Anne is co-chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment team and leads the Cannabis Law practice. She focuses her practice on labor and employment law, alternative dispute resolution, commercial litigation, tax litigation, and the emerging cannabis industry. She advises clients on the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), discrimination and harassment, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), disability law, labor relations, employment agreements, and other labor and employment matters, and conducts workplace investigations. She is an experienced litigator. She also serves as an arbitrator and mediator and is an American Arbitration Association (AAA) Employment Law Arbitrator. Anne regularly represents clients in various industries, including federal contractors, construction, maritime, and higher education.

As an advocate, Anne represents clients in arbitrations and mediations involving employment, labor, and commercial disputes. She also serves as a neutral in arbitrations and mediations in employment, commercial, and consumer cases. She is on the AAA’s Employment Law Panel as an arbitrator.

Anne frequently appears in federal and state courts representing clients in employment, labor, commercial, tax, and other disputes. Prior to joining Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black, Anne was a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division, where she litigated civil tax cases nationwide.

Anne has been advising clients on labor and employment law matters for more than twenty years. She works closely with clients to guide employment decisions to minimize risk. She drafts employment agreements, including agreements for executives, noncompete agreements, arbitration agreements, and severance agreements. She advises clients on managing employee leave issues under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and FMLA. She assists clients in properly classifying independent contractors and FLSA exempt employees and other wage and hour issues.

Even with the most careful preparation, workplace claims will arise from time to time. Anne is skilled in litigation in federal and state court and an experienced advocate in arbitrations. She routinely represents clients in Title VII, ADA, Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and other employment law cases, including FLSA collective actions. She advocates for clients before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Department of Labor (DOL), the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH), and other administrative agencies. She routinely represents clients in Title VII, ADA, Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and other employment law cases, including FLSA collective actions. She advocates for clients before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Department of Labor (DOL), the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Virginia Occupational Safety and Health (VOSH), and other administrative agencies.

Early in her career, Anne worked for the U.S. Postal Service Law Department, where she litigated labor and employment law cases, handled labor disputes, and trained and advised management on preventative human resources strategies.

Anne drafts affirmative action plans (AAPs) and guides clients in Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) compliance. She is well-versed in the Service Contract Act (SCA) and Davis Bacon Act (DBA) rules regarding employee wages. She represents clients in DOL and OFCCP audits.

Anne represents management in union avoidance, union elections, collective bargaining, and unfair labor practice charges. She also advocates for management in labor arbitrations and before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Anne advises businesses on the rapidly changing laws and regulations regarding the nascent cannabis industry in Virginia and heads up the firm’s Cannabis practice.

Anne grew up in Virginia Beach and received both her undergraduate and law degrees from the College of William & Mary. After ten years working in big cities (Washington and New York), in 2007 she returned to the beach and joined Vandeventer Black, where she had clerked as a law student.

Thought Leadership

Co-author. “New Employment Laws for 2024, State-by-State Legislative Update.” DRI Employment Committee, January 2024.

Co-author. “Employment: North America, USA – Virginia.” Lexology Getting the Deal Through, September 19, 2023.

Co-author. “Employment: North America, USA – Virginia.” Lexology Getting the Deal Through, October 17, 2022.

Representative Matters

  • Won a jury trial in a multi-party suit involving claims of business conspiracy, tortious interference with contract, and other business torts
  • Won a jury trial in a tax refund suit involving the trust fund recovery penalty
  • Won a jury trial in a tax refund suit involving a federal excise tax
  • Won summary judgment in insurance coverage case
  • Won summary judgment in an estate tax case
  • Won demurrer in a multi-party suit involving business tort claims between multiple federal contractors
  • Won an arbitration involving age and disability discrimination claims
  • Won an arbitration involving education disability discrimination claims
  • Won several labor arbitrations involving employee discharges

Attorney Perspectives

Speaking Engagements

  • Lynchburg SHRM | Half-Day Employment Law Seminar
    May 16, 2024
  • Virginia Community Service Board HR Council | 2024 Legal Update
    May 2, 2024
  • HR Virginia 2024 Annual Conference | AI-lympic Games: The Possibilities and Pitfalls of AI in the Workplace
    April 24, 2024
  • Hampton Roads SHRM | Seeing Green: Wage & Hour Issues in 2024
    March 14, 2024
  • Hampton Roads SHRM | The Future is Here: The Possibilities and Pitfalls of Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace
    November 15, 2023
  • Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black | Back on Track: 42nd Annual Labor & Employment Seminars
    October 18, 19, 25, 26, 27, 2023
  • Hampton Roads SHRM May Luncheon | Puff, Puff, Pass: The Drug Test
    May 11, 2023
  • HR Virginia 2023 Annual Conference | 10 Legal Commandments
    April 25, 2023
  • CA Day 2023 Trade Show & Education Expo | Eye in the Sky: Remote Engagement
    March 18, 2023
  • Richmond SHRM | You’re Keeping Your Lawyer Up at Night: Common Mistakes that Lead to Lawsuits
    March 16, 2023

Recognition