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Connie Bertram is a partner in the Employment & Labor practice group and a member of the firm's Litigation Department. She joined the firm in 2009 and is resident in the Washington, DC office.
Ms. Bertram was selected as "Top Washington Lawyer" in Employment Litigation by Washington Business Journal in 2009. Ms. Bertram was also named the "Leading Lawyer" in labor and employment law by Legal Times in its most recent "Leading Lawyer" award series. She also was named a "Top Washington Lawyer" in employment law by Washingtonian Magazine in 2004, 2007 and 2009. Ms. Bertram was selected as a Washington, D.C. "Super Lawyer" in 2008 and 2009.
Ms. Bertram concentrates her practice on labor and employment, government contractor compliance and handicap accessibility litigation and counseling. She has defended complex employment and fair housing litigation matters across the country, including claims brought under Title VII, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Sarbanes-Oxley Act, False Claims Act and other federal and state whistleblower provisions, Americans with Disabilities Act, Fair Housing Act, Family Medical Leave Act, and Equal Pay Act. She also counsels, investigates, and litigates disputes between employers and former employees concerning restrictive covenant and trade secrets issues.
Ms. Bertram also advises federal government contractors on the many unique employment issues and obligations that arise in the government contracts context, including (1) developing and implementing conflict of interest, ethics, and whistleblower policies and programs; (2) investigating and defending False Claims Act and other whistleblower complaints; (3) conducting sensitive internal audits and investigations; and (4) advising contractors with respect to all aspects of OFCCP compliance and defending OFCCP audits and enforcement proceedings.
Ms. Bertram's recent significant litigation and enforcement matters include:
- Representation of a national multi-family housing developer in a lawsuit brought by the Department of Justice alleging violations of the FHA and ADA
- Representation of a government contractor in False Claims Act and trade secret litigation
- Representation of a mid-Atlantic grocer before the Fourth Circuit Court of U.S. Supreme Court Appeals in a decision upholding the dismissal of state law claims of an employee on preemption grounds
- Successfully defending a manufacturer and distributor in the eight-day jury trial of a former employee's age and sex discrimination claim
- Successfully opposing class certification in race discrimination and harassment actions against a federal agency
- Representation of national retailers and apartment owners/managers in lawsuits under the federal fair housing and handicap accessibility laws
- Successfully representing federal government contractors in OFCCP audits and enforcement proceedings
Ms. Bertram represents a number of employers in the Washington, D.C. area and around the country, including Pepco, Inc., Giant Food, U.S. Foodservice, Southwest Airlines, Lincoln Property Company, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, ITT Industries, and GeoLogics, Inc.
Prior to joining Cooley, Ms. Bertram was a partner at Winston & Strawn. She is a member of the Labor and Employment Section of the American Bar Association, D.C. Bar Association, and Fairfax Bar Association. She is a past co-chair of the Steering Committee of D.C. Bar's Labor and Employment Section, and currently serves as Chair of the Whistleblower and Government Contractor committees of the section. Since 1995, Ms. Bertram has been an instructor for NITA's Trial Advocacy and Deposition Skills programs. She is the Chair of United Way's Women's Leadership Council and is on the Advisory Counsel for the Virginia Legal Aid Center.
Ms. Bertram received a J.D., with honors, from George Washington University Law School in 1990, where she was a member of the editorial board of The George Washington Journal of International Law and Economics and on the Executive Committee of the Moot Court Board. She received a B.B.A. from the College of William & Mary in 1987.
Speeches and Publications:
Ms. Bertram is a frequent speaker on a variety of labor and employment relations and handicap accessibility issues, including Sarbanes-Oxley and other whistleblower issues, FHA design and construction compliance, ADA and FHA accommodation obligations, contingent workers, the Family and Medical Leave Act, OFCCP and contractor compliance, and sexual harassment. Ms. Bertram also has commented on employment issues for major publications, including the New York Times in a May 2007 article addressing the Supreme Court's decision to pay discrimination in Ledbetter v. Goodyear.
She has spoken at programs and seminars sponsored by Fed Pubs, the National Multi-Family Housing Council, National Apartment Association, Georgetown University, ALI-ABA, the ABA, the District of Columbia Bar and the Virginia Bar, and at other seminars and training conferences. Ms. Bertram is an instructor for Fed Pubs for programs concerning OFCCP and government contractor compliance. For many years, Ms. Bertram has served as a panelist at Georgetown University's "Views from the Bench: Employment Litigation" program. She also co-chairs a program for Georgetown University and ALI-ABA entitled "Evidence and Jury Instructions in Employment Litigation." Her article entitled "Sarbanes-Oxley: A New Whistle-Stop for Whistleblowers" was published in the Winter 2005 edition of The Labor Lawyer. She is on the editorial board of The Leave & Disability Coordination Handbook.
Education- George Washington University Law School
JD, 1990, With honors - College of William and Mary
BBA, 1987
Court Admissions
- District of Columbia Court of Appeals
- Maryland Court of Appeals
- U.S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
- U.S. District Court, District of Columbia
- U.S. District Court, District of Maryland
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
- United States Supreme Court
- Virginia Supreme Court
Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
- Virginia
Memberships
- District of Columbia Bar Association
- Fairfax Bar Association
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