights advocates. NELA is governed by a twenty-four member Executive Board. Our headquarters is located in San Francisco, California with a seven-person staff. In June 2006, NELA opened an office in Washington, DC to enhance our visibility and advocacy before Congress and the government agencies charged with enforcing the country’s workplace laws.
NELA is at the forefront of major employment issues. We provide resources, education, and practical information to our members and other employee rights advocates. NELA is also an active participant in the creation of legislation and public policies that advance employees’ rights and protections. As a group, NELA members have represented hundreds of thousands of individuals in actions to ensure equal employment opportunity for all, and to vindicate the rights of employees to equality and justice in the American workplace.
WHAT WE DO
• NELA facilitates communication and collegiality among employee rights advocates across the United States and abroad.
• NELA provides high quality Continuing Legal Education programs, member services and resources designed to enhance the effectiveness of attorneys who represent employees in employment matters.
• NELA advocates on the federal level for effective legislation that protects and enhances the rights of employees in the United States.
• NELA provides amicus curiae support in significant employment and civil rights cases before the United States Supreme Court as well as federal and state appellate courts.
• NELA evaluates candidates nominated to the United States Supreme Court and federal courts of appeals to ensure they have a record of commitment to civil rights and individual liberties as well as a demonstrated commitment to and respect for employees’ rights.
• NELA provides organizational support to state and local NELA affiliates and facilitates regular communication between advocates at the state and local levels and the national organization.
• NELA builds and participates in coalitions to mobilize a greater body of advocates and maximize our impact on issues affecting employees’ rights.
Notable Accomplishments / Recognition
Twenty-five years ago, led by Paul H. Tobias, a dozen employee rights lawyers from nine states created the Plaintiff Employment Lawyers Association (PELA). The founding members of this new bar association had big, bold, audacious dreams for it. They fervently believed PELA could level the playing field for employee rights advocates and their clients by transforming the landscape of employment law through courts and legislatures nationwide. They saw PELA empowering its growing cadre with the tools for change—knowledge, resources, and a voice in the courtroom as well as in Congress.
Today, PELA is known as the National Employment Lawyers Association (NELA) and is the force for positive change in the American workplace its founders envisioned it would be. As we mark twenty-five years of unwavering dedication to employee rights advocacy, NELA has 3,000 members and 68 affiliates across the United States; offices in San Francisco and Washington, DC; a three-volume treatise Employee Rights Litigation: Pleading and Practice, the leading practice guide to litigating employee claims; and our own public interest organization, The Employee Rights Advocacy Institute For Law & Policy (The Institute).
During the past quarter of a century, hundreds of NELA members have generously shared the fruits of their labor by serving as faculty for our renowned continuing legal education programs—training thousands of employee rights advocates around the country. With the talents of our members, NELA has filed scores of amicus curiae briefs in significant employment cases before the United States Supreme Court, federal courts of appeals and state courts. Working in tandem with our coalition partners, NELA led the successful effort to pass the attorneys’ fees provision of the Civil Rights Tax Relief Act, and with the opening of our Washington DC Office in 2006, NELA plays a central role in legislation affecting workers. Through the power of NELANet, which connects NELA members to each other with a simple click of a mouse, in the words of Paul Tobias, “The National Employment Lawyers Association is the largest plaintiff’s employment law firm on the planet.”
Benefits
To be part of a extraordinary team that is committed to excellence while striving to achieve its mission of advancing employee rights and serving lawyers who advocate for equality and justice in the American workplace.