Leah strategically advises employers on compliance with employment laws and defends actions before agencies including the EEOC, DOL, and NLRB. Leah has substantial federal trial experience, conducts workplace and board training sessions, and guides managers through workplace investigations.
Leah has traveled the Mid-Atlantic region speaking about diversity and implicit bias. She has presented to many audiences, including front-line employees, upper management, and Human Resources Professionals. During her sessions, Leah encourages the audience to consider the impact of their workplace conduct, engender civility, and work together to prevent harassment and discrimination.
Leah maintains a niche focus on higher education. She provides day-to-day compliance advice to public and private institutions on employment and student-related matters. For instance, she assists higher education in navigating Title VII, Title IX, and code of conduct investigations, faculty, administrative, and athletic coach contracts and severance packages, tenure processes, and pay equity audits. Leah also trains school leadership, such as Deans and Chairs, on improving documentation and engaging in performance management of faculty, in addition to conducting employment-related trainings, such as harassment, workplace violence, and Title IX compliance.
Leah’s workplace training sessions cover topics such as workplace violence, FMLA/ADA and all employee medical leave or workers’ compensation concerns, FLSA/wage and hour obligations, documentation and discipline, performance reviews/PIPs, Form I-9 best practices, and addressing employee conduct on social media. In every case, Leah works with her clients to create a custom training program that will address their unique workforce situations.
In addition to public speaking, Leah works extensively with employers to develop employment contracts, workplace policies, and employee handbooks that suit specific company-specific needs.
Leah advises many civic and community clients including the Roanoke City Police Department’s Threat Assessment Task Force on employer obligations in the face of workplace safety and security concerns. Leah also provides extensive counsel to non-profit organizations nationwide and takes on civil rights trials for prisoners in federal court. The Virginia Access to Justice Commission named Leah to the 2020-21 Pro Bono Service Honor Roll.
Leah believes strongly in the value of youth athletics and is Chair of the Board for Virginia Amateur Sports, Inc., a non-profit organization that promotes physical fitness and healthy lifestyles and runs the Virginia Commonwealth Games—the largest multi-sport festival held in Virginia each year. She is also on the board of the Young Women’s Leadership Alliance.
A Virginia native, Leah joined Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black after completing a judicial clerkship with the Honorable Lawrence R. Leonard, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Thought Leadership
Life happens at work. Are your employees discussing the George Floyd tragedy?, The Roanoke Times, June 5, 2020
Speak the Unspoken: Fighting Your Implicit Bias and Channeling Understanding, Opening Statement, Fall 2019
Subconscious Thoughts and Their Impact on the Workplace, Lynchburg Business, November/December 2018
Avoiding The Catch-22: Reforming the Renewable Fuel Standard to Protect Freshwater Resources and Promote Energy Independence, 48 University of Richmond Law Review 1063, 2014
Attorney Perspectives
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Open Registration: HR2023 Back on Track: WRVB’s 42nd Annual Labor & Employment Seminars
September 22, 2023 -
Admissions After Affirmative Action: What’s Next in Higher Ed
July 21, 2023 -
What’s the Tea in L&E? Tattoos, Piercings, and Leggings, Oh My! Reviewing Your Workplace Dress Code
June 27, 2023 -
Do Non-Compete Agreements Violate the NLRA?
June 16, 2023 -
What’s the Tea in L&E? What is a Proper Harassment Reporting Procedure?
May 18, 2023 -
Leah Stiegler Discusses Women’s Workplace Rights in Latched Mama Podcast
May 12, 2023 -
What’s the Tea in L&E? Is There Such a Thing as a Purely Verbal Counseling?
May 4, 2023 -
What’s the Tea in L&E? Government Employers: Is it Free Speech or Just Freely Complaining?
April 10, 2023 -
What’s the Tea in L&E? Rap Music at Work: Motivation or Harassment?
March 29, 2023 -
COVID-19 Legal Round Up and Looming 2022 Deadlines
December 21, 2021
Speaking Engagements
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Richmond Compensation Association Breakfast Meeting | Pay Equity Refresh: Balancing the Scales
December 13, 2023 -
Virginia Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program 19th Annual Fall Retreat | Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to Build a Stronger Legal Profession
September 15, 2023 -
Virginia Compensation Board | Lawful Employment Training
May 10, 2023 -
HR Virginia 2023 Annual Conference | Pay Equity Refresh: Balancing the Scales
April 25, 2023 -
Richmond SHRM | You’re Keeping Your Lawyer Up at Night: Common Mistakes that Lead to Lawsuits
March 16, 2023 -
CUPA-HR Virginia Chapter Event | Employment Legal Update 2023
January 25, 2023 -
Mississippi Credit Union Association | Labor & Employment Training
December 21, 2022 -
Mississippi Credit Union Association | Labor & Employment Training
August 24, 2022 -
Lynchburg SHRM | Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Where are we in 2022?
August 11, 2022 -
Mississippi Credit Union Association | Labor & Employment Training
June 30, 2022 -
Richmond SHRM | 2022 Legal Update
March 17, 2022 -
Virginia Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration | Legal Update
March 14, 2022 -
Mississippi Credit Union Association | Legal Developments in Labor & Employment
February 24, 2022 -
Charlottesville SHRM | Legal Update 2022
February 8, 2022 -
47th Annual Advanced Business Law Conference 2021 - Virginia CLE | Valuing Diversity and Recognizing Implicit Bias
September 24, 2021 -
Shenandoah Valley SHRM 2021 Virginia Legal Forum | How Does a Lawsuit Work
September 15, 2021 -
The Medical Advisory Group of Lynchburg | Harassment, Bullying, and Other Workplace Issues
September 8, 2021 -
Richmond SHRM | Six Months In: How Has the New Administration Affected Employers?
July 20, 2021 -
Young Professionals of Central Virginia | The Future of Work: The Gig Economy, Remote Work, DEI Initiatives, and More
May 6, 2021 -
Northern Virginia Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators | COVID-19 at Work in 2021
April 15, 2021 -
HR Virginia Annual Conference 2021 | Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Employees with Competing Interests
April 11, 2021 -
Lynchburg SHRM | How an Employment Lawsuit Works
April 8, 2021 -
IPMA-Va Spring Conference | 2021 Legal Updates
March 23, 2021 -
Virginia College and University Professional Association for HR | What’s New in the Biden Administration
March 9, 2021 -
Richmond SHRM | Will It Stay or Will It Go? Planning for the New Administration
March 4, 2021 -
Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police | Fair Labor Standards Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, & Family Medical Leave Act
March 3, 2021 -
Virginia Credit Union League | COVID-19 at Work: 2021 Legal Updates
January 26, 2021 -
CUPA-HR Virginia Chapter | CUPA-HR Virginia Legal Update
December 15, 2020 -
Richmond SHRM | Virginia’s New Employment Laws
November 12, 2020 -
Virginia Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration | Legal Update
October 21, 2020 -
Virginia Credit Union League | Virginia’s Updated Workplace Standards & EFMLA
August 5, 2020 -
International Public Management Association for Human Resources - Virginia Chapter | Employee Leave Under FFCRA & 6 Steps to Take if an Employee Tests Positive
June 18, 2020 -
VACAP Human Resources Peer Group | COVID-19 – Returning to Work: Legal Issues Agencies Need to Consider
June 10, 2020 -
Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce | COVID-19 Webinar Series
April 24, 2020 -
Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police | 2020 New Chiefs/Deputy Chiefs Training School: FLSA, ADA, & FMLA
March 4, 2020 -
Richmond SHRM | 2020 Legal Update: Hot Topics and Practical Advice
February 20, 2020 -
VASHRRA | Roanoke/Southwest Regional Event
October 18, 2019 -
IPMA-HR Virginia Chapter Regional Workshop | Strengthening Your Supervisory Skills in Employment Law
October 16, 2019 -
VA Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration | VaSHHRA Regional Event: HR Legal Update
October 9, 2019 -
Richmond SHRM | HR on Mock Trial: Romance Gone Wrong (Allegedly)
September 19, 2019 -
Council of Independent Colleges in Virginia | Hot Button Legal Issues in HR
May 22, 2019 -
Lynchburg Regional Alliance Business Summit | Employment Law Updates
April 30, 2019 -
Association of Government Accountants | Federal Employment Laws Every Leader Should Know
April 25, 2019 -
International Public Management Association for HR – Virginia Chapter | Discrimination & Harassment in the #MeToo Era
March 12, 2019 -
International Public Management Association for HR – Virginia Chapter | Hot Topics in Your Employee Handbook
March 12, 2019 -
Virginia Society of CPAs – Roanoke Chapter | Federal Laws Every Leader Should Know
January 24, 2019 -
Virginia Women's Conference | Valuing Diversity and Recognizing Implicit Bias
November 17, 2018 -
Virginia Employment Commission | FMLA, ADA, Workers’ Compensation in the Workplace
October 30, 2018 -
Virginia Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration | Legal Updates in the Health Care Industry
October 26, 2018 -
Virginia Society of CPAs | Harassment and Diversity
October 18, 2018 -
Virginia Employment Commission | FLSA Issues and Social Media in the Workplace
September 27, 2018 -
Richmond SHRM | HR on (Mock) Trial: Racial Discrimination
September 20, 2018 -
Lynchburg SHRM | Internal Workplace Investigations
September 13, 2018 -
Virginia Employment Commission | Recent Developments in Employment Law
August 23, 2018 -
Virginia Employment Commission | Employee Handbooks and Social Media in the Workplace
August 23, 2018 -
Virginia Legal Aid Society Pro Bono Conference | Diversity in the Law
April 20, 2018 -
Lynchburg Bar Association | Diversity and Implicit Bias in the Law
April 20, 2018 -
Local Government Attorneys of Virginia | All Aboard the Employment Train: Bringing People on Board — An Overview of the Hiring Process, I-9 Compliance, and Other Immigration Issues of Relevance to Local Governments
April 19, 2018 -
VT Roanoke Higher Education Center | Workplace Violence
March 3, 2018
Seminars + Events
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Stronger Together: WRVB 2022 Labor & Employment Seminars
October 6 - October 24, 2022 -
40th Annual Labor & Employment Webinar Series
October 7 – November 4, 2021 -
HR LifeLine: 2020 Labor & Employment Webinar Series
Every Thursday in October, 2020 -
2019 Labor and Employment Seminar Series
October 2 - November 5, 2019 -
37th Annual Labor & Employment Seminar Series
September 20 - October 17, 2018
Recognition
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Ten WRVB Attorneys Named “Ones to Watch”
August 17, 2023 -
Four WRVB Attorneys Named to 2023 Pro Bono Honor Roll List
June 7, 2023 -
Thirty-Seven WRVB Attorneys Named to 2023 Virginia Super Lawyers and Rising Stars List
May 1, 2023 -
WRVB Promotes Five to Principal
February 7, 2023 -
70 WRVB Attorneys Named to 2022 “Legal Elite”
November 29, 2022 -
Ten WRVB Attorneys Named “Ones to Watch”
August 16, 2022 -
Eighteen Woods Rogers Attorneys Named to 2022 Virginia Super Lawyers or Rising Stars Lists
May 5, 2022 -
Four Woods Rogers Attorneys Named “Ones to Watch” by Best Lawyers
August 19, 2021 -
Leah Stiegler Named to 40 Under 40 List
January 5, 2021 -
31 Woods Rogers Attorneys Listed as “Legal Elite” and “Rising Stars”
November 30, 2020